Despairing about missing Buzz2009 because there’s no budget left for professional development? Check it out: Buzz2009 Scholarships.
Buzz2009 is a great value.� Seriously, I know what it costs to hire a social media strategist, and Buzz2009 is a bargain by comparison. Not that we social media consultants aren’t a good investment, too ;-), but we get it. Belt tightening this year is a reality for a lot of us.
We’re creating this scholarship opportunity for two reasons:
- To help those who need to make social media work for their association — even during this budget crunch.
- To enhance the quality of the event by getting a few more folks with “social media stories from the trenches” into the room.
If you’d like to be considered for a scholarship, tell us your story in the comments box below (you can include a link to a blog post or video, if that helps you tell the tale) and tweet this post. We want to know why you need to attend, and what you have to offer to the other folks who will be in the room.
SmartBrief on Social Media and SocialFish have stepped up to offer two scholarships. But depending on how many good stories we hear, there could be more. So please share your story. Inspire us!
Did you miss one of the breakfasts? Good thing we did video recordings of all three sessions.
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A Florida woman was arrested last week on four counts of child abuse in response to a complaint that she had inappropriately disciplined four children, striking them on their legs, buttocks and faces. Her arrest followed another four years ago, when she was accused of shaking a baby in her family child care setting until his brain was bruised. Horrific, right? It gets worse….Released on bail, the next work day, the child care provider reopened her home and admitted 6 children whose parents knew of the arrest. Officials were unable to stop the provider from providing care because the woman did not charge the parents. She offered the care at no cost. As a result, the program was considered “unlicensed child care,” which falls outside the parameters of licensing regulation.
I am the Chief of Parent Engagement at the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies, and we want to stop the madness. The story of this child care provider is shocking, but is among the thousands of similar stories we follow every year. We have launched a completely unfunded parent network (www.CCAParentNetwork.org) that is devoted to organizing parents to take action to change the child care system in America. We operate this program on a shoestring, and we depend on electronic marketing and social media to get the word out. We’re Tweeting and posting our hearts out to make change, and we need to come to the conference. Please provide me (and, one of my hard-working and dedicated staff members…give a girl an inch, and she will take a mile…..) with the opportunity to learn more about making change through social networking. You will be a part of helping the 11 million children in child care in America. Thanks!
I already graduated long ago, but wanted to give you props for giving away a scholarship based on a growing field like social media AND helping companies on a budget. Great job!
For once in my life I’m prepared ahead of time for something–I’ve already blogged about why I need to attend Buzz2009. (http://www.mizzinformation.com/2009/06/buzz2009-social-media-for-associations.html). Twice (http://www.mizzinformation.com/2009/05/whats-new-in-nerd-world.html), actually.
Ok–so now you know why I want to attend; how about what I could offer other attendees if I’m there? I can share how I helped get my association to go from “no, we’re not there yet” to creating a position dedicated to social media–in less than a year, and during a no-new-positions freeze, no less. How we started a page on Facebook and within a few months attracted over 10,000 fans. How we’re engaging members, providing member service, re-tooling existing PR efforts…all with social media, of course. And where we’re planning to go from here.
Thanks and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll see you all there!
Please visit my website for the complete explanation of why I should attend Buzz2009. I have a slideshow posted there and you can also view it here: http://www.slideshare.net/kikilitalien/why-kikibuzz2009.
(Warning: This is a 15-minute quickie slideshow that I will likely feel compelled to edit and update as the days go by…)
Who Is KiKi and Why Should She Attend Buzz2009?
Here is a shortlist of reasons:
She started her organization’s first podcast
She created successful online communities for chapters, sections and now for the entire membership’s technical divisions
She instructed her Marketing Department & Meetings Department on using social media for meetings
She plays well with her association social media peers
She absolutely loves this stuff!
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I will tweet like a madwoman if I am chosen to attend Buzz2009. Trust me.
I am desperate to attend Buzz2009 and in my desperation I have created a quickie glimpse at slideshare groveling (you can view it here http://www.slideshare.net/kikilitalien/why-kikibuzz2009/1/yes and on my blog, Acronym Soup.
