Aerospace eBusiness

Three “must-do” for industry associations’ websites July 29, 2009

When it comes to conservatism, control and prudence, very few beat the Aerospace industry. Unfortunately, these virtues indispensable in the field of defying gravity often permeate in business support practices where they quickly become impediments to progress and efficiency. As the business world dramatically changes the way it communicates and collaborates with the advances in Internet bandwidth, technology and tools, the Aerospace industry seems to be on the trailing edge of those innovations. This is particularly noticeable in its public websites (and general Internet presence) as well as those of its associations.

But there are some signs of an awakening. The Oklahoma Aerospace Alliance recently requested feedback about its website via their twitter account (@OKAero) in an attempt to “make it effective for aero pros and the public to get excited about aerospace.” Even though I could have written this review about many websites, I thought they provided a good case study applicable to many others. Simply put, this website is a fantastic example of Web1.0 technology. Unfortunately, the world has evolved to Web2.0.

Here are the three changes that must be implemented to keep up with innovation:

1. Provide members with the ability to relentlessly interact. The main difference between the old and new way of constructing a website is that the basis for Web2.0 is two-way communication. This should now be the guiding principle for any association: solicit feedback at all times. Every area of the site, from overall design to specific small content, should promote the ability for the readers to “answer back”, provide suggestions, and share with others. The website should also include forums and direct messaging to promote member-to-member interaction. Feedback should be viewable, summarized and influential. However, the association remains in charge. This is not management by committee; it is instead the unabated search for good ideas for the common good of the association’s members. Often there is a fear that public comments would be inappropriate or negative. Knowledge in the 21^st century results from a debate of ideas rather than the opinion of a single trusted source. An association can increase its usefulness by providing a platform for such exchange of ideas (positive and negative) while moderating the extremes. However, all comments should always be attributable, focusing the embarrassment and consequences of inappropriateness on the contributor.
2. Choose the right tools for the right context. Today communication through short videos (2 minutes max) is the most efficient and effective way to share important information. However, there is no need to create a video library on the site. Instead the website should create and link to a YouTube channel. Why recreate the wheel when other sites already have the tools? Generally, services targeted at the general consumer or public are better served by tools like FaceBook (e.g. community involvement, sponsorship). Similarly, employment and business career/advice services can take advantage of LinkedIn. The site should have “cousin” areas in these other networks and provide links back and forth between them. Individual members registering on the site should be encouraged to enter links to other networking site they belong to. The boundaries of the association need not be the limits of the information contained on its own website. As such, the association should provide its own RSS feed for others to aggregate into their own context.
   Members will look to the association for advice on the tools and techniques to use to communicate, engage and collaborate with their customers and suppliers. The association must be a shepherd in this field providing information, case studies, training and brainstorming sessions. In some cases, like secure information sharing or indirect procurement, association-hosted tools could even be provided directly to the members.
3. Transform the association website into a platform. The association website should be a “mash-up” of content and tools provided by and for the members. The association should be acting as a content cheerleader/care-taker and moderator rather than a content generator. Turning the website into a platform where members can post their own news, events, blogs, WIKI entries or photos will make it the richest possible. The information can then be presented by topic, company, calendar, map, or any other aggregation technique. The idea is not necessarily to provide all the content in one place, but more to link to other content within the context of the association.
   The “build it they will come” mistake should be avoided. The association should take advantage of tools like RSS, Twitter Search and Google Indexing to generate and index content automatically rather than force members to have to post in multiple places. For example, the member’s official website address and twitter account should be collected in their company listing. Then, an aggregated (and archived) Twitter “association stream” can be provided. Also, a capability search would pick up on keywords in the members’ own websites rather than in an always outdated directory.
   For the website to be successful, it must be used regularly. And to be used, it must be active, customizable and innovative. The site should be public but membership must have its privileges. There should be three basic “profiles”: guest (read-only, generic), participant (read-only except for comments/suggestions/polls, customizable view, subscription email alerts), member (content provider, customizable view, dashboard, voting rights). There must also be exclusive content such as executive blogs, video interviews, and online training not found on other sites (but no necessarily generated by the association). All content should be very short and concise at the first level, providing links to deeper content if the reader is interested.

If you want to see a glimpse at excellence in this field, check out FlightGlobal.com. Although not technically an association, they provide mush of the information and online services association members are looking for. Under the enthusiastic leadership of Editor Michael Targett (@flightglobal), they have embraced all of the above principles and have seen a huge jump in on-line readership as a result. Perhaps they will become the Global Aerospace Association of the future?

For more on this subject, check out also the “Social Media Score Card for Top Aerospace Associations”.