Stage 4.1 - Ubiquity Online: Communicating ODLAA’s Digital Presence Part 1: Reviewing the Literature for Web Presence Branding

Prepared for Som Naidu Executive P.O. Box 176, Bathurst NSW 2795, AUSTRALIA +61 2 6332 2886 (executive) / +61 3 9214 8759 (Som Naidu) www.odlaa.org

Prepared by Phemie Wright Digital Innovations Consultant 0410 556 339 [email protected] www.phemiewright.com

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0

Introduction

3

2.0

Website Credibility and Design Aesthetics

4

3.0

Member Engagement and Communication Opportunities through a Social

9

Media Strategy 4.0

Conclusions and Recommended Framework

16

References

19

3

Ubiquity Online- Communicating ODLAA’s Digital Presence Part 1: Reviewing the Literature for Web Presence Branding 1.0 Introduction There is a growing concern that traditional models of professional associations have begun to reach the limit of their usefulness in today's digitally networked world (Bonanno, 2013). With the increasing availability of many digital platforms (e.g. LinkedIn, Open

Badges) that allow for globally accessible and transparent professional recommendations, portfolios, networks and competency demonstrations, what role do associations still play for professional connectivity (Markova, Ford, Dickson, & Bohn, 2013)? Professional associations need to take strategic steps to demonstrate their ongoing relevancy if they wish to not only sustain and attract current and future members, but also attract new innovative streams of revenue that can support the businesses long term stability (Snelgrove, 2014; Lang, 2010). 'Branding' and 'Marketing' are not terms usually associated with educational industries, as they tend to bring along with them ideas of 'selling' or 'profit' which are often not synonymous with a feeling of unbiased knowledge distribution or altruistic engagement. However in today's highly digitally networked world, all organisations including Not-ForProfit (NFP) as most educational professional associations are structured as, are conscious that digital branding is a part of ensuring long term financial sustainability of their business (Long & Chiagouris, 2006). In turn, this also ensures the organisations ability to continue to contribute to the advancement and improvement of the industry it represents (Bonanno, 2013). This is perhaps even more relevant in the distance education association industry, which is the industry of focus for this report, where academics are expected to be networked, digitally proficient and successfully communicating their research and scholarly 'brand' to appropriate communities and organisations. Made even more relevant as the skills required for this industry, continue to rapidly grow in demand with each passing year. Therefore, professional associations need to embark on an exploration as such, into how well their overall brand and organisation mission is being correctly translated through their digital communication pathways. Currently, the most widely adopted digital presence an organisation can have, is understandably, a website. However just having any kind of website is no longer an adequate solution to meet the digitally connected and design influenced web audiences of most organisations. Especially given the growing body of research that has highlighted the impact that specific website aesthetics can have on increasing consumer trust and brand sharing

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behaviour (Alkindi, & Bouazza, 2010; Fogg et al., 2001a, 2001b; Johnson & Kaye, 1998; Li & Yeh, 2010; Ou & Sia, 2010; Palmer, Bailey, & Faraj, 2000). A review of related literature suggests that the first key area for examination and analysis of a digital brand analysis for the audiences of Professional Association (PA), or Not For Profit (NFP) organisations specifically, includes the exploration of website credibility and website design aesthetics (Long & Chiagouris, 2006). Further, the use of digital social networking platforms is an integral part of any associations networking and digital presence strategy. However like websites, it is not enough to simply have a Facebook page or Twitter account, but understanding how to use these platforms effectively and correctly, through a social media strategy, is paramount to future proofing any organisation (Bonanno, 2013; McLean-Cobban, 2013). Relating to this is that this social media and digital communication strategy, has to be aligned to suit current members preferences, potential members, and the industry the PA is representing (Bonanno, 2013; Borah & Aguiniga 2013 ). This report will therefore explore the literature firstly relating

to the role of website credibility and design aesthetics for digital presence. Secondly we shall explore how best to translate this digital presence and communication through a social media strategy and member engagement opportunities.