There are many reasons for me to attend this meeting. On the fun side, I am not afraid to dance or drink or do both at the same time. On the serious side, I would estimate that 80% of my job now relies on what I do with social media and as it stands today I am a resource for my association’s efforts in that area.
Please take a look at my brief playful slideshow about why I should attend…and let me know if you have any questions. I’d be happy to elaborate and I probably will on my blog as I begin to analyze what I should have included in my initial post to y’all.
Cheers!
I am a one man online services / social media department for a national (though followed globally) nonprofit healthcare organization — the Lupus Foundation of America. We have made some good strides in the last year with regard to raising lupus awareness thru social media. While I know there is much for me to learn, I also feel there are LFA success stories (Facebook, our blog, Twitter) I can share with my colleagues. And I have so many questions and ideas I’d like to ask / receive feedback — like how to create a comprehensive social media strategy for my organization. Because LFA’s resources are limited, obtaining a scholarship to Buzz2009 would be my only option. Being surrounded by people who share a similar thirst would really give me a “kick in the pants,” and inspire me as to how to find new, innovative ways to reach people living with lupus, their family, friends, caregivers and the health professionals who treat them. I would really appreciate the opportunity to attend, and to learn from my counterparts.
I’m back like a bad virus…
I’ve already provided my “story” about why I need to come to Buzz2009, but there’s a hidden story. (Don’t tell anyone.) My organization and all of our members look to ME as the social media expert. That is scary. Maybe a little sad. I know a lot, but just enough to get in trouble and not enough to get myself out of said trouble. I need to hear from the real experts, and there is just no budget for the registration fee. I need to take it to the next level. There are 700 professional members and 1,500 parent members, and 11 million children in child care who are counting on me to use the knowledge I gain at Buzz2009 to make a difference with social media. (Shhhh! It’s our secret!)
I’m not as slick in my presentation as Kiki (kudos on the creativity, Kiki) but my story is so REAL.
I’m waiting with baited breath to hear the announcement that I’ve won!
Sponginess Abound - Pick me as an Expert Soaker and Sharer!
Okay, that’s about all I could do for a cute intro. I may not have as much practice as Kiki, Wick, Fran or Maggie in penning a poignant post (…better???). I do hope that I can join them at Buzz2009!
I have a lot to learn from thoughtful professionals such as these fine folks and the fabulous lineup of speakers and I have a lot to offer as well.
This is why you should fund my attendance at Buzz2009:
I may not be an expert at social media strategy …
* I AM a HUGE proponent of the utility of social media for associations. Not only that, I think it is absolutely ESSENTIAL that we move into the social web or start working on our exit strategy because our members will not need or want us anymore.
* I AM developing a social media strategy for my association.
* I AM looking everywhere possible to soak up like a sponge as much intelligence in the association world on this so that I can apply it within my association. (soak and squeeze, repeat)
* I AM very interested in sharing what I’ve learned through experience and through my own research.
* I AM in an organization that has a operational tendency towards “if you built it they will come” rather than spending (a little) time figuring out our objectives, understanding our audience, how can we build the best “it” for that purpose AND (the key I believe) how can develop a STRATEGY to keep your audience engaged. You cannot walk away. I’m sure that Kiki, other attendees and the panels will have lots to share about the engagement strategy. I’d really LOVE (and need) to be there to hear them and to offer my own experiences.
I may not be an active blogger, twitter(ur?)er etc. …
* I AM in the midst of rolling out a private social media platform for my association and which will hit the light of day in mere weeks!
*I AM an active Facebook/Linked user, follower of many blogs, tweats, etc., and the latest tech/social media outpost that crosses my radar.
I may not be a trained technology expert…
*I AM expected to be and I see this as a tremendous opportunity. I know I’m not alone among association professionals in this – if you entered the workforce 10-15 years ago (or now!?!) or showed any interest in technology then you were the technology expert at most associations. Wick, sounds like we may have this in common! Boy, did we make some mistakes but we certainly kept moving forward.
*I AM looking for the most effective means to connect with other association professionals who are moving bravely towards using the social web to enable better interaction among members (and to make their association EVEN more relevant in their lives).
