I am not normally one to start things off like this but I do like the idea of harnessing the wisdom of the crowds for purposes that actually contribute to community learning and ultimately the greater good. Unfortunately, most of the meme’s I have seen in the past are pretty silly and don’t really share much in the way of important information that others can actually learn or benefit from, in effect diminishing the value of the exercise.

However in meeting and having the opportunity to spend time with the many highly intelligent and well-spoken individuals that are part of the association blogging network, I want to see if I can elicit, distill and ultimately synthesize not only my own learning as well as theirs. As a learning professional with a deep belief in the power of the collective, I think this is a great marriage of technology and social network to contribute to a valuable end.

In that spirit I offer the following meme for each of your thoughtful contemplation and reflection:

The 5 most important lessons learned at ASAE & The Center’s 2007 Annual Meeting.

They can be specific to the Thought Leader sessions, the Learning Labs, or even the informal interactions that took place in the time between sessions or at any other times during our time in Chicago. What matters the most is reflecting your key take-aways in the hopes that others who may not have had the same conference experience(s) can share in and benefit from some of your own learning, which in turn helps us learn and grow as a collective.

1. Never underestimate the power of a group of almost complete strangers who share a common interest to come together quickly to create dynamic results.
2. Creating genuine online interactions is a core competency that every association needs to possess in order to grow and create member value especially as our world becomes increasingly global and interconnected.
3. Despite the pivotal role that technology plays in accessibility and transparency which often translates into member value, never doubt the importance of face-to-face interactions.
4. We are all interconnected and have the ability to bring out the absolute best and worst in each other. We need to aspire to having genuine interactions that are mindful of the impact that our presence and actions have on others at all times.
5. As much as you think you know about a topic, there is always someone who knows more or something different. It should be your goal to not only get to know those people but also learn from them.

There is a lot more that I took away from the conference but these are the top items at present. I think I will pass the torch to a few friends to get the conversation started.

Ben Martin
Jamie Notter
Dave Gammel
Zach Wilson
Jeff DeCagna

Feel free to comment away and share what your key take-aways were.