Excited for Tomorrow!

Hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving with family and friends. I know it's always hard to come back to work after a long break, but I'm excited about our virtual training this week. I'm hoping we share great discussions and learn from guest presenters, and that we also have a successful training model to share at the end of the week. With budgets tight, groups all across the organization are looking for alternatives to in-person meetings. I think we have a great week in store!

Tomorrow's presenter, Amy Showalter, sent the following note for me to share with you...

Greetings,

I'm looking forward to hearing of your exploits (and exploits are good where I come from) and reviewing the strategic planning document with you on Monday! This will help you focus your advocacy efforts on your high-priority advocacy goals. Plus, because I get the opportunity to collaborate with a very diverse group of clients, I've noticed a difference in those who achieve their goals and get the recognition they deserve, vs. those who do a "good job" but are stuck. I'll share the common patterns of behavior in those who are moving forward.

Onward,
Amy Showalter

Your Email on the Small Screen

Seems handheld devices such as cell phones, iphones and blackberries are the wave of the future for receiving information. I've gotten some questions lately about formatting emails so they render properly on handheld devices. The ladies at AH&A recently shared this resource.

Much of the content people are receiving on there handheld devices was once considered only applicable to the web. This article is helpful in considering how to set up your emails to render properly in these devices.

http://www.emaillabs.com/email_marketing_articles/best-practices-for-mobile-email-marketing.html

Pew for You

I'm passing along this great source of information shared by our friends at Adams, Hussey and Associates. Thanks, Olga!

Is there anything Pew can't do? The Pew Internet & American Life project is a great (and credible!) source of information. http://www.pewinternet.org/reports.asp Their studies cover demographics of internet users, online activities & pursuits, and government's use of internet.

I just took a look and loved the report on page 2 about the use of internet in the 2008 Election. I guess I've been longing for a little election coverage over the last few weeks. If you're like me, check this one out! Even if you're thrilled the political chatter is dying down, there's surely a report here that'll interest you... try the report on e-patients, the one about teens writing for the internet, or the report on privacy concerns in the fast-paced internet era. These reports provide an interesting backdrop to our ongoing discussions about social media.

Oh, how I love the Ellipsis

If you've ever exchanged emails with me, there's a good chance you already know... I love the ellipsis! It's something about the way it jumps off the page and catches your eye, or the way it creates suspense in a sentence. I'm just wild about this peculiar punctuation mark.

So, you can only imagine how delighted I was when someone sent me this article a few months ago proclaiming "The Glory of the Ellipsis." I felt justified in my constant usage and excited at the prospect of seeing the ellipsis scattered throughout our action alerts. It's such a great way to grab your readers' attention.

Check out this article... then embrace the ellipsis in your own writing!
http://www.marketingsherpa.com/article.php?ident=30370#

Training Opportunities

By now, you should have recieved a welcome message from NTEN, the Nonprofit Technology Network. The National Grassroots Team is happy to extend this membership to all AHA grassroots staff. NTEN offers a number of resources, including some great training opportunities in the next few weeks- all at reduced cost to members. I encourage you to check them out!

Writing for the Web: Less is More (Nov. 13)
10 Tactics for Growing Your Online Community (November 20- FREE for members!)
"Managing" Your Brand in Social Media (Dec. 4)

Enjoy your NTEN membership and be sure to take advantage of their great offerings!