* I AM under pressure to launch our social network quickly and to keep our costs down. Without attention to engagement (short and long term), I know we’re are endangering our chances of getting members to engage from the start with our social media site (they are academics and unless we do this right we’re likely to burn this “bridge” permanently). I need information and to make connections with others doing this NOW!
* I AM balancing the needs of a membership base that spans:
* * from members who are STILL angry that we moved our annual meeting paper room 5+ years ago to an online paper repository, who are challenged by email and internet browsing, and think social media is only for students…
* * to members who are blogging, programming their own databases, and who scoop up posts from our members-only job board to post on their on free open access blog-job board.
We’ve until now catered to the least technologically savvy. Social media offers us a way to engage the tech savvy members to help us connect via peer-to-peer means to the less tech savvy and to have a richer community and a stronger profession as a result.
* I AM a SOLID candidate as an attendee to listen intently and add to the conversation and to provide my own perspective on what it is like to be a quasi-technical person bringing an association into the social web. I’m hope that funding doesn’t keep me from Buzz2009.
I look forward to seeing you all at Buzz2009!
Polly
P.S. it’s between me and Fran, please choose Fran. I decided to become an association professional to make a difference in this world (received my CAE earlier this year!). The work of my association and its members is important and does contribute soundly to the greater good. The work Fran’s association does is critically important and I do hope that her association can find ways quickly to make the tragic story in Florida a rare one in the future. It’s a horrible story and should never have to be told.
I would like to see if any sponsors would like to step up and offer all of us who posted here a delicious scholarship to attend. After reading all the posts, I think it would be great to meet everyone at Buzz2009 and share the enthusiasm in person!
Any takers?
I second what Kiki said!
Nobody knows “budget crunch” like me. Ok, that’s a bit of an exaggeration, I’m sure that I am not alone in my “lady of leisure” status. Working for a homebuilding trade association up until a few months ago (when I was laid off) taught me a lot about how financial crisis can effect an association – the decisions, fears, and mindsets that prevent it from considering ideas that might lead to a better future. However, even if the checkbook had been overflowing, it would still have been difficult to make social media work, as our association culture was very, some would say, traditional. Although often frustrated, I did learn a lot about how most association staff and leaders perceive social media, and therefore the challenges of integrating it into an association’s strategic plan and operations.
My stories may not all be good ones but they are the reality that many of us face or will face. I’ve learned a lot in the last year or so about using social media to achieve goals, and I hope to bring all that experience and knowledge to share with others.
My personal budget crunch doesn’t allow me to attend Buzz09 unless I get a little help from my friends, so I’m hoping I do. The more I read about Buzz09, the more I realize that I need to be there, I want to be there! Thanks for considering me!
I am beyond excited to learn about this opportunity to apply for a scholarship and hope I’m not too late!
I work at the Child Welfare League of America and we are working on developing social media strategies with our member agencies to:
1. help reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect
2. recruit much needed foster and adoptive families for those children who are not safe in their own homes
3. connect and engage with youth who have aged out of foster care (State agencies will be surveying youth who have aged out as part of a National data collection effort - well, requirement - ultimately to improve the system)
Last week, as part of a national conference, I organized a social media “tech room” teaching people to twitter and use groupsites. There was a LOT of interest, because of #3 above.
Being introduced to the work (and networks) of Maddie and Lindy through Tech09 opened up a whole new world for me. I can see the tremendous potential for CWLA to make an impact on the most vulnerable population in the U.S. through the social web, and I know attending Buzz2009 will be able to help me connect the right tools with the existing goals.
Thanks for your consideration!!
PICK ME because…
S…Someone needs to represent the ignorance factor of the average member…I’d be great at it!
O…Our company, 922inc is young, like Social Fish, and shares a passion for helping associations succeed.
C…Collaboration at all levels is key to a successful social media strategy.
I…I have 25 years of association experience focused on identifying best practices using cross functional teams with so much more to learn!
A…Associations need to become THE trusted on-line source for their members.
L…Lyndy and her team are people I’d like to get to know.
F…Fear of public participation is something I (and members) need to overcome.
I…Ideation and brainstorming are what I live for.
S…Speakers are worth stalking.
H…Having Fun looks to be guaranteed!
That’s my story. I REALLY need it to be enough!!
THANK YOU!