By Myra Norton on
3/27/2008 9:06 AM
This week I have the privilege of serving as part of the faculty for a conference on Alumni Affinity Groups. The conference is run by Academic Impressions, and is really more of a hands-on working session for alumni relations and development professionals. Yesterday was the first day, and we had a very fruitful morning session on rethinking alumni social networks. We talked about the misconception that social networks = Facebook or MySpace; and that the reality is that social networks are about human relationships that form for a variety of reasons. Facebook, MySpace and other online social networking sites are tools alumni may use to connect; but they do not define the social networks among them.
One of the points we’re continuing to hammer on is the importance of asking alumni about the people who are most important to them – the connections they cherish from their time at your institution. So often, we identify alumni leadership by default – selecting those who volunteer or those who are most visible to the institution. This approach leads to overuse of the same alumni in multiple capacities, and doesn’t foster growth in alumni participation and engagement with the institution.
Brenda Morris, from Baylor University, shared some of the great work she and her team are doing at Baylor to grow the Baylor Network, a wonderful set of alumni affinity groups led by alumni and supported by the institution. Wayne Cozart, from the University of Virginia; and Jeff Schantz, from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, are fellow faculty with Brenda and me. I look forward to learning more today about Wayne’s programs for alumni that have grown out of student organizations and Jeff’s programs for alumni volunteer training.
The talented alumni relations and development professionals participating in this conference developed great strategies for building alumni affinity group programming; and I am excited to see them pu ...
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By Katie McClammer on
3/18/2008 10:26 AM
This article was written in response to Myra Norton’s presentation at the Online Marketing Summit in February. An initial posting about the Online Marketing Summit was written by Kent Lewis and touched on Norton’s presentation, “Social Networking Success: How Human Behavior has Changed the Way We Communicate to our Customers.”
Looking for more about the session, Grant Crowell of Search Marketing Standard, Inc. conducted an interview with Myra. Within the article you will find answers to Crowell’s perceptive questions about such things as credibility differences between online networking sites such as Facebook and Community Analytics’ focus on trusted relationships, and the growing responsibility companies have when dealing with the sanctity of personal relationships.
By Katie McClammer on
3/18/2008 8:56 AM
Employee Volunteers Show Their Support for the American Lung Association of Maryland
March 2008 – Community Analytics, a research organization based on the principles of social networking, extends its gratitude to its employees for their contributions to Baltimore Stadium Trek in support of the American Lung Association. Community Analytics’ employees served as Route Marshalls, directing participants during the race through the stadium. Leading the volunteer efforts was Community Analytics’ own, Jeremy Boyer, Data Analyst.
Appropriately named “The Stadium Trek,” the event called upon sports enthusiasts from all over the region and featured a race through Orioles Park, all the way to M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens. To culminate the race, the American Lung Association hosted a celebratory tailgate for all participants.
The American Lung Association and Community Analytics’ charitable efforts made great strides in the Association’s mission to prevent lung disease, as they brought in roughly $80,000 in gross proceeds throughout day.
“The Stadium Trek was a great opportunity to help support the American Lung Association while enjoying the home of our Orioles and Ravens, especially with Opening Day right around the corner. The teamwork was fantastic and we look forward to returning next year,” says Boyer.
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About the American Lung Association of Maryland:
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By Myra Norton on
3/17/2008 8:00 AM
I was meeting with administrators from a University in the Northeast last week to help them improve overall Alumni participation, and more importantly, engagement. I have to say this was one of the most refreshing meetings I’ve had in a long time with a group like this because they actually said to me, “We have no interest in developing a strategy to raise more money from our alumni – we just want to serve them better and improve their experience of the University.” What a breath of fresh air – they get it!
Alumni are an interesting group because they already have a natural affinity for each other, and that often extends to the institution as well. But time after time I see Colleges and Universities make the mistake of valuing the relationship between an alumnus and the institution above the relationship of the alumnus and his fellow alumni – and not the alumni the institution thinks he should be connected with – the alumni who mean the most to the alumnus. A great deal of research has shown that we form some of the strongest and most enduring bonds with folks we met while at undergraduate and/or graduate school; and beyond the research, I think we all know that to be true in our own experiences. Yet, when we look to engage alumni, we revert back to the same demographic models employed by our counterparts in B2B and B2C marketing to predict likely relationships and behavior. Those models aren’t working in the traditional realm of marketing, and they certainly aren’t working in the context of alumni engagement.
