How May We Engage You?
by Mark Sklarow, Executive Director, IECA
(from Toronto, at the ASAE Convention)
No topic has been more discussed, debated, praised, and disparaged than the role of social media in the work of associations here at the national convention of association executives.
There are two questions that dominate. “Do we need to do this?” is raised often by my colleagues who hear a resounding chorus of “yes” from their peers. The other question “WHY are we doing this social networking?” is raised by many more who have established blogs, wikis and LinkedIn groups. Unlike the single word answer to the first question, this one is greeted with everything from blank stares to mutterings about ROI (return on investment), to membership recruitment, to shrugged shoulders.
My answer is different: Engagement.
IECA’s hope is to fully engage each and every member in the life of the association. We want every Independent Educational Consultant to know what the staff is doing, and planning. We hope the social media efforts we’ve undertaken, including Facebook, this blog, and much more to come, means our members can go further than hearing from us and understanding what we’re working on.
Rather we expect this to be a two-way dialogue: members suggesting ideas, new ways of doing things, offering their opinion, telling us what we’re doing well, and not so well. Our colleagues from schools, colleges and programs can post things to our Facebook page and get an immediate response from our members.
We invite you to join us as we seek to create a dynamic, engaged community of educational placement professionals.
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