Granville Loar has served the Association for Accounting Marketing (AAM) since December 2002. Throughout his years with the organization he has helped connect people, make events successful, counseled and coached members and become a friend to many of us who touch the accounting industry.

Even when things got crazy, he managed to stay calm and calm others. In Savannah, when the power grid in the city went out, he sat with others, in the dark, eating lunch and waved at members stuck in the glass atrium elevators. They knew someone cared—even though there wasn’t much anyone could do but wait.

Granville shared this video message with me just prior to attending the Gala at the AAM Summit 2009 (Marketing Palooza) in Austin, Texas. He also mentioned “the best memory of AAM is the people I have met over the years. There are some very good, lasting friendships that have come from it.”

As AAM celebrates its 20^th Anniversary, Granville will be moving on. Next week he assumes his position as the Director of Education and Training for the Scaffold Industry Association (SIA). I wish him great success in his new position and look forward to AAM’s continued success. I’m proud to be a member of an organization that truly fulfills its mission to “act as a catalyst for furthering the marketing and sales efforts of” participating firms. I learn so much by being a member.

I hope you’ll join me in thanking Granville and the team at Robstan Group for all they have done for AAM and the accounting industry. As William Ward said, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

I know, I know – you don’t have to say it. I teach social media marketing strategies and encourage people to build nurturing relationships over the web, and yet I’m writing my first real blog post. Just 3 days before my 45^th birthday, I’ve listened to friends, colleagues, fans and clients and entered the blogosphere. Given the timing of this post, I thought a picture from the summer of 1964 would be appropriate. Look at that pose. Thinking? Day dreaming? Or given my personality type (ENFP), I’m probably thinking about the next bright shiny thing.

About Me

If you’ve found this blog because we’ve worked together or you’ve heard me speak, then you can imagine what I’m likely to post here. If you’re “meeting” me for the first time, my About page will give you some background.

The Topics

While the topics on the blog will vary, they will almost always be focused on internet marketing and web design. The same core considerations apply, no matter what type of site your building:

• Internet sites for businesses (e.g., professional service firms, associations)
• Internet sites for government (e.g., cities, counties, municipalities, agencies)
• Recruiting sites
• Intranet sites
• Employee portals

In all these internet applications we’re concerned with:

• Marketing
• Branding
• Self-service
• Social media as a way to build community
• Technology
• Usability

Comments are Encouraged

My goal is to have posts on this blog, mine or those from guest bloggers, engage people who are passionate about internet sites and all the concerns that go with them. I would love to see great dialog through comments, and hope we can have some fun along the way too (maybe even a contest now and then with a fabulous prize).

How to Subscribe

If this sounds interesting, stay connected to the site. You can Get Updates or subscribe via RSS or Email using the buttons in the banner at the top of  every page. I look forward to starting a conversation with you.