2.1 Website Credibility and Design Aesthetics Website credibility is an increasingly important consideration in website architecture, not the least of which is due to the issue surrounding the simplicity and availability of anyone being able to create a website today. There is also the consideration of the experiences and expectation of today's digitally savvy users. This is made even more prevalent in the case of Professional Associations, given their main focus is to be a prevailing authority on the industry that they represent. Website credibility has been described as being "the extent to which users trust the informational content on a web site" (Robins & Holmes, 2008, p. 387). However the process and behaviour that website users undergo in which to determine this credibility, is not as simple or even analytical a procedure as might have been expected. In traditional communication 'credibility', judgments have been found to be based on the communicator's expertises, trustworthiness and dynamism (Toms & Taves, 2004). However research that has attempted to apply similar measures to web credibility judgments, found that the element of dynamism (which could be converted to website design and aesthetics), was a more prevalent measurement of credibility (Fogg et al., 2001a). A website is also one of the items that users see when reviewing a site. Research suggest that users make a decision about a website within the first few minutes of initial contact with a site. For instance, users take only about 3.42 seconds per visit on a new websites before they move on to other items (Robins & Holmes, 2008)

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Even more recently, global web brand Google completed research into this area and found that users first impressions can actually be made within the first 50 milliseconds, and even as little as 17 miliseconds for some web designs (Tuch, Presslaber, Stöcklin, Opwis, & Bargas-Avila, 2012). Extensive early research into this phenomena discovered that "almost 50% of comments about web credibility contained something about the design look of the site, either in general (“looks professional”) or in specifics (the layout, the colours, and so on)" (Fogg et al, 2003, p. 12). Other studies have even revealed that even if there is difficulty in navigation or functionality of the website, these issues could be overlooked by participants if they had already defined the websites as visually appealing and enjoyable (Lindgaard & Dudek, 2002). The counter issue to this being that if participants' first impressions of a website were negative, they would continue to view the site, and associated trust with the brand, to be negative. Even after more positive design and user experiences continued to prevail (Lindgaard, Fernandes, Dudek, & Brown, 2006). Further research supports this and continues to highlight the importance that appropriate website design aesthetics' has on audiences trust and belief in the brand credibility and message of the website (Ou & Sia, 2010). However, understanding that website design is and important factor to brand success, the difficulty still remains as to what exactly constitutes a 'visually appealing website design'. Some research has explored the impact of the location of perceptual elements (Faraday, 2000) with emphasis being on the importance of a 'visual hierarchy' of elements upon first entry to a website during the 'search' phase of exploration. Table 1 represents an explanation of some of this visual hierarchy explored by Faraday (2000) as summated and presented by Djamasbi, Siegel, and Tullis (2010). Table 1 Factors affecting visual hierarchy by influencing point of entry to a page (Faraday, 2000) Visual Factor Summation (by Djamasbi et al., 2010, p. 308) Hierarchy 1. Motion

Animated elements draw user attention before any other elements

2. Size

Larger objects attract more attention

3. Images

Images attract more attention than text

4. Colour

Elements with brighter colours attract more attention than those with darker Colours

5. Text style

Typographical variations serve as effective nonverbal cueing systems for attracting attention

6. Position

Top elements attract more attention than those located on the bottom

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More topical specific research that analysed eye tracking data of 25 different University websites to determine the most influential areas on a website that encouraged users to stay longer, revealed that "users spend more time on the main menu than other areas of website" (Dahal, 2010.p.21). Specifically there were time relationships with key components in this area, as summarised in Table 2 below. Table 2. Key areas on a website users focused on by order of time spent viewing Area on Website

Number of seconds users spent viewing area

1. Main menu

6.48

2. Body of the website

6.44.

3. Bottom of the website

6.03

4. Social Networking Links

5.95.

