New Features: API Version 1.5 now Available

We’ve rolled out a great new API and a new report that helps our clients manage duplicate records. More information below:

API Version 1.5 (application programming interface) Available
The YourMembership.com API is available to all current customers free-of-charge. The XML-based API (v1.5) enables our customers to programmatically automate the management and synchronization of data between YourMembership.com and third-party applications and databases.

The new version 1.5 provides enhanced membership data management methods AND delivers financial transaction data.

 

Financial Transaction Data

The API exports donations, dues transactions and store orders for integration into third-party applications or offline databases. Export of store orders includes product information and financial data for order fulfillment and reporting. The API also exports career openings from within their online member communities, if applicable.

 

Enhanced Member Data Management

The secure API allows them to query, create and update online member profiles and member data as well as conduct real-time import/export of core member data. 

 

The API also facilitates access to multiple areas of a member’s profile including media galleries, message centers and wall features. Version 1.5 of the API provides functionality for image uploading to a member’s media gallery, browsing of albums and photos, retrieval of a member’s media gallery album list, retrieval of a member’s media gallery item list, and retrieval of a single media gallery item.

 

For managing member messages, the API returns a list of messages from a member’s inbox and/or sent folder and allows members to read messages and send member-to-member messages. The API also returns a member’s connection category list and a member’s complete connection list, and it enables connection request approval or denial.

 

For member wall management, the API returns a member’s entire wall and enables posts to a member’s wall.

 

Version 1.5 also enables external systems to query your YourMembership.com database for new members and member information that has been modified since a specific date. For directory searches, the API member directory search enables keyword searching across the YourMembership.com community directory. Other features include methods for retrieving recent community activity and snapshots of member profile data that help create an enhanced user interface experience in external, integrated applications.

 

NOW! Micro-blog Feed

The YourMembership.com API also enables feed retrieval of the RSS 2.0 community NOW! feeds.

 

New Report
A new report had been added called “Duplicate Constituent IDs.” This report will identify people that have duplicated offline IDs in the “Constituent ID” field.

Come See us at the Council for Resource Development’s Conference

YourMembership.com will be there. Come see us, November 11-13, 2009, at The Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Let’s talk about how you can vivify your community and perform administrative tasks more efficiently.

Sign up/learn more about the conference here.

YourMembership.com Launches New Plug-in for Blackbaud’s The Raiser’s Edge

YourMembership.com Inc., a leading global provider of online member communities and membership management software, recently announced the launch and immediate availability of its new plug-in for Blackbaud®’s The Raiser’s Edge®. The plug-in is an optional add-on product to YourMembership.com that enables the automated, on-command synchronization of core member data between YourMembership.com and The Raiser’s Edge.

“This new plug-in allows us to help our customers who use RE streamline their business processes via our real-time, single-click member data synchronization system,” said William Stover, Jr., CEO and president of YourMembership.com. “We solved an important business need for our customers by bridging the data gap between YourMembership.com and The Raiser’s Edge. Now, our customers who use The Raiser’s Edge have a simple, affordable solution to synchronizing their valuable member data between YourMembership.com and RE.”

The plug-in includes an intuitive configuration wizard and synchronization features, and once installed the YourMembership.com plug-in is accessible via the Plug-in Menu within the user’s local version of The Raiser’s Edge software.

Using the configuration wizard, users can set the plug-in to synchronize by constituent code and address types; map YourMembership.com member types to The Raiser’s Edge constituent codes; configure the plug-in to manage and map certain fields, and more. Once the client runs the configuration wizard, the settings are saved and administrators subsequently can synchronize member data via a single click within The Raiser’s Edge.

The plug-in’s synchronization features update core member data including fields containing biographical information such as first name, last name, etc.; address types for multiple addresses such as preferred, business, etc.; spouse information; membership data; and more. Membership data fields include member status, dates, membership type, verification data, etc.

Reporting and conflict resolution features also are available via the YourMembership.com plug-in for The Raiser’s Edge. The plug-in automatically generates synchronization reports and logs that are easy to understand and stores these reports and logs for quick reference. As an added level of protection and accountability, the plug-in logs when – and which – administrators make modifications to the plug-in configuration settings.

For conflict resolution, the plug-in captures and illustrates which data fields have changed since last synchronization and allows users to decide whether to sync from The Raiser’s Edge to YourMembership.com or from YourMembership.com to The Raiser’s Edge. Within the YourMembership.com plug-in, users may address data conflict resolution down to a field-by-field basis, and they may choose to review all records during synchronization.

The Raiser’s Edge® is a registered trademark of Blackbaud Inc. and/or its affiliates.

