Virtual Professional Organizations

In today’s busy society professional organizations are having an increasingly difficult time attracting and retaining members.  Attendance at regular meetings is dwindling and leaders are challenged with maintaining these groups.

I’ve been interested in how communities develop and grow and have looked to technology to foster community grown and success.  Years ago I was challenged with developing online communities for educational, professional , and consumer user groups. Back in the early days of the Internet these systems tended to me more static with centrally developed content. In the past few years many tools have emerged that drastically shift this paradigm and enable a new model for professional organizations.

The Virtual Professional Organizations emerging today enable greater communication, easier networking, and greater activity. Tools such as blogs and wikis allow members to contribute directly to the organization, enabling content to be created from anyone rather than a centralized few. Social media tools such as facebook and twitter allow individuals to meet and talk directly with other members about specific issues while continuing to contribute to the organization as a whole. While these new technologies breathe life into professional organizations, new challenges are presented. With so many avenues for communication and content distribution, organization and structure become a lager challenge. Maintaining the focus and vision of the group becomes more difficult. As with the introduction of anything new, this bit of chaos will undoubtedly settle over time and Professional Organizations will continue to find new life in the digital world.

FEEDBACK: I’m interested in hearing any positive or negative experiences you’ve had with online communities. What are some great examples of these communities using multiple technologies to connect individuals near and far.