5. Logo,

5.94

6. Search button/area

5.59

7. Main Picture

5.25

Dahal (2010) specifically noted in relation to these figures that: Participants tend to focus more on main menu and body of the text followed by bottom of the website where contact information is usually provided. It is also important to note that logo, media like pictures and videos, social networking links

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and the search button should be prominent on the home page, since users seem to focus on these areas (p.24). Going further, Dahal (2010) also reviewed qualitative analysis of users perceptions of specific design factors explored and supported in other research (e.g. colour) and asked for specific recommendations from the participants. These recommendations include: •

Colours - using relaxing and calming colours over dark, outdated or colours that were too bright or made the text hard to read.

•

Images- Using images that related to the websites theme or industry, but avoid over cluttering the site with images.

•

Navigation- Participants recommended simple navigation of the main menu to be located at the top or right. As well as to avoid too many links in other areas of the website to avoid confusion and enable simpler and more intuitive 'movement' around the website. Keeping submenus hidden beneath main tabs and labels easily interpreted.

•

Text- It was advised to simply keep text size and font uniformed and easily read, especially avoiding too much text or illegible contrasting colours between text colour and background.

•

Position: Specifically relating to education industry websites participants recommended a streamlined and organised layout of all text and images. Easy to understand, navigate, simplified and looking professional rather than an like 'an advertisement'. Simply summated as 'less is more'.

•

Space- The use of white space on the website needs to give more a sense of organisation and uniformity, rather than blank or absence of content as though it were 'missing something'.

•

Design- Authentic, relevant and streamlined over all designing considerations made a lasting impact on participants. Having a site that may be streamlined and organise and easy to navigate is one thing, but if it doesn't clearly (and quickly) become apparent what the company actually 'does' , then the message is lost and the user has a negative experience. Further studies have continued to expand on this, and sought to create a valid

inventory and measurement of website design aesthetics'. With Moshagen and Thielsch

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(2010) completing an extensive literature review that identified numerous factors influencing user experience with the visual aspects of website design. These factors included: •

Animations, visual effects, movement, dynamics

•

Balance, equilibrium, symmetry

•

Coherence, craftsmanship, harmony, modernity, professionalism, style

•

Colour

•

Complexity, diversity, variety

•

Grouping, structure, order

•

Homogeneity, unity, regularity, uniformity

•

Images, icons, graphics

•

Novelty, creativity, inventiveness, interestingness

•

Proportion, cohesion

•

Simplicity, clarity, parsimony, density

•

Text, fonts, links From this, Moshagen and Thielsch then completed a series of multifaceted studies

that resulted in a reliable assessment tool called the Visual Aesthetics of Website Inventory (VisAWI). This finding was then trialled in further studies, demonstrating not only reliability of the tool, but also provided an even shorter scale of the measurement when time restraints come into play in studies (Moshagen, & Thielsch, 2013). The tool was able to identify four key areas that remained as valid measurements of website design aesthetics. These four key areas were: 1. Simplicity; "comprises aspects related to the Gestalt psychologists’ figural goodness concept (e.g. Arnheim 1974) such as unity, homogeneity, clarity, orderliness and balance.". 2. Diversity; " reflects aspects related to dynamics, variety, visual richness, creativity, interestingness and novelty". 3. Colourfulness; " taps aesthetic evaluations stemming from the selection, placement and combination of colours". 4. Craftsmanship; " reflects whether the site was designed with skill and care using modern technologies" (Moshagen & Thielsch, 2013, p. 1305)

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It is clear from the literature that designing visually appealing websites that invoke a positive emotional reaction from users is anything but a simple task. However it is a task that any organisation, especially professional associations, need to take on and recognise as a constantly evolving thing. Therefore it will be from this literature that website architecture recommendations for the final case study report, will be designed around.

