Codemonster Needed

I know, I know, it has been a while. Sorry! Our Director of Operations left, and I've been pretty busy as a result. Gotta keep the customers happy, right?
Quick post today, because we've got a job opening available. Details are on Craig's List.

Don't be a victim of "forward blindness"...

Recently, when explaining the capabilities of our Content Management System to a potential new association client, the Executive Director explained to me that much of the functionality wouldn't be needed, as their member base was mostly an older population. Does this raise any flags with you?

I politely pointed out that the lifeblood of any membership organization is recruiting new members--preferably younger members that would stick around for a long time, merrily paying their membership dues. These are exactly the users that would be expecting any organization that they joined to be taking full advantage of the latest technologies. Especially now, as the first generation that grew up with broadband is beginning to enter that coveted 18-35 demographic that keeps the nation's economy rolling along smoothly.

This is something that my Rotary club is finally starting to figure out. Many of the service organizations that your father belonged to (Elks, Kiwanis, Optimist Club, and even the legendary Masons) are suffering because they weren't making an effort to attract younger generations. Making an effort means embracing change. Remaining progressive. Looking forward, rather than back.

You don't have to be a membership organization to suffer from this form of "forward blindness". "Members" easily translates to "customers" or "clients" or "stakeholders" or whatever the language of your industry.

New Year, New Blog.

Happy New Year!

As we roll into 2007, I've decided to start making use of the time between when I wake up and when I leave for the gym. Why not blog? Do I have something to say? Well, that remains to be seen.

So last night, we rang in 2007. Well, some people rang it in. I was sleeping. I volunteered for a shift at First Night, then hit a couple of the venues with my family. The baby was tired, so we came home. Then the wife and I debated going to another venue, where some friends were. I decided against it - if I had gone, I would have gone to the after-party, then instead of sitting up blogging right now, I'd be in bed with a pillow on my head, dreading the coming of 7am when the kids get up. Besides, alcohol doesn't go well with the Zoloft.

What's up for the new year? I think that our cms company, Belmonster, will take off this year. The product is good, and we're starting to gain traction with the sales efforts. We've got some big plans for it this year, including a free build-your-own-website community. After all, what better way to get the name out there than giving the product away?

We've also got some great projects in the works in our branding company, Belmont, Inc. The Chief of Staff for the U.S. Army just renewed their contract, so we'll be working on a number of exhibits and displays for the Pentagon. Sales efforts there are starting to bring new projects in as well, which is good because my wife will be taking maternity leave soon.

So what am I going to talk about in my blog? Well, it will be a mixture of branding, website subjects (interface/interaction design, information architecture, technologies, marketing and strategy), leadership/business-related topics, reviews of other blogs that I read, and perhaps the occasional picture of my kids. These are all things that I am interested in and do an enormous amount of reading about.

So happy new year, and I hope I don't bore you too much!