i to i - The Blog

Are you tired of being inundated with renewal notices for your many memberships? Do you have trouble finding the time to fill out yet another renewal application?

If so, AIIP is about to make your life easier!

We are pleased to offer our members a convenient new automatic renewal program.

How does it work?

Members may use a credit or debit card to pay their membership fees and set up automatic renewals. Once the payment method is authorized, AIIP does the rest.

As an added perk, members may choose to have their payments deducted as one lump sum annually or choose monthly deductions of just $20.

How do I get started?

New AIIP Members:

1. Go to http://www.aiip.org/JoinAIIP.
2. Click “Join Now using AIIP's online registration system.”
3. Check out the Automatic Renewal Agreement.
4. Select the appropriate member level from the list. (Be sure to choose an option that reads “Automatic renewal: yes”
5. Fill out the membership form as you normally would.

Current AIIP Members:

1. Login to your account at http://www.aiip.org.
2. Click on “View Profile” at the top of the screen, just below your name.
3. Select the “Renew” button.
4. Click "Change membership level" and then choose one of the automatic renewal options.
5. Review and submit your renewal form.

It’s that simple! And next year, when it’s time to renew, your dues will be deducted from the account on file. No reminders. No hassles. Just more time to focus on what matters most: growing your business!

For more information about the automatic renewal program, visit our website at http://www.aiip.org/AutomaticRenewalOptions.

On behalf of the board of directors, I am pleased to announce another member benefit - Getting Started as an Independent Information Professional: Answers to Frequent Questions. This e-book contains an overview of the many aspects to ponder when considering establishing a business.

The Getting Started guide began as board discussion in 2010. At that time, Ulla de Stricker, who was completing her board term, volunteered to manage this project. She assembled an excellent team of writers, including June Boyle, Ruth Shipley, Sonia Isotov, and Susan Pawlicki to help her with this project.

This 25 page e-book contains a wealth of knowledge in its five chapters:

1. What is the Business of Being an Independent Information Professional All About?
2. Let Us Tell It Like it Is: Factors to Consider in Deciding
3. How to Set Up Your Business
4. Marketing and Selling
5. Selected Resources

In addition to many useful tips and suggestions, there are hyperlinks to additional information. The Getting Started guide is available for members to download in the members' section of the AIIP website.

Many thanks to Ulla de Stricker, June Boyle, Ruth Shipley, Sonia Isotov, and Susan Pawlicki for putting together such a valuable member benefit.

For all of you book lovers attending the AIIP Annual Conference, there will be several opportunities for purchasing books at discounted prices while at the conference:

1) Information Today will be sponsoring a book signing at the opening reception of the conference. From Information Today's press release:

"At the opening of the 25th annual Association of Independent Information Professionals conference and exhibition, Information Today, Inc. (ITI) announced that researcher, writer, and speaker Mary Ellen Bates, author of Building and Running a Successful Research Business: A Guide for the Independent Information Professional, Second Edition, and business researcher Marcy Phelps, author of Research on Main Street: Using the Web to Find Local Business and Market Information, will sign their books at the ITI table during the opening reception..."

Information Today will be giving a 25% discount off the list price at the book signing.

• Building & Running a Successful Research Business: a guide for the independent information professional, second edition (list price $34.95)
• Research on Main Street: Using the Web to Find Local Business and Market Information (list price $29.95)

Congratulations, Marcy and Mary Ellen!

2) AIIP will have a limited number of David Meerman Scott's books available to be purchased at a discount at the registration desk:

• World Wide Rave: Creating Triggers that Get Millions of People to Spread Your Ideas and Share Your Stories
  *** AIIP member price $10.00 *** (list price $22.95)
• Real-Time Marketing and PR: How to Instantly Engage Your Market, Connect with Customers, and Create Products that Grow Your Business Now
  *** AIIP Member price $15.00 *** (list price $24.95)

Supplies are limited, and these books will be available on a first-come basis.

Both Information Today and AIIP will accept cash or major credit cards.

Looking forward to seeing you in Vancouver,

Marge

The award will be presented to Scott during the conference in Vancouver on Saturday, April 9, 2011. He will be the 12th person to receive this distinction, which is named after Roger Summit, founder of Dialog (www.Dialog.com), the world’s first online, multi-database information retrieval system to be used globally. The award, given by the Past Presidents of AIIP, is presented to “an individual who will inspire and challenge AIIP members, thus contributing to our continuing education and development.”

