Social media to bar associations: Prepare to be assimilated. Resistance is futile.

wpollak: Nat'l Law Journal: ABA Seeks to Shore Up Waning Membership http://tinyurl.com/m4oeu7 (expand) Why is it declining? And what would you do about it?

• btannebaum: @wpollak why is ABA membership declining? Because it's always been the darling of BigLaw, which is equally declining

• btannebaum: @wpollak the other of several reasons ABA membership is declining: BigLaw not paying dues for associates, who won't pay themselves

• wpollak: RT @AdvertisingLaw: Facing Expected Membership Decline, ABA Hires Advertising Agency to Help Market Itself http://bit.ly/1aE3EV

• rorybrown: @wpollak The parallel is that many assocs I have been involved with feel antiquated in their committess & processes. Same with media?

• wpollak: @rorybrown Yes, like Big Media, I think there's a view that associations are slow-moving. Hiring an ad agency not going to be enough.

• wpollak: Re: Declining ABA membership. Question for me is whether in the age of social media industry associations are still necessary 4 networking?

• btannebaum: @wpollak the ABA membership decline is mainly based on the inability to answer this question: Wny is membership relevant?

• rorybrown: @wpollak The parallel is that many assocs I have been involved with feel antiquated in their committess & processes. Same with media?

• rorybrown: @wpollak Both assocs and media need to update themselves to take part in a networked world. Their role changes.

• wpollak: @SCartierLiebel Question if ABA decline is cyclical or secular? If cyclical, then new promotion may help. If secular, will miss the point.

• SCartierLiebel: @wpollak If they don't fix underlying issues and attitude it has created w/in profession, SM will hasten its decline. SM isn't causing it.

• jeffrey_brandt: @wpollak re:declining ABA membership Clearly members didnt perceive value. Not sure unstructured get togethers could replace formal assoc

• vpynchon: RT @wpollak: RT @btannebaum: ABA mem'ship decline based on inability to answer this question: Wny is membership relevant? section mem'ship

• tetsuotrees: @wpollak well, there's always "prestige" through association...(I'm being somewhat - though not entirely - sarcastic here)

• wpollak: @tetsuotrees Yes, there are associations where membership confers "prestige" on the member. But I question if the ABA is on that list.

• bobambrogi: The ABA Journal has been a trailblazer in social media, but the ABA as an organization has behind the curve, in my opinion.

• dougcornelius: @bobambrogi Bar associations are vulnerable to repalcement by online communities. I am surprised they are not embracing them more.

• bobambrogi: @DougCornelius Some bars are taking steps to embrace online communities. Boston Bar is a perfect example and Mass. Bar is studying this.

• danielschwartz: @DougCornelius I'm joining the ABA Committee on Technology for next 3 yrs, send me your suggestions on improvements. I know they're trying..

• jeffrey_brandt: RT Every1 is just flooding 2 MH Connect right? :) @nikiblack @dougcornelius @bobambrogi Bar assns R vuln 2 replacement by online communities

• dougcornelius: @jeffrey_brandt @nikiblack @bobambrogi Bar assns are "vulnerable" to replacement by online comms. Not replaced. Still living on face to face

• nikiblack: @DougCornelius @boambrogi @jeffrey_brandt in my experience, bar associations are as backward as BigLaw re: technology & social media

• nikiblack: @DougCornelius @boambrogi @jeffrey_brandt IMO, if bar assn's don't make a change soon, the younger generation won't join. Bye bye bar assns

• nikiblack: @DougCornelius @boambrogi @jeffrey_brandt Bar assns are hurting right now bet. economy & young attys not seeing point of joining

• danielschwartz: @nikiblack @DougCornelius @bobambrogi Bar assns need ppl who understand tech like you all; too many others (not u) just like to criticize

Comments

[Susan Cartier Liebel]

Hey, Nikki..you must all the tweets on this topic from wpollack and myself!

[Stephen Fairley]

Nikki,

Great work on this!

Did you know the executive directors at the bar associations are meeting next week in Chicago?

I'll be there. Will you?

Stephen Fairley
CEO of The Rainmaker Institute
http://www.therainmakerblog.com

[Alli Gerkman]

Great conversation--I wish I had seen it real time so I could have jumped in. As always, thanks to Niki for capturing it.

Speaking for me only...

I'm not sure there are many bar associations that don't want to go down the social media road. To the extent people (like me) want bars to adopt social media tools, I think we need to step up and help. Many bar associations look to their volunteers for help on all kinds of projects--why not this one?

As to whether young attorneys will abandon bar associations now that online tools exist to support networking... surprisingly (it was to me, anyway), the generational research I've seen, which identifies Gen Y as more traditional and more likely to embrace membership organizations than Gen X, doesn't support that. And this is a great opportunity for membership organizations, bar associations and the legal community.

Of course, I have to think the new class of members will have to see something of value in membership. I believe online community is part of that (though I am not such a fan of the "gated community" model) and that members should help define what that will look like.