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Today's Nuggets from Shirky

I didn't read as much as I wanted to over the holiday weekend, but I did get a few nuggets that I wanted to share and get your thoughts on.

If everyone can do something, it is no longer rare enough to pay for, even if it is vital.

Here Shirky talks about the demise of the profession of scribes. But think about it in terms of your association benefits. If the only benefits you offer are things people can get other places for nothing, you better have a true value proposition other than those benefits. And chances are, discounts or member pricing on conferences, etc. aren't going to cut it.

Here is something you can show all the naysayers at your associations when it comes to blogs and social media:

It's also easy to see why the audience for most user-generated content is so small, filled as it is with narrow, spelling-challenged observations about going to the mall and picking out clothes...And it's easy to deride this thing as self-absorbed publishing -- why would anyone put such drivel out in public?

It's simple. They're not talking to you.

It's not always about you. And that's ok. But when it is about you, you want to be there to hear it, and answer if appropriate. Because if you are not, it will never again be about you. And if you lose one engagement, how many more are bound to follow?

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