3.1 Member Engagement and Communication Opportunities through a Social Media Strategy While an organisation’s website forms the 'hub' of its digital presence brand, how that presence is communicated is an important consideration. The use of social media and web 2.0 technologies, offer digital dissemination affordances in communication brand strategy and organisation mission in an authentic and collaborative way (Smith, Blazovich, & Smith, 2013). Professional Associations have to prepare and strategise to meet the needs and expectations of their members, and collaborate with them through digital networked platforms and social media (Bonanno, 2013; Edge, 2012). Social media has become an important component of any business strategy, but particularly so for Associations where members are joining to form professional networks. Social Media "allows associations to interact in an even more targeted way with staff, volunteers, members, potential members and other stakeholders by providing more open two-way communications opportunities" (McLean-Cobban, 2013, p.177). In a study of 595 Australian Not For Profit (NFP) organisations (Wirth Consulting, 2012), it was found that over 97% of NFP organisations have a website presence and their main choices of social media technology is LinkedIn (32%), Facebook (31%) Twitter (23%), YouTube (22%), and Blogs (10%). It is interesting however to reflect on the correlation between the financial revenue of the NFP and their social media use (and type). Specifically that: Organisations with revenue over $5 million were most likely to use LinkedIn and YouTube. However if they had more than 1000+ employees, they were also least likely to use blogs. Organisations with revenues between $100,000 and $250,000 were least likely to use social media, while those earning revenues less than $100,000 were the most likely to use Facebook (Wirth Consulting, 2012, p. 9). These results are likely to reflect the differences in types of social media from a time commitment, effective usage, and relevancy to the type of NFP industry. Although social

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media is understood as a cost effective way to engage new and existing audiences, the trends in organisations’ uptake of it, more so than smaller organisations, it's likely due to the time and resources they have at their disposal (Witzig, Spencer, & Galvin, 2012). Therefore it is important to discuss each of these Social Media Platforms and their relevant usage or application for the industry at hand in this report. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is possibly one of the most strategic Social Media platform that any Professional Association organisation can participate in. It can be seen as the digital version of what a conference or professional seminar experience might be in 'real life'. Yet only 32% of all companies in the study utalised it, and only half of them had a profile that was detailed and strategic enough (Wirth Consulting, 2012). There is a possibility that this is a product of the slow start to LinkedIn's popularity and use, and due to the complexities and confusion that individuals (let alone businesses) have felt on the 'how' of LinkedIn (Berk, 2013). As LinkedIn is specifically targeting the social networking of professionals around professional industries and trends, it stands to reason that it is a somewhat perfect fit for professional associations. The use of company profiles, individual groups that function as a Community of Practice (Bates, 2012; Witzig, et al., 2012), similar 'following' options that occur in Twitter, and a traditional 'networking connecting' (such as Facebook) options, LinkedIn has many advantageous tools for organisations. Unlike Facebook which generates profit specifically from selling clickable advertising space, LinkedIn uses the information data of its members and sells subscriptions to HR departments and recruiting companies who are seeking skilled professionals to employ (Anders, 2012). Meaning that there are numerous professional advantages to being 'on' LinkedIn due to this professional recruitment exposure. Group Joining and creating options on LinkedIn also offer individuals and organisations an opportunity to create an online digital community to share resources, discuss trends and discover new knowledge. This is of particular relevance to professional associations for maintaining member engagement, industry knowledge advancement, as well as an opportunity to introduce the organisations to new members (Witzig et al., 2012). This is also helpful to associations who don't want to have to invest in technological membership/online forum web platforms, as this is available for free on LinkedIn. Yet research into LinkedIn group use in NFP (Wirth Consulting, 2012) found that "only 5 percent of

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non profits have a LinkedIn group that they control...(and) 62 percent (of these) have made their groups ‘members-only’ making it harder (and possibly not worth the effort) to join the discussion and participate in supporting the organisation’s goals" (p. 18). Social media like LinkedIn offers potential for more member engagement, volunteering or advocacy for the organisation that may not have been available through previous traditional avenues due to time constraints or location diversity. It has been noted in the research that "some individuals who may never have volunteered for their associations previously are becoming important ambassadors or “heroes” for their organizations through their activities such as online comments to articles, blogging, survey participation and tweeting" (McLean-Cobban, 2013, 179). Due to the professional networking nature of LinkedIn, and the many tools available for free utilising LinkedIn as a major part of an Associations Social Media and Digital Communication, Membership Engagement Strategy is highly recommended. Facebook