Scott is a “recovering” VP of marketing for two publicly traded technology companies and was also Asia marketing director for Knight-Ridder, at the time one of the world’s largest newspaper and electronic information companies. He has lived and worked in New York, Tokyo, Boston, and Hong Kong and has presented at industry conferences and events in over twenty countries.

His book, The New Rules for Marketing & PR, opened people's eyes to the new realities of marketing and public relations on the Web. Six months on the BusinessWeek bestseller list and published in more than 25 languages from Bulgarian to Vietnamese, New Rules is now a modern business classic.

Scott's popular blog (www.WebInkNow.com) and hundreds of speaking engagements around the world give him a singular perspective on how businesses are implementing new strategies to reach buyers. His new book Real-Time Marketing & PR achieved #2 on the Wall Street Journal bestseller list upon its release in November 2010.

During the conference, Scott will give a presentation entitled “Real-Time Marketing & PR” in which he addresses how to instantly engage a market, connect with customers, and create products that will grow a business.

Join us for this very special Roger Summit Award Lecture at  www.aiip.org/conference

Jan Davis of JT Research (www.jtresearch.com) recently visited Powell’s Book store in Portland, Oregon (a AIIP Conference advertiser) and shows viewers two of Scott’s popular books. View the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVRTG2rWffM

Learn more about David Meerman Scott at: www.davidmeermanscott.com

Are you serious about your business?  Here are some serious reasons to register today for the 25^th AIIP Annual Conference.

 

The early bird special will expire on March 4^th.   Don't lose out on saving $55!  RSVP now.

But … if you were thinking "I can't go this year" … we invite you to think again.  Here's why: 

1. You'd miss one of the greatest educational and networking opportunities of the year for information professionals - not to mention miss out on connecting with your peers, potential subcontractors, and potential clients.
2. You wouldn't learn How to Instantly Engage Your Market, Connect with Customers, and Create Products that Grow Your Business Now from Award winning, best-selling business author, David Meerman Scott.
3. You’d miss the pre-release and book signing of Marcy Phelps’ book, Research On Main Street as well as Mary Ellen Bates' book signing of the Second Edition of her very popular book, Building and Running a Successful Research Business at the conference opening reception.
4. You wouldn't learn how to Price Your Services For Success from John McQuaig - are you sure your pricing structure is optimal?
5. Is marketing your challenge?  With Mary Ellen Bates’ Marking for Lazy People, you’d learn to weave marketing into your everyday activities.
6. Do social media have you confused or are you puzzled about how they can help promote your business?  Scott Brown, Connie Crosby, and Ellen Naylor will show you how to Use Social Media to Move Your Business Forward in a must-attend session for all business owners.
7. You’d miss out on the round table discussions facilitated by leading information professionals who will provide practical tips and tricks on a variety of subjects--bringing order to information chaos, working with the nonprofit sector, QuickBooks Tips, developing and maintaining an e-newsletter, participant centered presentations and more.
8. You'd miss out on celebrationing AIIP's 25th Conference!
9. More than anything else … you'd be denying yourself an opportunity to invest in your business and yourself.

  Register today..

I am so very pleased to tell you that at the Internet Librarian Conference earlier this week, AIIP presented the 11th annual AIIP Technology Award to LucidityWorks LLC.  The award is in recognition of Lucidity, an innovative digital research assistant software application for professional researchers.  Linda Stevenson, founder of LucidityWorks and AIIP member, was there to receive the award.  As she received the award, Linda publicly thanked her AIIP colleagues for their help and support, particularly on and off the AIIP-L. Marcy Phelps, our current past-present, had the honor of presenting the award.

Linda describes Lucidity as “the Digital Research Assistant software application for professional researchers. Lucidity reduces the volume of search clutter, extracts only the most meaningful data, and automatically formats that data into an individually customized report. With Lucidity, researchers gain a competitive advantage.  Lucidity increases productivity more than 75% and accelerates time-to-insights.”

Please join in me in congratulating Linda and LucityWorks LLC for its accomplishments.

The Board of Directors of  AIIP and PIUG (Patent Information Users Group) are pleased to announce a formalized partnership between the two associations that expands opportunities to each organizations' members. Special discounts will be available to each organization's members on a limited basis.

