Blogging is not new. It is just more accessible. Eleanor Roosevelt published a six-day-a-week column under the “My Day” moniker for over 25 years. Some days she wrote tidbits about her stay at the family’s summer cabin on Campobello Island in Canada. Other times she shared critical political issues.
Nationally syndicated newspaper columns like the former first lady’s were perhaps the blogs of the 1900s, but the platform to share ideas was only available to select elite public figures. The web changed that. Technology evolved over the last 20-ish years, and authoring a daily column is open to all.
Blogging still evolves. Vlogging came next and there are more iterations still to come. Perhaps you could even say that some daily podcasts are yet another version. Even some TicTok publishers use a format reminiscent of Eleanor Roosevelt’s from all those years ago.
Though the idea is familiar, the platforms keep changing. Each new platform molds the content differently, making the output seem unique.
Your next association innovation may seem earth-shatteringly new to your members while you know it is built on your past. What is the next iteration of your conference sessions, research reports, or committee goals? How might you improve networking and learning for your members? How can you take a bright spot and propagate it all over your organization?
As long as you solve a problem, don’t worry about how new or groundbreaking your innovation is. Likely it will feel fresh, surprising, and exciting to your members.