If LinkedIn is the online version of the 'all business' professional platform then Facebook is the companies 'social event' experience. If it was happening in real time, it would be a company's social cricket team, or fundraising gala dinner after the event. Facebook functions on a much more collegial and somewhat emotionally connected level then LinkedIn functions at. People 'like' a Facebook page of an organisation, not because they expect to get 'sold' to (e.g. constant promotions about more things they could be buying/doing/supporting the brand: Boyd, & Ellison, 2008 ). But actually because they expect to get more value from a brand this way. People use a Facebook page to keep up-to-date on news and events (links to future resources, not long winded information) as mostly a one stop shop for ubiquitous professional and personal purposes. However, what people enjoy about an organisation's Facebook page, is the extra effort the company goes to show people 'behind the green curtain'. People want to connect with the individuals that make up that company on a personal level, see the organisation demonstrate their brand in a way that makes them proud to be aligned to it (Bulmer, & DiMauro, 2009). But they don't want a barrage of content or one way conversations as most organisations have a habit of doing (Waters, Burnett, Lamm, & Lucas, 2009). As Brian Solis, a digital analyst, sociologist and futurist, and principal at Altimeter

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Group, a research firm focused on disruptive technology, explained eloquently recently on his marketing blog : "Businesses confuse Facebook as a utility or service that’s there to help broadcast messages much in the same way businesses pay wire services to distribute press releases or brands buy advertisements on TV or radio to reach as many people as possible. Facebook is a social network to help people communicate, share, and discover. Therefore, businesses must learn that relationships are earned and earned again and communities are built upon a foundation of mutual value, entertainment, and empowerment" (Solis, 2013, para 17). It is nothing new to suggest that a business should consider a Facebook page for social networking strategies after the success it has had for businesses during the growth of the online networking world (Waters, et al., 2009). However with Facebook engagement algorithms and anti-spam measures now effecting whether your audience even is able to see Facebook posts in their home news feed (Solis, 2013), organisations need to be far more strategic in their Facebook page activities. Or consider investing their time wisely into platforms that they feel they can be more successful and regularly efficient at. On the basis of this analysis, an association Facebook page is a recommended social media and membership engagement strategy. However due to Facebook algorithms and the possible lack of content engagement care, research and appropriate training needs to be undergone by the individuals who run and upkeep the Facebook page. YouTube YouTube is the second most visited website on the whole planet (Wirth Consulting, 2012), however that is not to suggest that access equals available and

relevant audience. While YouTube has the potential to utilise easily sharable and highly valued content, this is only as long as the content is well designed and executed. The production of these kinds of videos is possibly the most time consuming of all social networking strategies. Therefore it stands to reason why the majority of associations and not for profits who utilise this technology are larger and have more resources at their disposal (Edge, 2012; Wirth Consulting, 2012). YouTube can be an excellent platform for campaigns and event resources, but it is also recommended that organisations that are still developing their social media strategy

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adopt a 'Crawl, Walk, Run, Fly' model approach (testing and evaluating tools on a small scale first: Kanter, 2011a), to which YouTube would likely fall in the "Run" category. Therefore utilising YouTube (or any video platform) is not recommended for associations still learning and applying their social media strategy. However it is recommended that it be put in future planning and developing stages once other platforms have been mastered. Twitter Created in 2006, Twitter is another social media platform. It is also known as a 'micro- blogging' tool whereby content and conversations are restricted to 140 characters or less (Cheng, Evans, & Singh, 2009). There is some feeling that this constraint of the platform has handicapped its potential, while others support the short and succinct nature of easily digestible content sharing and conversing, with many available tools to work around the length restrictions (Barnes, & Mattson, 2010). However despite Twitter’s popular usage, Non For Profit organisations are still struggling to understand how to effectively and engagingly use the platform to sustain and attract an audience (Lovejoy, Waters, & Saxton, 2012). Research suggests that on average Non Profit organisations seem to still engage in a one-way transactional relationship on twitter. As explained in the research by Lovejoy et al., (2012): Just as scholars have found that Facebook failed to capitalize on the engagement elements of the site (e.g., Bortree & Seltzer, 2009; Muralidharan, Rasmussen, Patterson, & Shin, 2011) and that blogs are predominantly one-way message channels (e.g., Seltzer & Mitrook, 2007), Twitter is proving to be yet another social media outlet being hyped for relationship-building efforts that public relations practitioners do not fully perceive. Rather than using public messages to reply to other Twitter users or connecting to others by retweeting messages that may be helpful to others, nonprofits are primarily using the site to relay information using one-way communication. (p. 316). Unlike Facebook, Twitter allows for more back and forth between a 'brand' and its audience, a two-way conversation and community-building platform (Jansen, Zhang, Sobel, & Chowdury, 2009). Also, unlike Facebook profiles where people tend to only allow connected friends to see their information, Twitter culturally has developed more of an 'open' profile experience. Which means that people who would

