Lunchtime Links: How to Use “Big Data” at Small Sizes

Hear all this talk about big data and wonder how to make it work for your small association? That and more in today’s roundup:

Staying small, thinking big: Wild Apricot’s Lori Halley thinks aloud about the various bloggers who tackle “big” data and breaks down how this type of info would translate  (opens in a new tab) to small organizations. “The reality for small associations, clubs or other membership organizations, is that while they may not have what would be considered ‘big data’ to manage or massage, they certainly do have important data,” she explains.

iPad magazine success: Has your association been thinking about doing an iPad-format magazine? If so, this story might raise your hopes of it being a hit. Magazine publisher Future says it has managed to build $8 million in profits  (opens in a new tab) from using Apple’s Newsstand service since last fall — and 40 percent of people who try one of its magazines stay on as subscribers.

Feed concerns: Like we said yesterday (opens in a new tab), many bloggers are worried about the possible shutdown of Feedburner — something that wasn’t lost on Maggie McGary of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She tried an alternative service, FeedBlitz  (opens in a new tab), for her Mizz Information blog, but she’s not happy  (opens in a new tab) with the results. “I succumbed to the mass freakout and now am paying for something out of my own pocket that I used to get for free, with no apparent benefit for me,” she says.

Will change work for you? Writing on SocialFish  (opens in a new tab), consultant Anna Caraveli asks: “Does your culture allow for change?” She explains that even good leaders may struggle on the execution front if the organization doesn’t allow for flexibility. “We have seen countless smart leaders fail to move their organizations to an entirely new place in their markets because they rely on conventional processes and ways of thinking to execute new ideas and models,” she writes.

Is change a possibility in your organization? Tell us in the comments if you’re trying to make it work.

(TMG archive photo)