Clearly social networking has usurped some of the traditional roles of membership organisations (at least, for some people). This is in a way a continuation of what the web has been doing since its inception: information provision, networking with like-minded individuals, proclaiming one’s affiliations and points of view, accessing those in authority, have all been made easier, faster, cheaper and more accessible.
This surely begs a re-examination of why people join (rather than for what). One fundamental reason is to align oneself with others under the umbrella of an organisation that represents and amplifies how we feel about a particular issue. So the more active an organisation is in campaigning around its core issues, the more they will be seen as a pole of attraction, and the more it will seem ‘necessary’ to be a part of that organisation.
I suspect that it will be those organisations who best engage their members in active campaigning – and provide them with the means and the space to self-organise – that will most successfully re-engineer the nature of membership.
Creating the desire to belong will then become the way in which to draw in members; as Amy put it, promoting “a sense of community and even exclusivity” is the challenge to address.
Simon
NCVO Web TeamClearly social networking has usurped some of the traditional roles of membership organisations (at least, for some people). This is in a way a continuation of what the web has been doing since its inception: information provision, networking with like-minded individuals, proclaiming one’s affiliations and points of view, accessing those in authority, have all been made easier, faster, cheaper and more accessible.
This surely begs a re-examination of why people join (rather than for what). One fundamental reason is to align oneself with others under the umbrella of an organisation that represents and amplifies how we feel about a particular issue. So the more active an organisation is in campaigning around its core issues, the more they will be seen as a pole of attraction, and the more it will seem ‘necessary’ to be a part of that organisation.
I suspect that it will be those organisations who best engage their members in active campaigning – and provide them with the means and the space to self-organise – that will most successfully re-engineer the nature of membership.
Creating the desire to belong will then become the way in which to draw in members; as Amy put it, promoting “a sense of community and even exclusivity” is the challenge to address.