| News for SmartBrief prospective partners |  |  | | | What's Happening |  | | | - The Slippery Slope of Association Blogger Outreach
 Contributing blogger Maggie McGary is the online community and social-media manager for the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. This post first appeared on her blog, Mizz Information.
"It's not often that two of my favorite things to blog about happen to intersect but today you're in luck. Mom blogger drama has made its way to the association world. Score. But actually this is a post I've been meaning to write for a while about a topic that I am sort of torn about: associations doing blogger-outreach campaigns.
To summarize the two links above, in case you don't feel like clicking, the Corn Refiners Association (CRA) embarked on a blogger-outreach campaign to try to dispel some of the bad press high-fructose corn syrup has been getting. They gave a group of mom bloggers gift certificates (I'm not sure of the amount) in exchange for their participation in an informational webinar and a blog post hyping how HFCS is actually not bad for you.
"It's not for me to say whether this was a good idea or a not a good one; suffice it to say the result has been both CRA and the bloggers being portrayed in a pretty negative light."
Is your organization considering using bloggers as influencers? Read the complete post at SmartBlog Insights and join the conversation. - SmartBrief hosts learning roundtable for partners
 In October, SmartBrief partners were invited to our 2010 Partner Roundtable in D.C. The topics of discussion were association news best practices, circulation growth strategies and social-media integration.
A few take-aways from the event:- Our director of Editorial Operations discussed best practices for writing a partner news piece, including thinking like the reader (understanding what motivates them and what drives them to action) and keeping your summaries brief.
- Our director of Audience Development detailed a few of the new methods we're using to increase circulation. She encouraged our partners to find and befriend LinkedIn groups in their industries.
- Our director of Digital Marketing discussed the ways in which SmartBrief is expanding our social-media presence to take advantage of these growing platforms. He reviewed successful strategies he has witnessed from across the association community and discussed ways in which our partners can integrate SmartBrief into their social-media offerings.
The event was a success, judging from the feedback we've received from association participants:
- "I thought today's SmartBrief Partner's meeting was exceptionally informative (and enjoyable)."
- "Excellent meeting, worth the time and travel."
- "Great all around. Took down many ideas!"
Want to learn more? Contact us to discover how partnership works today.
| Leadership Focus | | | | - The essential skills that leaders often lack
All leaders need four key skills, Tony Schwartz writes: the ability to recognize others' strengths, to rally people around a cause, to clearly define success and to value themselves and their workers despite shortcomings. Only by approaching leadership with that generosity of spirit can leaders help their workers achieve their full potential, Schwartz argues. "All four capacities are grounded in one overarching insight. Great leaders recognize that the best way to get the highest value is to give the highest value," he adds. FastCompany.com/FC Expert Blog (10/15) - How to keep your audience awake
Practicing and polishing a speech isn't enough -- to keep your audience engaged, you need to combine palpable passion with punchy, confident delivery. The key, says executive coach Nan Crawford, is to treat every speech as an opportunity to infect your audience with your own enthusiasm for your subject. "If all you have for me is information, invite me to buy your book," Crawford says. "When we stand in front of an audience we have an opportunity to share not just our information but our energy." Inc.com (10/19) - Why you need to heed the power of 3
 You can make your meetings run more smoothly and improve your persuasiveness by respecting the fact that the human mind can remember only three distinct things from any event, writes Art Markman, a cognitive psychologist. In practice, that means limiting your presentations and meetings to three topics and letting participants know upfront what those items will be, Markman writes. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Workforce (10/21)  | Should we be talking? Learn how SmartBrief generates nondues revenue for 140 + associations, professional societies and nonprofits. E-mail us today. | | About SmartBrief | | | | - What we do
SmartBrief publishes industry-specific e-mail newsletters in partnership with prominent associations, professional societies, corporations and nonprofits. More than 3.5 million executives and professionals rely on SmartBrief every day to stay informed and save them time. Visit here to view our partners, see samples and subscribe. For updates, follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook. Want to explore partnering? Let's talk. | Media 2.0 | | | | - Look beyond information to boost engagement
Online engagement stems from three things, writes Richard Millington: the exchange of information, the social babble between friends, and the establishment and reinforcement of social hierarchies. Too many brands stick to information exchange, and miss opportunities to strengthen their community members' ties through off-topic and apparently trivial interactions, Millington argues. "[A]sk people lots of questions about themselves. ... [L]et them talk about things that have very little benefit to you or your brand," he advises. FeverBee.com (10/27) - 4 things you need to host a successful tweetup
Jason Falls writes that he has learned that every good tweetup has four things: a compelling narrative, a charming host, a suitable venue and a bevy of interesting and interested people. "You take the social media crowd, which is by nature extroverted, put them in a venue where they can meet and greet and put a fun drink in their hand and you're going to have a good time. The people make the party," he writes. Social Media Explorer (10/15) - 3 tips for socializing your customer service
Adding a social-media layer to your customer-service efforts doesn't have to take much time or energy, writes Pamela O'Hara. Identify the platforms that your company should be engaging with and set aside a few minutes each day to address requests and complaints via those channels, and you'll soon be recognized as an engaged and caring company, she writes. "Speak the language of your customer -- including listening and responding to conversations in social media -- and watch your reputation for providing stellar customer service bloom and grow," O'Hara writes. BusinessWeek.com/Today's Tip blog (10/22) | SmartNugget | | | |  | | - Green buildings may make workers happier, more productive
Workers whose companies splurge on eco-friendly office buildings tend to be happier with their lot, more committed to their jobs and ultimately more productive, according to anecdotal evidence. "It's a way to send signals about work-life balance, a signal to future generations, a signal to their commitment to the environment and sustainability, of wanting to be innovative, of wanting to pull your weight," says technology professor Stephanie Bertels. The Globe and Mail (Toronto) (10/20) | |  |
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