Try Something New With Social Media

Do Things Differently

I am not addicted to coffee and I’m not writing that because I’m in denial. But every day, on my commute to work, coffee rides co-pilot. Today it stayed home. I wasn’t trying to prove anything. I simply forgot my usual routine. I didn’t miss the coffee (remember I’m not addicted), I missed the action of tipping my travel mug at every light. I felt like I was supposed to be doing something. My hand felt antsy.

What do you do every day (from an organizational standpoint); something you do without thinking that when it can’t be done or when it has to be done a different way, you are at a loss? It just doesn’t feel right.

There’s an old phrase, “habits are something we do without thinking. That’s why some of us have so many of them.” Habits are our way of going on mental autopilot. We don’t need to give our processes any thought because we’re continuing to do them the same way we always have. But doing things the way they have always been done makes us lazy. It removes creativity and turns our decision-making process into rote procedure. It takes away evolution, which is necessary when dealing with today’s challenges. 

Here are 5 ways to step outside of doing things the way you’ve always done them with social media.

1. Shake up your member base — once a day, at least 3 times a week, contact a random member of your organization or contact list. Send an email, text, personal note, write on their wall, whatever — just reach out to them in some way. Ask how you can be of service, what their latest interest is, what suggestions they have for you. Get in touch with your online community.

2. Learn something new — enter keywords on a blog site, Twitter, Wikipedia, you get the idea. Then read and read.

3. Make contact — you’ve just learned something. How did it make you feel? Agree or disagree? Let the author know your feelings by reaching out (in a professional way).

4. Share — how does your newly acquired knowledge fit into your life or that of your members? Pass it along. Write a blog about it. Email a few of your contacts. Share its meaning with those who cross your path that day. Whether it’s your barista at Starbucks or your child’s kindergarten teacher, if you found the information helpful chances are someone else will as well. Maybe they’ll even have additional information or insight to add to the conversation.

5. Make introductions – Twitter has Follow Friday. Member sites have featured members. But why not take this to another level? You’ve made contact with someone from your community. You’ve gained insight/knowledge. You’ve shared this knowledge. Now help others meet (or become reintroduced to) people who will have a beneficial effect on their hobby, career or life. Whether you do it on email, through personal introduction or linking to their blogs; facilitating introductions builds an infrastructure of engaged individuals.

It’s easy to continue to run your organization the way it’s always been done. It’s safe. It requires little thought. The paths are already hewn. But if you’re willing, you can challenge yourself to make small changes that yield a big difference. Try what I suggest and let me know how it goes. Maybe I’ll even follow my own advice and leave my coffee co-pilot at home and use those momentary traffic stops to think about interesting ideas. This blog was born because I “forgot” my coffee. What amazing thing are you achieving today because you “forgot” to do things as usual?

The International Academy of the Visual Arts Recognizes YourMembership.com with a 2009 W3 Award

The International Academy of the Visual Arts (IAVA) recently announced the winners of its 2009 W3 Awards competition. Receiving nearly 3,000 entries, the W3 Awards honors creative excellence on the web, and recognizes the creative and marketing professionals behind award-winning sites, marketing programs, and video work created for the web.

In the 2009 competition YourMembership.com won a silver 2009 W3 Award for the category Online Community.

“We were incredibly impressed by the quality and creativity of this year’s entries. W3 winners continue to set the bar in web development and design, push the limits of web advertising creativity and advance the use of web video. We are thrilled to have reviewed such a diverse and respected pool of work,” said Linda Day, the executive director of the IAVA. “On behalf of the entire Academy, we congratulate this year’s W3 Award winners as they continue to advance Internet creativity and greatly contribute to the robust and ever-changing online community.”

With clients across all seven continents, YourMembership.com is a leading global provider of online member communities and membership management software. The W3 Awards is sanctioned and judged by the International Academy of the Visual Arts, an invitation-only body consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, advertising and marketing firms.

Becoming an (Accidental) Superhero with Social Media

Greatest American Hero — remember that show? One of the quintessential 80s offerings that entertained adults and kids alike. The kind of shows we watched where we would “pretend” to be the characters after it was over. We had to.

Oh the things you can do with the right powers.

There weren’t any video games then that allowed us to live (virtually) the life of the guy in the cape.

The show revolved around an ordinary school teacher who found a hero suit (I think left behind by aliens but trivia buffs can, and will, correct me on that one). He could do amazing things with it (thus the title) but the rub was that he had lost the instruction booklet and was making it up as he went along. Still he managed to save the day and his mishaps only made him more loveable.

Kinda like social media. We have extraordinary tools at our disposal. We can leap buildings in single bounds and traverse vast geographical areas to connect with one another. Our powers are almost limitless.

