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June 2019

Ten years after “There’s an app for that” became a household phrase, there really is an app for just about everything, including things the folks at Apple probably hadn’t thought of when they coined the slogan.

Not only are apps everywhere, they’ve become more versatile – and so have their users.

This is especially true of event and conference apps. Once considered an expensive extra, they’ve become as essential to many associations’ event plans as name badges and sponsorship packages.

If you’ve used a conference app, you know what’s in them: the schedule, presenter bios, venue map, attendee list, sponsor and exhibitor information, and the all-important post-conference survey. Depending on the event and the budget, the app might also have functions for rating presenters, voting on “people’s choice” awards, and earning points in a scavenger hunt or similar game.

May 2019

The rules of member engagement are changing. “Everybody does it” is no longer a strong enough reason to compel people to join your association. That’s why membership incentives are more popular than ever.

In today’s world of social media and the tools that surround it, anyone can form a group or a following. If so, should people have to pay to belong?

A recent, bold incentive that some professional and trade associations have tried is free membership – who doesn’t love a freebie? While it sounds cutting edge, ADG went on a mission to find out who is doing it and how they make it work.

The end result of our search? We have yet to find an association that charges no dues at all. Even those with mostly free memberships have one or more premium options.

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.

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Literary Life Hacks

- Literary Life Hack #9: Almost Persuaded
  
  Don’t use “convince” when you mean “persuade.” Convincing is for thoughts; persuading is for actions.
  
  Incorrect: “I convinced the board to book Arnold Schwarzenegger as a speaker.”
  Correct: “I persuaded the board to book Arnold Schwarzenegger as a speaker.”
  Also correct: “I convinced the board that booking Arnold as a speaker would attract more people to the conference.”
  
  Rule of thumb: If the word “to” is in the sentence, persuade yourself to use “persuade.” If there’s a “that,” convince yourself that “convince” is the right choice.
- Literary Life Hack #8: Love of "Like," Part 2
  
  The word “like,” when being used as a preposition, should never be followed by a verb. Use “as” instead.
  
  Incorrect: “Like Shakespeare said, ‘All’s well that ends well.’”
  Correct: “As Shakespeare said, ‘All’s well that ends well.’”
- Literary Life Hack #7: Love of "Like," Part 1
  
  Don’t use “like” (similar to) when you mean “such as” (the real deal):
  
  Incorrect: "This conference always features well-known speakers like Oprah Winfrey, Tony Robbins and Arnold Schwarzenegger.” (Well, which is it? The actual Oprah, Tony and Ah-nuld, or a trio of impersonators?)
  
  Correct: “This conference always features well-known speakers such as Oprah Winfrey, Tony Robbins and Arnold Schwarzenegger.”
  
  Also correct, if a bit outdated: “Be like Mike.”
- Literary Life Hack #6: Signs and Symbols
  
  A few reminders about when to use them:
  - % — Don’t use it except in tables and infographics. In text, spell out “percent.” (That’s one word, not “per cent” — unless you’re in Britain.)
  - $ — Use the dollar sign or the D word (200 dollars, $200) but not both together ($200 dollars). The sign is preferable, except in very informal usage (“I feel like a million dollars!”).
  - & — Use only when it’s part of a proper name (e.g., Johnson & Johnson). Otherwise spell out “and.”
  Incorrect: Thanks to our members & supporters.
  
  Correct: Thanks to our members and supporters.
- 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).