At a recent luncehon of the International Society of Appraisers, there were no reserved tables. People who needed to sit near the front found seats (those are rarely filled, so they're always available) and Board members and Committee chairs were scattered throughout the room.

When the Chicago Area Runners Association held its annual banquet, half of the tickets were typically sold to groups that purchased tables of ten. Additionally, one or two "reserved" tables were identified at the front of the room for speakers and honored guests, and for staff who needed access to the stage.

It seemed so simple, but it wasn't. Sometimes, a group wanted eleven people at its table - and offered to pay for the extra. Well, ten is pretty cramped, and eleven isn't really possible, so we said no. They did it anyway.

Other times, groups of people who wanted to sit together bought tables of ten with everybody contributing individually. If someone canceled, the group would ask for a refund. We'd politely refuse, and that seemed OK with them (so why did they ask?).

One year, a group of ten sat at a table marked reserved and seemed genuinely surprised when told they couldn't sit there. As it turned out, we didn't need that table, so we let them stay. They didn't understand what the fuss was about.

We never designated a table for Board members, feeling that would appear too cliquish. We suggested they mingle with the crowd and sit at tables with members. They said that was a great idea, but often ended up sitting together at one table.

It' may be best to let people sit anywhere they want. They'll probably do that anyway.

A state association just confirmed my presentation at its fall conference and asked who I wanted to chair the session.

I replied that it didn't matter to me who acted as chair - the association should designate whomever it wants.

The organizer insisted that I was the one who needed to identify a chair.

I've never been told that before. What an odd request.

CEO Update reported that 36.5% of association CEOs hired during 2009 came from within the industry the associations represent.

That is the highest percentage in the 18 years the publication has been tracking backgrounds of new CEOs.

That message is a slap in the face to association executives.

The job of a CEO is not to be a content expert - it is to manage the expertise that already exists in the association.

CEOs provide the vision and strategy to lead the association. They may solicit input from experts in content, membership development, marketing and public relations, technology, law, finance, volunteer management, and other areas in which they may, nor may not, possess expertise.

The CEOs job is to blend all of that expertise into a successful strategy.

Hiring a content expert does not bring the association anything it didn't already have.

So, let the content people manage content. When you need association management, get an association manager.

That's how long your introductory bio should be when you are a speaker. Nobody needs to know about all of your awards, all of the schools you attended, all of your hobbies, or all of the places you've ever worked.

Edit your bio, strategically, summing up in one paragraph (one short paragraph) the information that is appropriate for the group you are addressing.

Don't count on your bio being edited by the host organization. It may not have the time to edit it, it may not know what to edit, or it may fear the wrath of your ego if it prunes too much.

So, prune it yourself.

It's not a popularity contest. It's not a fan club. It's not about having more connections, or more followers, or more friends than everybody else. (NOBODY has 1,000 friends. Most people don't even know 1,000 people).

It's about networking with more people than you could through personal contacts. It's about communicating with more people, more quickly, and more effectively than through any other available venue.

Knowing how to use social media is just as valuable as knowing how to work a room, how to craft an "elevator speech," or how to unearth a nugget of information online (or in a library).

So, ignore the braggarts. Don't simply rush into what you are told everybody else is doing. Develop your plan strategically. Examine various types of social media and utilize those that will help your association better meet its goals and better serve its members.

It's about gaining power.

Start here, go there, check out links, stop when you don't want to look anymore. Proceed at your own pace, not anybody else's.

Do we really need to know how many pets are owned by bloggers, where these folks vacation, and what type of pizza they prefer? Should we really care if someone craves a candy bar right now? Maybe, but just a little bit.

Greg Fine and Sherry Budziak, speaking today at Association Forum of Chicagoland, felt that personal comments on blogs, Twitter, and Facebook pages are often more interesting than professional comments - even to professional colleagues - and may attract more viewers.

These sometimes candid notes offer glimpses of private qualities that reveal the real person behind the text. They add personality.

Still, it's important to strike a sensible balance. If your bio mentions your hobbies but not your professional expertise, it gives the impression you are not qualified for your job.

So, go ahead and embed your personality in professional postings. Just don't upstage your professional persona.

Blog postings, advertisements, news articles, and promotional copy frequently use "they" instead of "it" when referring to a singular entity.

They are all wrong, wrong, wrong when they do that.

"It" is a singular, "they" is a plural.

One association is an "it," not a they. One company is an "it," not a they. One store is an "it," not a they.

I'm glad I'm not the only person who is bugged by this. (Although, that wouldn't change my opinion nor my willingness to express it).

I hope association publications use these words correctly.

So President Obama swatted a pesky fly. What should he have done, negotiate with it?

When setting up a database, allow users to view as much information as possible one one page. They should not have to click repeatedly to view mulitple pages to get basic information.

Use tabs and links to access more detail.

For additional tips (lots of them), check out Wes Trochlil's blog.

The nominating committee of an association that I served as Executive Director selected the husband of one of my staff as a new Board member. The potential conflict was never raised by the committee. He was swiftly approved with no discussion, as he and his wife were both well-regarded leaders in the community.

I felt I had won a Board ally. I never expected him to look out just for his wife's interests. Rather, I thought he would side with the staff in any board/staff face-offs (there never were any issues of that type).

Instead, I found him to be highly ethical. In fact, he abstained on several votes that he thought could be perceived as a conflict of interest, even though nobody raised the issue (or probably even thought about it).

Events don't always turn out the way you think they will.