So we explore and connect and generally try to do good but it takes some learning. Flying isn’t all that easy (at first). But if you watch people who know what they’re doing, that’ll help. Asking questions doesn’t hurt either. Our lovable hero was always bouncing things off (sometimes literally) of his trusted companions. Just know that you can get the tools to work for you but it takes time. And if you crash into a few obstacles along the way, remember that’s all they are — obstacles. Part of the power of social media is becoming more transparent. If you make a mistake in usage and wish you hadn’t placed intimate details of your life on a very public wall, that’s okay. Maybe your fans will find it an endearing faux-pas but, if not, it’s okay to apologize. When the Greatest American Hero crash landed in the middle of a wedding, he didn’t stop flying. He dusted himself off, apologized and got right back to his mission.

Although some people have been using the suit (of social media tools) longer, and so they’re more versed in how best to use the powers, a good majority of people are really just learning as they go; evolving their practices and hopefully using their powers for the good. Whatever happens don’t be afraid to use the suit and learn how to harness the great power behind it. Then you too can be the Greatest American (insert other country if applicable) Hero to your organization. 

What super power has social media brought you?

YourMembership.com is Hiring!

A blog is a non-traditional way of announcing something like this but YourMembership.com is looking for a few GREAT people.

We’re hiring: web developers (.NET/ASP/SQL), PT appointment setters with flexible hours and sales people. See YourMembership.com for more about us and contact information.

Turn your social media hobby into a career. Perks include lots of free sunshine in St. Pete, Florida and all-you-can eat cookies (plus a great company with a customer-focus and a fantastic product ).

Build vs. Buy: considerations for private social networking communities

If you are among the 77 percent of marketers who are increasing your social media budgets this year, you have some major decision ahead of you. Do you take it on in-house, hire it out through a contractor/freelance web designer, go with a cafeteria style plan where you pick and choose the features within your budget or find a company with a flat fee package? What features do you incorporate now? Are there features you want to add later? Who’s your audience? Who will benefit from your social media strategy? Are you locking yourself into a contract? Is your head spinning yet?

Maybe you’ve heard the phrase, “Yard by yard, life is hard. Inch by inch, it’s a cinch.” When making your decision, step back and take it slow. Sure it’s important to know what your long-term goal is but focusing too much on the future can be overwhelming. Break your task down into manageable steps:

• First, consider all the elements you are looking for in an online community or website (chat, member profiles, slide show on your homepage, etc).

• Make a list of your basic needs, silly or otherwise (I must have an image of a dog on the site and three admin licenses for my managers).

• Add in pie-in-the-sky features, things that if they fit in your budget you would also like to have — “The Sure Would be Swell list.” (For instance, multi-media sharing capabilities).

• Now that you know what you want and need, make a spreadsheet listing your needs, then wants, down the left side of your page. Across the top, list your vendors you are using to price out options.

Now we’re talking apples to apples. It’s difficult when you are weighing multiple vendors, their packages and trying to compare it to either what you currently have or what your in-house people could do. Look for hidden costs as well.

Remember, even taking on a project like this in-house has costs to consider. Do you have a staff of techies at your beck and call? Do these individuals have other projects they will have to table until your design is done? After they have completed their work who will train your admins on it? Who handles customer service going forward after initial training?

There are a lot of considerations but if broken down, it becomes a manageable process with multiple variables.

New Feature: Custom Profile Pages

We’ve unveiled yet another exciting new feature with custom profile pages being added to member profiles.

On a per member type basis, YourMembership.com customers can allow their members to add additional custom pages to their profiles (up to 10 per profile). Members may only view the custom pages of the profiles to which they have access. Members with “Public Profiles” may decide on a page-by-page basis which pages are viewable by all site visitors.

Custom profile pages include an option to embed RSS Feeds and Voting/Scoring (if enabled on your site).

YourMembership.com’s commitment to our customers is evident in the crowd-sourcing of  our development schedule. Users initiate and vote on the features that are most important to them.

Quoted: IBM’s Social Policy Document

As many companies are giving thought to drafting a social media policy, I want to share with you the policy of a company who truly seems to understand the return on investment of social endeavors. Something worth copying….

“If it helps you, your coworkers, our clients or our partners to do their jobs and solve problems; if it helps to improve knowledge or skills; if it contributes directly or indirectly to the improvement of IBM’s products, processes and policies; if it builds a sense of community; or if it helps to promote IBM’s Values, then it is adding value.”

Whether you find that a private online community or a public social space best fits your business model, this kind of forward-thinking policy promotes transparency and trust by not only your customers, but also your employees.