Author Archives: David

Event Blogging

Posted on by David

Dan Bricklin’s essay on the dynamics of event blogging, based on his experience at the Democratic National Convention, provide some useful thoughts for the bloggers who may cover the ASAE meeting:

What we learn from the Convention blogging:

Event blogging is different than normal, daily blogging. In normal blogging, you watch the world go by and pick and choose things you want to comment upon. There is material online to point to and react to. There are ideas that well up and you take the time to write about, but few people may be waiting for them. There are many, many bloggers. Some read other blogs and choose the posts they think others should read. Through popular gateway blogs like some of the well known political blogs, and tools like Blogdex, Daypop, and more, things bubble to the top.

Events are another thing entirely. The time is very condensed and the amount of information is concentrated. If you are “covering” the event, you have to look at it all and provide perspective to a reader who doesn’t see all of the context that you do. The event marches on and won’t stop for you to take time for thinking and writing. Picking and choosing is harder — if you stop to blog, you might miss the keystone piece of what’s going on.

Good stuff. I know I usually have a hard time just keeping up with voice- and e-mail while at a meeting like this, let alone trying to write something coherent.

ASAE Dips Toe Into Blogging Water

Posted on by David

The American Society of Association Executives is launching an event blog for their annual meeting in Minneapolis next week. (Not much to see yet.) I’ve been asked to make a small contribution to it during the meeting which I’ll post a pointer to when it goes up. I’m excited that ASAE is experimenting with blogs. Given the sub-domain they have setup it looks like they may have several in the works.

I’ll post here a few times from the meeting as well. Jeff De Cagna sounds like he will be blogging the meeting too. Anyone else?

Update: Mickie Rops will also be blogging from Minneapolis. I created an ASAE Minneapolis blogs wiki page to track all these sites with. Feel free to add to it if you know of others who plan to blog from the meeting.

Keynote's APXL

Posted on by David

Just came across an Apple developer connection article on how Apple’s Keynote presentation software stores all presentation data in an xml document:

At the heart of the Keynote presentation file is the presentation.apxl file, which specifies every detail of the presentation’s appearance and behavior—from the appearance of the master slide and each individual slide to the transitions used between slides and the state of the presentation when the customer first opens it.

The article goes on to talk about some of the nifty possibilities of integrating your databases and applications with Keynote. My own idea is that with a little (ok, maybe a lot) of hacking, you could provide a Keynote presentation feed for your weblog.

I love XML.

Content Management Requirements Toolkit 2.0

Posted on by David

James Robertson has announced the release of the second version of his Content Management Requirements Toolkit:

The first version of the Toolkit has been used by organisations the world over, from Fortune 500 companies to government agencies and small businesses. This new version builds upon these successes, and delivers even greater value.

I highly recommend picking up this report if you are embarking upon a CMS selection. It was very helpful to us when we conducted our last CMS selection.

Timing AMS and CMS Implementations

Posted on by David

I’ve heard from a couple of organizations in the past few months that are considering deploying their next association management system (CRM for the rest of the world) in conjunction with a content management system.

An AMS deployment alone will suck up all the oxygen in a typical npo IT department, occupying resources for months on end. A CMS deployment is resource intensive as well, especially if it is the first such system for an organization. Both usually drive a lot of business process changes during the deployment process. Trying to do both simultaneously is a big bite to chew.

This is not to say that it isn’t critically important to identify your AMS-CMS integration needs and plan on how to eventually do the integration. It is important. However, that doesn’t mean you have to plonk them both down at the same time in order to have an effective integration. Do one and get it right before you do the other if at all possible.

Switch

Posted on by David

I’ve been really interested in Apple’s OS X operating system for quite a while. Unix with a world-class GUI! I’ve also been craving a laptop to use at home and on the road. The moons finally aligned and I picked up a new iBook a couple weeks ago. I’m starting to get around the system a bit more confidently after much experimentation. The iBook also came in quite handy on a trip to Boston for my Dad’s wedding.

iBook + Baby Einstein DVD = Calm Flight.

Baby Einstein + iBook = Calm Flight

Now Ella wants to look at pictures and movies on the iBook all the time. 🙂 My toy!

I’m keeping a wiki page of links to useful OS X software, tips and resources I come across as I get up to speed on the system.

Association Data Standards Consortium

Posted on by David

The data standards group I have been active in forming now has a web page: Association Data Standards Consortium:

The Association Data Standards Consortium is a forum for identifying and communicating the process, information, and technology standards that facilitate seamless, efficient electronic business integration for associations and the for-profit businesses that serve them. ADSC is working through the X12 organization to develop standards.

The Association Data Standards Consortium uses the term “association” broadly, to include any non-profit member-centric organization or donor-based charity or foundation. Examples include but are not limited to: trade associations, professional societies, public foundations, philanthropic organizations, chambers of commerce, unions, fraternal organizations, and similar organizations.

I serve as the humble Communications Chair for ADSC, which means I approve requests to subscribe to the mailing list and help keep the web page up to date. The hard work of developing the initial standards is being done by the working groups.

These data standards should eventually help eliminate some of the pain that associations experience in integrating various systems with their association management system (CRM for membership organizations).

Column Two: CMS Myth #1: Installing a CMS must be hard

Posted on by David

James Robertson takes a stab at busting some CMS myths. First up: Installing a CMS must be hard.

Installing the CMS software can be easy. It should be easy. If isn’t easy, ask why.

During our last CMS selection we required that our web admin be given demos to install from the finalists in our list. That ended up ruling out a couple of companies who couldn’t provide installable code without sending their own engineer over to do it.

Our theory was that if the company had not thought about how to make the initial installation easy then there were probably lots of other areas that had not had proper attention either. I couldn’t find a specific post on his site, but I’m pretty sure I picked up the idea of an effective installer as a sign of quality from reading Joel on Software.

O'Reilly Make

Posted on by David

O’Reilly is developing a new magazine for 2005: Make:

Make brings the do-it-yourself mindset to all the technology in your life. Make is loaded with exciting projects that help you make the most of your technology at home and away from home. This is a magazine that celebrates your right to tweak, hack, and bend any technology to your own will.

Looks like a fun mag. I’ll definitely check it out when it comes out.