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not normally have an opportunity to connect (Celebrities with Fans, CEOs with Customers, Pro-Vice Chancellors with University Students) often find themselves able to converse with one another (Rybako & Seltzer, 2010). Rather than simply used as a broadcasting platform for business information and resources, Twitter can formulate more relationship and branding building when utilised as a content creating or questions/answer platform (Barnes & Mattson, 2010). With the use of direct questioning, individual tagging (use of @username) or event tagging (such as hashtags- #myevent), Twitter a platform that can facilitate a short and succinct conversation between an organisation, and its members, potential members, and industry as a whole (Lovejoy, et al., 2012). Organisations need to thoroughly review the potential of Twitter in their overall brand and how best they can use it. For example if they reviewed what content or expert knowledge their organisation may give away 'for free' on Twitter, as well as share and promote their members profiles, work, and conversations, their Twitter strategies may become more effective. Therefore Twitter is a medium that is recommended for an association’s social media and membership engagement strategy, however it is important that clear policies and strategies for terms of use are clarified and designed for ongoing success. Blogs Blogging was actually one of the first social networking opportunities to arrive at the start of the digital networking boom, with the launch of an online journaling website called "Live Journal" in 1999 (Boyd, & Ellison, 2008). In Mewburn and Thomson's (2013) research into academic blogging, they described blogs as "as a way to expand and disseminate knowledge, make contact with potential collaborators and have scholarly discussions on a global scale" (p. 1106). Ironically, although this style of online social media has been the most historically prevailing, it is also found to have the highest abandonment rate, especially in the not for profit industry (31% of company blogs having their most recent posts over 3 months old: Wirth Consulting, 2012). This is not entirely surprising as a good blogging strategy is all about a good content strategy; specifically developing a content delivery niche. Quality content for blogging for many individuals and associations can been seen as being time consuming and difficult to continue. Largely because not only is blogging about creating relevant, relatable and sharable content, but it is also about participating in a networking community with other bloggers (Gregg, 2006). Blogging takes time to

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deliver effectively as "blogging involves not only writing posts, but reading other blogs, managing comments, linking to other websites, researching topics, and much more" (Briggs, 2012, p.11). However blogging has the potential to deliver the message of an organisations brand, in an authentic, transparent, and immediately deliverable way. With subscription options (RSS feeds) once users have aligned with the brand message and content, they are likely to subscribe, ensuring automatic delivery of an organisations digital communication (Makkar, 2010). This is more potent than other content delivery options (newsletters, emails) because the user actively chooses to receive this ongoing communication, and their attitude towards receiving notifications of 'new blog posts', is one of interest and enthusiasm (Zhang, Zhu, & Hildebrandt, 2009). Rather than being bombarded with content simply because an organisation has access to their email. Blogs transcend marketing and deliver an asynchronous communication opportunity for an organisation to deliver the heart, and people behind its brand (Zhang et al., 2009). As a social media and digital communication strategy for professional associations, blogging is definitely a medium recommended. However careful planning and consideration has to be done to target the content to suit the audience and match the availability and time constraints of the association’s blogging contributors. It is recommended that blogging projects, guest blogs, member spotlights, research paper critiques, technology/innovation commentaries and interviews are types of strategies that may overcome some of the time and content constraints Associations are up against. Other possible relevant platforms for consideration Content Curation Platforms Content Curation "is the art of continually finding, grouping, organizing, and sharing the best and most relevant content with your brand's audience" (Dyer, 2013, para. 2). Content curation can have an impact on an organisation’s digital brand, in a simple and effective 'click and link' experience for the Association, of online content they are probably already reading anyway. With the help of a built in website browser toolbar, associations can have their committee, volunteers, or members sharing and linking up-to-date and relevant digital content in a regular, time efficient and simple process. Content curation can either be organised as an 'Association' Profile, or as individual profiles of executive committee and members. Links to content curation profiles can

