--- title: "Social Media Roundup: You Might Be An Association Nerd" id: "18298" type: "post" slug: "social-media-roundup-you-might-be-an-association-nerd" published_at: "2013-07-02T21:05:55+00:00" modified_at: "2026-11-09T19:01:51+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/07/02/social-media-roundup-you-might-be-an-association-nerd/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2013/07/02/social-media-roundup-you-might-be-an-association-nerd.md" excerpt: "Does your life revolve around all things associations? Then you might just be an association nerd. Also: Should you give your conference participants more control?" taxonomy_category: - "Meetings / Events" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "audience engagement" - "conferences" - "event planning" - "Leadership" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Association CEO / Executive Director" - "Director" - "VP" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Social Media Roundup: You Might Be An Association Nerd Do you never miss the weekly [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/search/realtime?q=%23assnchat&src=typd) conversation on Twitter? Then you might be an association nerd. Don’t fight it; embrace it. Learn some of the common characteristics of association nerds, and more, in today’s Social Media Roundup. ### Keep Calm And Be A Nerd > Ever wondered if you were an association nerd? Here’s the checklist to know for sure! [http://t.co/HAE2VyMlxh (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/HAE2VyMlxh) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — kikilitalien (@kikilitalien) [July 2, 2013 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/kikilitalien/status/352052240120414208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **The world of associations is a vibrant community** of people who devote their professional lives to their organizations. [In her latest blog post (opens in a new tab)](http://soupykiki.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-to-know-if-youre-association-nerd.html) , Kiki L’Italien tells how, over the span of a decade, she grew to love associations and turned into an association nerd. She describes many characteristics of the type, but one that truly brings the community together are the weekly social media chats. (L’Italien hosts #assnchat each week.) Though, that said, the last one is pretty spot-on, too: “You still haven’t managed to explain to your family what you do for a living.” *(ht @[kikilitalien (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/kikilitalien/status/352052240120414208) )* ### Less Control vs. More Freedom > Do conference participants want less control? [#eventprofs (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/eventprofs?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#mpi (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/mpi?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#pcma (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/pcma?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [http://t.co/FIrHHathZB (opens in a new tab)](http://t.co/FIrHHathZB) > via [@ASegar (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/ASegar?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — Executive Oasis International – Team Building (@executiveoasis) [July 2, 2013 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/executiveoasis/status/352079466119438336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **Try building your event around what the audience *really* wants.** In this day and age, as content creation merges with audience engagement, more organizations might want to consider giving participants more freedom. Instead of taking control away, [author Adrian Segar suggests (opens in a new tab)](http://www.conferencesthatwork.com/index.php/event-design/2013/07/do-conference-participants-want-less-control/) , try giving attendees options: “In my experience most conference attendees, *when given the power to determine what they wish to experience at an event*, relish the opportunity. The tragedy is that still so few meetings these days allow attendees to make this choice.” Segar believes conferences that don’t take into account what attendees want are not maximizing the potential impact of audience engagement. *(ht @[executiveoasis (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/executiveoasis/status/352079466119438336) )* What role do attendees play in your conference programming? Let us know in the comments. (iStockphoto/Thinkstock) [Jasmine McGee](https://associationsnow.com/author/jasmine-mcgee/) Jasmine McGee is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/jasmine-mcgee/) Tags: [#audience engagement](https://associationsnow.com/tag/audience-engagement/) [#conferences](https://associationsnow.com/tag/conferences/) [#event planning](https://associationsnow.com/tag/event-planning/) [#Leadership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/leadership/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [VideoASAE TV Daily Recap: Final Day at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 14, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/14/asae-tv-daily-recap-final-day-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoDJ Johnson Shares His Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/dj-johnson-shares-his-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoAshley Cobb Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/ashley-cobb-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) - [VideoJenny Teeson, CHSE Shares Her Experience at the 2025 ASAE Annual Meeting & ExpositionAugust 12, 2025](https://associationsnow.com/2025/08/12/jenny-teeson-chse-shares-her-experience-at-the-2025-asae-annual-meeting-exposition/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2013%2F07%2F02%2Fsocial-media-roundup-you-might-be-an-association-nerd%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !