Wow. It’s been six months since I shared with you what I’ve been reading. I’ve read a lot in that time, from books to magazines to newspaper articles to poetry. As far as books go, right now I’m reading Terry Pratchett’s “Monstrous Regiment.” I’ll definitely recommend that to you; it’s not my favorite Pratchett book (still waiting for something to displace “Hogfather” for that honor – not likely), but everything he has written is so good that you just can’t go wrong with any of it.

Speaking professionally, though, I’ve run across quite a few interesting pieces recently for association communicators, especially those like myself who include social media responsibilities in their portfolio. Here are a few of them.

• Is it Time to Give Online Discourse a Rethink? If you’re considering adding a commenting platform or discussions on your website, or if you’re rethinking your past decision to do that, this a great piece with good information about some new approaches that are worth consideration.
• Don’t Hand Your Social Feeds Over to Robots: I want to believe that no one is doing this or considering it, but I know some people still think auto-posting and other social media shortcuts can save them lots of time and effort and still produce engaging social media. Read the article if you have even half a mind to believe this can work.
• The Secret to Providing Value that Matters: The YourMembership.com blog advises that you find out what your members value about what you do. My favorite gem from this one: “Reach out to newbies and ask them why they joined.”
• What if Your ED Was a Millennial? This one’s for anyone who’s trying to figure out how to be or stay relevant to younger members. It’s a good, quick read, too – definitely worth your time.

And for reading to the bottom, here’s a bonus – my absolute favorite piece that I’ve stumbled across online in quite some time.

• I Never Win Because I’m a Girl: A Conversation with my Daughter. Inspirational, heart-warming, sweet – and, again, it won’t take much of your time to read.

Professionally, those are my favorites this week, but I don’t get nearly enough time to read, so I’m sure I’ve missed many good ones. Please share your suggestions in the comments so I can learn what you’re learning, too.