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also be stored on the organisations website, enhancing digital presence further. This is relevant to an organisation brand because "content curation can help establish the organization’s thought leadership and capture attention in today’s information cluttered world.

Content curation can help your organization become the go-to

authority on an issue or topic area" (Kanter, 2011b, para, 7). Options: •

ScoopIt (www.scoop.it)- Bookmarking of resources, websites, links, blogs and articles into separate topics and categories. Has the ability to form networks or communities of people who are interested in similar content. Has the ability to 'follow' peers and content topics.

•

CiteULike (www.citeulike.org)- "A free service to help you to store, organise and share the scholarly papers you are reading. When you see a paper on the web that interests you, you can click one button and have it added to your personal library.... You can share your library with others, and find out who is reading the same papers as you. In turn, this can help you discover literature which is relevant to your field but you may not have known about " (Citeulike, 2014, para 1-2)

4.1 Conclusions and Recommended Framework Having a successful digital communication and membership engagement strategy for overall professional associations, particularly in the Not-For-Profit categories, success is clearly not an instantaneous process. It is a process that takes time, patience, flexibility and adaptability to constraints and complications as they arise. It is a process of becoming a "Networked Non-Profit: one that leverages the power of social media to expand its network of supporters and thereby greatly increase its capacity and success" (Kanter, 2012, p.15). Many Not-For-Profit organisations struggle to achieve adequate and appropriate levels of digital networking practices for many reasons. Beth Kanter, a successful and internationally recognised trainer, consultant and researcher in the online networking and social media Strategising field for Not-For-Profits, identifies the reasons behind these failures: •

"They don’t have a methodical, well-thought out communications or

program plan that links to their social media strategy •

They haven’t embraced a networked mindset or way of working.

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•

They try to be on too many different social media sites or emerging

technology tools without the capacity or strategy to support effective implementation •

Staff do not have the time or skills to implement a social media

strategy on an ongoing basis •

People in the organization do not see the value of using social media or

have the desire to want to learn a different way of working •

Social media requires sharing control of your organization’s branding,

having conversations with stakeholders online, and other ways of working that are new and may be uncomfortable •

They lack a way to measure their social media strategy success,

document results, and reflect on how to improve upon what they are doing" (Kanter, n.d. p.1) Kanter (2012) provides a model for developing a Networking Practice, called the Maturity of Practice Model, which divides the process and stages of Digital Networking for organisations through a 'Crawl, Walk, Run, Fly' evolutionary process. Figure 1 below provides a brief overview of the structures involved in the model

Figure 1. Becoming A Networked Non-profit: Maturity of Practice Model- Overview

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In Summary, Part 1 of this Report has identified and presented the literature recommendations of specific digital presence platforms (Website Architecture and Social Media tools) to Digital Brand Communication Strategies. Part 2 of this report will aim to apply the above Maturity of Practice Model to the specific platforms identified as supportive of a digital brand relevant to Professional Associations (PAs) within the distance education industry. Specifically it will apply these principles, research and model to a professional association case study of the Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (ODLAA). The results of which will include a digital mock-up of what the future presence of the organization will look like, and with what capabilities (including templates for development). The benefits of which will provide an example Digital Presence Review framework for NATA Professional Organisation Partners.

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