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April 2019

Even if you’ve never heard one, you probably know about podcasts – downloadable audio files on a variety of topics, from crime to comedy, politics to pop culture. A recent New York magazine cover story on the podcast phenomenon estimated there are now about 660,000 podcasts in production, reaching more than 60 million listeners.

Podcasting was born in the mid-2000s, shortly after the first portable mp3 players hit the market. The word “podcast” is a portmanteau of “broadcast” and “iPod,” making it a somewhat archaic term, as nowadays most of us listen to them on smartphones, not iPods.

Associations have begun discovering the power of podcasts as a tool to reach members, other stakeholders and the public. We don’t expect them to replace other communications media, but they can go places where others can’t – literally.

Unlike videos and webinars that are best watched, and newsletters that must be read, podcasts don’t require eyeballs – just ears. They can be consumed in the car, on the job, at the gym and anywhere else a smartphone can go.

February 2019

Your offices have wheelchair-accessible doors, hallways and restrooms. You have designated parking spots out front. You welcome service animals. Your association has gone above and beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Nobody can accuse you of being inaccessible or unwelcoming to those with disabilities.

Or can they? How ADA-compliant is your association’s website?

For every person who visits your association’s brick-and-mortar offices, hundreds or even thousands more are checking it out online. Is your website’s virtual presence as accessible as your physical one?

Federal government sites are required by law to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), version 2.0, outlined by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). New York State has an executive policy requiring the websites of state agencies – and entities the state contracts with – to meet similar guidelines.

November 2018

Most of us who are Generation X or older can remember when there was only Thanksgiving and the day after Thanksgiving. The latter, since many of us have the day off, is traditionally a big holiday shopping opportunity. Over the years, it acquired its own designation – Black Friday – and became a retail phenomenon, with special promotions and store hours.

In 2005, the term Cyber Monday came to be applied to the Monday after Thanksgiving – when consumers, especially those without internet access at home, returned to work and used their office computers to shop online (on their breaks, we hope!).

Seven years later, in response to the Black Friday/Cyber Monday commercialism juggernaut, New York’s 92^nd Street Y and the United Nations Foundation created a new movement: Giving Tuesday – or, as it’s frequently styled for the social media age, #GivingTuesday. Since the movement began, hundreds of millions of dollars have been donated to charities on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving.

Many charitable organizations have incorporated Giving Tuesday into their fundraising efforts, and many non-charities, from businesses to professional associations, encourage their employees, members and friends to participate.

Lis Design, a full-service design studio based in Saratoga Springs, NY, has entered into a working relationship with ADG Creative, the creative division of the Association Development Group.

Michele Wyse (left) and Elisa Sheehan“Over the past several years, I have had the pleasure of working with the talented designers at ADG Creative,” said Lis Design founder Elisa Sheehan. “In my work with ADG I have found a creative culture similar to Lis Design, with the added benefit of expanded services such as web design and development, video and video animation, copywriting and the kind of marketing strategy clients have been asking for.”

Disclaimer: This post is not paid advertising or its questionable cousin, “sponsored content.” It’s a public service announcement for association managers who want to spend less time, money and stress on their online financial transactions.

At ADG, we work with multiple associations and have seen the best and worst of online payment processors. Often a client has been using its processing company for years and has become accustomed to its quirks. Like the door that sticks or the spouse who snores, they’ve learned to live with it.

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Literary Life Hacks

- Literary Life Hack #5: Myriad Pyramids
  
  Contrary to popular belief, the word “myriad” is not a noun. It’s an adjective.
  
  Incorrect: ADG staff facilitated a myriad of events this fall.
  
  Correct: ADG staff facilitated myriad events this fall.
  
  If you really need a noun, “plethora” is acceptable (“a plethora of events”). It means a lot.
- Literary Life Hack #4: Compose – Don’t Comprise Yourself
  
  Many people use “compose” and “comprise” interchangeably.
  
  The pizza comprises 8 slices – CORRECT
  The pizza is composed of 8 slices – CORRECT
  The pizza is comprised of 8 slices – INCORRECT
  
  “Make up” is an acceptable alternative and can be used in the active or passive voice. The pizza is made up of 8 slices. Eight slices make up the pizza.
  
  We are not making up this rule.
- Literary Life Hack #3: The F Word (no, not that one)
  
  I feel frustrated when people use the word “feel” incorrectly.
  I feel they don’t know how to write well.
  
  The first sentence uses the word “feel” correctly. The second does not.
  
  Simple rule of thumb: If what you’re “feeling” is more than a single adjective’s worth, it’s not a feeling. Use “think,” “believe,” “surmise,” “expect” or some other verb that describes brain activity, not emotion. Check out http://www.thesaurus.com/browse/think for some ideas.
  
  If it just, well, feels right to use “feel” instead, plug in that single adjective after it:
  
  We feel the conference will be a success.
  We expect the conference will be a success.
  We feel confident the conference will be a success.
- Literary Life Hack #2: Hyphen Nation
  
  To hyphenate or not to hyphenate — that is the question. A general rule is that if the words in question go with (usually before) a noun, hyphenate. If they go with (usually after) a verb, do not.
  
  They had a face-to-face meeting. They met face to face.
  He has a full-time job. He works full time.
  
  Adjective-noun combinations that modify other nouns should also be hyphenated to avoid confusion: Small-business owner, criminal-court judge. We don’t want to call the business owner’s stature or the judge’s morals into question!
- Literary Life Hack #1: The Dating Game
  
  Dates should not have a suffix on the number (10th, 23rd, etc.) if the month is present. (July 4, 1776, not July 4th, 1776). Only use the -th, -st, -nd, -rd suffixes if there is no month (“See you on the 23rd!”).
  
  In everyday usage it is not necessary to append this year to a date (May 1 is sufficient; you don’t need to say May 1, 2019). You may not even need next year if it’s clear from the context what year it is (“Join us for our 2020 Conference on February 1 and 2”). Exception: legal language (contracts, disclaimers, official rules).