For those schools making the effort to understand and support the relationships that matter to your alumni, I applaud you! But more importantly, your alumni applaud you – of course, you probably already know that.
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By Myra Norton on
3/10/2008 12:01 PM
What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear “social networking”? This is one of the questions I’ve started asking folks before I give a talk or lead a meeting to share the work we do here at Community Analytics. I ask because I find that the responses are varied, and to really talk about how to connect with an audience through social networks, it’s important to make sure we’re speaking the same language. Invariably, the answers to that question are “facebook”, “myspace”, “blogs”, etc. I find that last one kind of humorous now that I am blogging because I would not describe it as a particularly “social” endeavor.
If I am lucky, there will be one or two people in the room who will say something like, “a circle of friends” or “personal and professional relationships” or the like. I think it is important to make the distinction between “social networks” and the resources that help to facilitate them. Social networks are about human relationships. We may nurture, build or even develop those relationships online, offline or through some combination of the two; but the network is defined by the people involved and the reasons (issues/topics/interests/attraction) they formed those relationships in the first place. For instance, I participate in an executive roundtable through the Greater Baltimore Technology Council – this is an example of one of my networks. These relationships were formed because of mutual interest in growing a business, growing people, creating work/life balance, etc. Some of us interact online and some of us interact primarily offline – regardless, the network is defined by the relationships and the types of information and advice we share with each other, not the medium through which we share this advice and information.
Given this, it’s interesting to explore the different dimensions of value we receive through our networks. What level of advice or information do we seek from our connections on Facebook ...
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By Katie McClammer on
3/10/2008 8:52 AM
The Daily Record Announces 2008 Maryland Top 100 Women
Baltimore, March 2008 – Community Analytics’ Chief Executive Officer, Myra Norton, was recognized by The Daily Record as one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women for 2008. The Daily Record is a daily, statewide source for business and legal news in Maryland.
This year marks the 13th anniversary for this esteemed Top 100 award. Over the years, The Daily Record has recognized more than 750 high-achieving Maryland women and pays respect to these individuals who are making an impact through their leadership, community service, and mentoring.
The Maryland Top 100 Women award was created to recognize successful female professionals who also give back to their professions and their communities by mentoring others and by personal community involvement. Each year The Daily Record organizes a high profile event to spotlight their elite 100 at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.
“I am deeply honored to be included among this group of talented and committed professionals,” Norton pronounced. “I hope to live up to this recognition in both my personal and professional life. “
Norton was largely recognized for her accomplishments in growing Community Analytics and providing outstanding mentorship. The Maryland’s Top 100 Women magazine, which includes a profile of Norton and the other women will be previewed at the awards ceremony on Monday, May 12th and inser ...
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By Katie McClammer on
3/6/2008 8:46 AM
Leading Session on How to Increase Institutional Support through Alumni Networks
Baltimore, March 2008 – Community Analytics, a research organization based on the principles of social networking, will present at the CASE Summit for Advancement Leaders on July 14th, in New York, New York. The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) is an international association of professionals who help to advance educational institutions. Myra Norton and Nayeli Garcia have been selected amongst the distinguished leaders to present their insights on how to best meet the challenges critical to alumni relations and university advancement.
“It is a great honor to be selected to speak amongst the global leaders in the category,” says Norton upon hearing of the acceptance.
Garcia and Norton’s session, “The Power of Human Networks®: Increasing Institutional Support through Alumni Network Analysis”, will discuss the need for institutions to expand alumni support beyond the “usual suspects,” alumni who are well-known to the institution. By understanding the social networks that exist among alumni, institutions are able to engage with existing relationships to improve their events, increase participation, and reach new donors.
The presentation will detail an influence network project in which Community Analytics partnered with the University of Virginia. In this study, Community Analytics interviewed thousands of University alumni from across the nation. Respondents were asked about the peop ...
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