Association Forum Launches New and Improved Website

New Layout, Online Community and Better Navigation Enhance User Experience

CHICAGO, Dec. 15, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yesterday, during Holiday Showcase 2010, Association Forum of Chicagoland announced the launch of its new and improved website, www.associationforum.org, where visitors will discover a new layout, easy-to-use navigation, more features and functionality and a stronger brand.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100511/AFCLOGO)

"We are extremely excited and proud of our new website and its plethora of new features," says Association Forum President and CEO Christie A. Tarantino, CAE. "We now offer online education events, have more association management samples and resources and a powerful online community called MyForum that allows members to network and collaborate with like-minded colleagues. The Association Forum Online Communications Taskforce did a terrific job making the site easier to navigate, more inviting and social. We hope all our users will agree."

The new website will allow Association Forum members to:

• Access unique online education events and opportunities
• Collaborate electronically with Shared Interest Groups and committees
• Find and connect with members of similar backgrounds and interests
• Network with other Association Forum members using a new online community called MyForum
• Quickly access and easily manage profile and preferences
• Streamline Association Forum e-communications
• Upload and share resources with other members

"The new website is much more intuitive in its layout and navigation," says Susan Nowicki, APR, CAE, chair of the Association Forum's Online Communications Task Force and manager of communications and marketing for the American College of Osteopathic Physicians. "This is due, in large measure, to the substantial involvement of members in the redesign process. Association Forum is to be congratulated for making member input an imperative. The result is a very user-friendly site."

"Visitors will appreciate the interactivity of the new website," says Nowicki. "In particular, members will be able to use the features of My Forum to build or join online communities that focus on their individual professional interests or they will be able to gather and use data to benchmark their work projects. This should prove to be a very powerful networking, research and educational tool."

A new layout and an easy-to-use navigation provides visitors with a stronger Association Forum brand that will allow the association to better represent its members to prospects and stakeholders, including lawmakers, media and supplier partners; a more dynamic interface that's designed to make it easier to access member benefits, information and updates and a crisper, cleaner and more colorful layout that will keep users visiting the site more often and for longer periods in order to discover new tools and resources.

The new website makes it easier to find tools, resources and samples, including members-only resources such as:

• Best Practices and Sample Documents: An electronic association management resource library encompassing everything from association governance and diversity to human resources and technology — as well as association ethics, finance, education and law. This section houses more than two dozen professional practice statements and nearly 100 sample documents.
• Job Opportunities: The easier-to-find career center features practical tools for jobseekers — including information about association management careers, job listings, an online salary calculator and education scholarships — as well as useful resources for association employers, who can use the new website to advertise job openings, download sample job descriptions, research rates of pay and access diversity training.
• On-Demand Education: A new event calendar makes it easier to find and register for educational events.
• Collaborative Suppliers: The site better connects association professionals and supplier partners, who can build meaningful relationships online by tapping into new and improved advertising and sponsorship opportunities, using the Buyers Guide, interacting in MyForum and more.

"The thing that impresses me most about the new website is the sheer breadth and depth of the material presented," says Nowicki. "With the redesign, website visitors will receive a clearer view of the richness of programming and information the Association Forum has to offer – something the previous version did not provide. The new website enlarges the Association Forum's 'footprint,' and I believe it will encourage more association professionals to join this dynamic organization."

SOURCE Association Forum of Chicagoland