Website relaunches are always a tricky affair, with a million moving parts and countless possible sticking points with your audience. Will people take to the new navigation? Will readers or members react kindly to new types of content? And will the darn thing work when it’s supposed to?

In its debut of a new site today, The New Yorker redesign has so far avoided the slew of technical issues that often accompany website redesigns. But that doesn’t mean the entire transition was smooth sailing.

In the past we’ve covered what associations can do to avoid relaunch disasters, and those lessons hold true today. But for the older associations out there, The New Yorker‘s path to the relaunch may strike a familiar chord.

As documented by Capital‘s Nicole Levy and Peter Sterne, the transition from the old ways of doing things to the new status quo always comes with a few bumps in the road.

But amid all of these changes, it’s always vital to keep your core mission intact. As The New Yorker‘s editors wrote in a letter to their readers: “Publishing the best work possible remains our aim. Advances in design and technology are tools in that effort.”

(By the way, it should be noted that the magazine is opening up its archives as part of the redesign.)

Tweet of the Day

Podium Power: 7 Steps To A Rock Solid Speech http://t.co/jYd1LTo85G via @forbes

— Retail Minded (@RetailMinded) July 21, 2014

There’s a reason public figures often employ speechwriters. Composing a direct address to a large audience is a difficult task, and for association pros without the ability to outsource, these tips from Forbes contributor Rodger Dean Duncan may prove handy.

Other Good Reads

It’s summer and you’re itching for a vacation. So, how do you reconcile that sun-soaked desire with your day-to-day responsibilities at work? National Fluid Power Association CEO Eric Lanke has some tips on his blog.

Don’t always think big. Not every event or conference has to boast an attendee list that goes on for miles. Andy Johnston of Event Manager Blog outlines why a smaller, more tailored list of attendees could work wonders for your next meeting.

Hungry yet? You will be after devouring this post by association pro Deirdre Reid listing another set of delicious restaurants to keep an eye on if you’re attending this year’s ASAE Annual Meeting and Exposition, in Nashville, Tennessee. Just look at that pork belly!