Associations Adopting Digital, Social Networking

Study: Nearly 40 percent of respondents have their own social media site.

By Jason Fell
10/23/2008

Like their consumer and b-to-b counterparts, more and more associations are adopting social media and other digital applications, says a new report from the Angerosa Research Foundation, the nonprofit research arm of Stratton Publishing and Marketing.

According to the report—called Web 2.0: How Associations are Tapping Social Media—57 percent of the more than 300 associations surveyed said they have tried at least one social networking application, including Facebook (43 percent), LinkedIn (35 percent) and YouTube (31 percent).

Meanwhile, 38 percent of respondents indicated they have set up their own social media Web site. Generally, associations are building their own sites (27 percent) but others are using pre-existing programs like Microsoft SharePoint, Higher Logic or Moveable Type.

Also, 61 percent of respondents indicated that their association produces blogs, according to the report. Generally, blogs are being used for general conversations (51 percent), conference-related issues (44 percent), magazine/publication-related issues (32 percent) and messages from the CEO (22 percent).

Making the case for digital

Going digital was a hot topic of conversation during the Society of National Association Publications conference in Washington, D.C. in June. During a session called “Going Digital: Expand the Reach of Your Association Magazine,” Jim Vick, staff director/publisher of IEEE Spectrum—the magazine of the Institute of Electrical Electronics Engineers—said creating digital versions of its publications is a compelling way for its members to access its content as well as a way for the association to save money.

Digital delivery could save the society $750,000 annually in production manufacturing costs if 25 to 30 percent of members opt in Vick said. “That’s some pretty significant money.”