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Lunchtime Links: Make This the Year of Collaboration

Why "collaboration" is the word on everyone's mind in 2013. Plus: Is your association using all four stages of sponsorship at conferences?

A big buzzword for 2013 you’re most likely hearing in your office is “collaboration.” From collaborative offices to pushing teamwork on new initiatives, collaboration seems to be here to stay. How is your association using collaboration in its day-to-day tasks? One article gives several ideas, from the zany to the tried and true, for effective teamwork in your office.

That and more in today’s Lunchtime Links:

All together now: Are you working together? Are you really working together? Collaboration is the word of the year, according to an article from CMS Wire’s Favid Coleman. He pushes videoconferencing on every device, from smartphones to iPads, and urges collaboration on another buzzword of 2013: big data. “With this explosion in large data sets, there are many startups with tools to help you deal with big data often in a visual or graphic format where it is easy to see trends and patterns,” he says. How is your association being collaborative?

Free labor: Almost every association relies on volunteers. The number of hours a volunteer should spend with an organization is currently being debated on the Energize Blog, with some suggesting that volunteers’ hours should be capped. The blog posts examine how poor management might drive volunteers away and put the onus on organization leaders, not the volunteers, to succeed. What do you think? Does your association ever turn away volunteers?

Put your name on it: Sponsors are a key component of every conference. But how deep is your relationship with your top providers? Jeff Hurt examines four stages of sponsorship in a recent blog post, and the depth of each stage may surprise you. The last step: nurturing a brand’s connection with a target market versus splashing a sponsor’s name in front of customers as often as possible. Rethinking sponsor strategy is an important step in furthering worthwhile relationships for the good of your association.

Facebook fail? It’s one of the pitfalls of social media: Sometimes, people just don’t like you. But how you deal with the negativity is what matters, according to a recent post on Beth’s Blog. When a user hides or “unlikes” your content, take note of what prompted it. The same way you notice when a particular comment or post gets a lot of engagement, turn around and see what isn’t gaining traction. Maybe it’s a change in tone or in content. No matter what the reason, it’s your opportunity to fix it. How have you dealt with negative Facebook feedback?

What’s on your reading list today? Let us know.

(Jorg Greuel/Digital Vision)

Chloe Thompson

By Chloe Thompson

Chloe Thompson is a contributing writer to Associations Now. MORE

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