Credit Union Online Community---How to?

The Credit Union Online Community.......Sounds a little scary, right? How do you get started? How do you participate? When I first found this 'community', I will admit I was a little overwhelmed. Not sure what to read...what to comment on...would I sound stupid...would my credit union disapprove...yep...I was one of 'those' people. But, I just sorta figured my way around. Tweeting definitely helped and well...launching a credit union internet radio show definitely made me more visible to other community members. But, really, it is just about participating!

During this week's show we talked about a few different ways to get involved. Maybe you currently read CU Times and a few other professional industry publications. Don't stop doing that. Those are definitely good resources for knowing what is going on in the industry.

But, expand your reading. Maybe just one new blog a week. On my blog page, I run a blog roll. Most blogs will reference other related blogs for you to check out. In particular, what I like about my blog roll is that it shows the most recent posts. Blogs, unlike newspapers, are not posted necessarily on a regular schedule. So this would be a way to see the most recent posts, the title of the post, who wrote it and decide whether to read it or not.

Also, I highly recommend going to CU Water Cooler every day at http://www.cuwatercooler.com. For full disclosure, I am one of the editors of this website. But, it is a great place to start. Each day, the editors select different blogs, articles, or miscellaneous posts that they found interesting and recommend others in the credit union community read.

I'd love to get a comprehensive list of the blogs that are out there. Please add other websites that you recommend in the comments. This will help everyone know how large the Credit Union Online Community really is...and I can almost guarantee I will find out a new one to visit!

And, lastly, don't hesitate to comment on a blog! People love to read the comments and sometimes the comments are even better than the original blog post. And, that is ok!

CU Chat Up- Credit Union Online Community...are you part of it?

Did you know there is an elaborate credit union online community? And, I'm not talking about online banking or credit union services. I am referring to people within the credit union industry or movement that discuss credit union issues on a hourly basis. Some incredible ideas have been discussed and then taken and run with by credit unions and credit union business partners.


Are you part of this online community? If you are reading this, the answer is most likely "yes".  If this was forwarded to you, then welcome to the CU Online Community!!


On this week's CU Chat Up, we will be discussing the online credit union community. Who participates the most in this conversation. And, how do we get more credit union employees involved. Do credit union employees even know this world exists online?


I have often heard the term "echo chamber" used to describe the credit union discussions online and while I agree in many cases, it seems the chamber is getting larger and the echo is perhaps becoming quieter. Is this the case?


Join the show live and participate in the discussion with my guests, Jeff Stephens, Matt Vance and Denise Wymore. You can call in at (646) 721-9289, skype in, or share your thoughts in the online chat room.


Also on the show will be the premiere of the new CU Chat Up theme song written and performed by The Disclosures!


And, Erin Templer and Sara Dyer from CUES will be on to launch the new Next Top Credit Union Exec contest! This is a very exciting contest with an incredible professional development prize package.


The show is on live Wednesday, April 28th at 2 pm CT and archived as a podcast for future listening. Listen to the show here: CU Chat Up: Online CU Community

CU Chat Up: Making it Better!

Amazingly, CU Chat Up has survived 20 episodes! I never would have imagined that when I first started the show. Especially since the first show went live within a few days of coming up with the idea. Over the 20 shows, I have tried some new segments, ideas, and discussed a wide range of credit union topic with all my amazing guests.

What has surprised me the most is the positive response from the guests and the listeners. After the first few shows, I started worrying about how would I get knowledgeable, interesting, and willing guests. But, that has not been a problem at all. Thankfully!

I love to get feedback from people who are on the show and listen to the show. The show is for you! I have created an anonymous survey for listeners to provide feedback to me about what they like, love, and would like changed and improved. 

I appreciate any and all feedback. I want you to get the most out of the show that!

Thank you to all the listeners and guests that have taken the time to participate in the credit union conversation! I hope to have many many more shows in the future.

Here is the link to the survey: CU Chat Up survey.

Thank you for taking the couple minutes it takes to complete it!

CU Chat Up: Do Core Processors Inhibit Credit Union Innovation?

Have you ever wanted to launch a new product or service for your members, only to find out your core system didn't have the functionality you needed? Or, you could do it, but it would take hours of manual manipulation of data to get it to work properly? Or, the core system would provide the functionality, but it would cost $10,000 for them to think about developing it? Plus, additional monthly fees to maintain it?


Do Core Processors Inhibit Credit Union Innovation? Prohibit? We will be discussing that on this week's CU Chat Up with Matt Fagala from Vantage Credit Union and Robbie Wright from CU Innovators, including what options are available for credit unions.


During the show, Robbie shared a link for Call Report data. Here is the Core Processor report.


Want to join the conversation? Leave comments here, join the live chat room, or call in to the show at (646) 721-9289.


Also on the show, the winner of the CU Chatters College Basketball Challenge, Dan Emery, will be the Chatter of the Week. 


The show is Wednesday, April 7th at 2 pm CT and will be archived as a podcast after the live show.  Listen to the show: CU Chat Up: Core Processors Inhibiting Credit Union Innovation?