Ray van Hilst

Jazz, Life Lessons and A Great Teacher

The world lost a great man today. I’m saddened by the loss, but grateful for a man that graced my life and shaped a good bit of the man I am today.

I was actually thinking of him this morning listening to NPR and the story about Story Corps, the National Day of Listening and their encouragement to capture the story of teachers. I ran through the list of those teachers that had the biggest effect on my life and one name stood out. Continue reading »

Don’t Lose It, Man!

My kids are constantly losing things. Toys, books, their jackets, etc.  Thankfully for password keychains on our home computer, the one thing they don’t lose access to is their Club Penguin accounts. If only the same could be said for so many people managing websites and web-based accounts on behalf of their organization. Here’s a … Continue reading »

Bad UI is Everyone’s Problem

My son loves Bakugan.  He collects the cards, knows all the character names, watches the show, and wears the T-shirts.  So, he was just plain ecstatic when he discovered the Bakugan website the other day. My wife promptly started creating an account. Unfortunately it was a very frustrating process that was only exacerbated by an … Continue reading »

Training to Blog

Pardon the random blog post, but one of the things I love about my job is showing people how easy it is to use technology.

Facebook Privacy Breach? Get Over It!

The internet is all aflutter today over the story from the Wall Street Journal that Facebook apps have been passing personal data on to advertisers. I wish I could care.  I really do.  But here’s the sad reality that everyone keeps forgetting: Facebook costs you NOTHING!  It is FREE!  How else do you expect them … Continue reading »

3 Steps to Launching Your Online Community – Upcoming Webinar

Online communities and private social networks are taking over the association space as organizations look for new ways to connect with members, keep them engaged and generate revenue.  However while it seems that the hard work is picking a platform and setting it up, your real work has just begun. Next week, I’ll be giving … Continue reading »

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Since I’ve started using this blog for more professional than personal observations, I’ve stayed away from political discussions.  However, the recent primary election results have compelled me to comment. Despite your political leanings, it is clear that the last two significant elections have been driven by voter sentiment that is the polar opposite of whatever … Continue reading »

Who Wants To Be at ASAE Annual but is Stuck in DC?

Yes, the ASAE Annual Meeting is possibly the most important event of the year for association professionals to learn and connect with their association peers.  Sadly, due to budget cuts, travel restrictions or just lack of funding… not all of us can go. So if you’re stuck in DC and still want to connect with … Continue reading »

Risk, Mountain Biking and Social Media – Buzz2010 Recap

Last week’s Buzz2010 took on a topic that those of us riding the trails of social media naysayers always end up facing – managing risk in social media. Inspired by the small group discussion/case study of a trade association in the extreme sports industry I came home and was motivated to go for a mountain … Continue reading »

There is No ROI in Social Media

There’s no “R” in the words “Social Media” but there’s definitely an “I” because it requires an investment.  However that’s just a play on words and an attempt to be cute (which it isn’t). Part of last week’s TMA Resources webinar “This is Now, but What’s Next? A Discussion on Social Media” devolved into the … Continue reading »