The Patent Information Users Group is an international society for patent information organization for individuals having a professional, scientific or technical interest in patent information. The mission of PIUG is to support, assist, improve and enhance the success of patent information professionals through leadership, education, communication, advocacy and networking. Through this international forum and discussion, PIUG also promotes and improves the retrieval, analysis and dissemination of patent information.

PIUG has over 700 active members representing 27 countries including the United States. The largest concentration of members is from the USA, Europe and Japan. PIUG members are patent attorneys, patent agents, licensing professionals, patent information researchers, patent information vendors, and patent information and documentation experts from the U.S. and abroad.

PIUG has an active Discussion Forum that is featured on the PIUG wiki, a global collaborative tool with with over 1400 subscribers worldwide and produces a newsletter twice a year.

AIIP members will be able to register for the PIUG annual conference and receive the PIUG member registration rate (a substantial discount from the non-member rate). To learn more about PIUG, visit the website at www.piug.org.

 

The Board of Directors of APRA and AIIP (Association of Independent Information Professionals) are pleased to announce a formalized partnership between the two associations that expands opportunities to each organizations' members. Special discounts will be available to each organization's members on a limited basis.

AIIP (www.aiip.org) is the premier industry association for independent information professionals. The membership consists of more than 500 business owners from countries around the world whose firms provide information-related research and consulting services across a wide variety of industries, including fundraising and prospect research. AIIP serves the needs of independent small business owner and is recognized within the
information industry as the unifying voice for the independent information professional. AIIP works closely with database vendors and producers, and other information providers, to ensure that the needs of its members are considered.

AIIP holds free members-only webinars including a series that is tailored for individuals who are just starting their own business, as well as other topics for both new and seasoned business owners. Among the many benefits of membership, AIIP negotiates vendor discounts for its members. Further details about benefits are available on the AIIP web site. (http://www.aiip.org/MemberBenefits)

APRA (www.aprahome.org) is the premier international organization for fundraisers who specialize in research, analytics and relationship management. APRA is committed to providing leading-edge educational and networking opportunities to fundraising research professionals; establishing and promoting high professional standards and ethical guidelines; and providing advocacy and a representative voice for the profession.

Representing more than 2,500 development professionals around the world in all types of nonprofit environments, APRA is easily the most diverse organization dedicated to the fundraising research professional. APRA offers a variety of opportunities and services intended to enable our members to more effectively meet the needs of their institutions while maintaining the highest ethical standards. In an increasingly dynamic technological environment, APRA is dedicated to the professional growth of its membership. Whether it is through educational or networking opportunities, or through publications, APRA encourages and assists its membership to stay ahead of the curve in the areas of technology, resources and best practices of information management.

AIIP members will receive a one-time 10% discount on APRA full membership (a special membership form is required) and as well as a 15% discount on the APRA annual conference registration fee. The one-time membership discount is only available until December 31, 2010.

APRA members will receive a one-time 15% discount on AIIP full or associate level membership and a 15% discount on the AIIP annual conference registration fee. Please keep in mind that only new AIIP full or associate members are eligible for the membership discount. To receive the discounted membership fee, please use the code WELCOMEAPRA2010 when joining. (http://www.aiip.org/JoinAIIP) The one-time membership discount is only available until December 31, 2010.

A free Plunkett Research trial is being offered to all AIIP members now through October 31, 2010.

Plunkett Research is an AIIP Vendor Affiliate offering industry sector analysis and research, industry trends and industry statistics. It was established in 1985 and has been an AIIP affiliate since 2005.

To access the free trial:

•          Go to www.plunkettresearchonline.com, Username: aiip, Password: trial

•          Members who schedule a 25 minute over the phone demonstration with Emily Hurley ((713).932-0000  or emilyh@plunkettresearch.com) during the time of the trial will receive a free weekend duffle.

In honor of National Volunteer Week, I'd like to thank all of the AIIP volunteers who work so hard for our association. I'm currently reviewing committee reports, and I'm in awe of everyone's hard work and dedication. It doesn't matter if you've donated three years on the board of directors or three hours on a short-term project. We can't continue to run our association or provide an ever-expanding list of member benefits without you.

Thank you very, very much.