Remember the back in the day when your website was this amazing online ad and you hoped and prayed people would come visit it. Well, obviously, those days are long gone and today's websites are incredibly interactive with loads of new technologies to make your visitors' visits a memorable and profitable one. Because these web technologies change seemingly by the hour, I invited L9's Spencer Pryce on the program to discuss these advancements and why credit unions should be incorporating them into their websites to gain and retain more members. We also touch on how much web development has changed in the last 10-15 years; what we thought was so cool then is so ancient now. It was a pleasure having Spencer on the show to pick his brain in this all important area of web development. Enjoy the show!

What you'll learn...
1. Quick overview of L9 and your role there.
2. Why are websites so important for CUs today more than ever?
3. What are top three features every credit union website should have for its members?
4. What has changed over the years with CU websites?
5. What new technologies/features should CUs heavily consider adding to their websites in 2012?
6. Let's discuss the work you've done with Summit Credit Union. You've done some cool stuff where web content management meets social media management. Can you explain?
7. How will CU websites continue to evolve in the future to serve a changing member base?

Visit:
L9.com

What fun - and quite an education - it was having California and Nevada Credit Union Leagues' President and CEO, Diana Dykstra, on the show. Diana displays her extensive credit union IQ discussing California and Nevada credit union issues and how they relate to the rest of the country. But she doesn't simply present the issues; she takes the discussion a step further providing solutions to the issues. We also talk about her first year as head ofCCUL: accomplishments and future plans. In addition, we touch on the topics to be covered and speakers presenting at this week's CCUL show in San Diego. So if you enjoy a little bit of laughter and a lot common sense from a great lady and leader, then you'll enjoy watching Diana in this episode. Check it out!

What you'll learn...
1. So it's been about a year since you took the California and Nevada CU Leagues' helm. How has your first year been?
2. How are credit unions in California and Nevada faring compared to the rest of the country?
3. What were a couple of issues that California and Nevada credit unions continue to face today -- as we slightly emerge from the bad economy?
4. Is there anything the rest of the country can learn from California and Nevada CUs? If so, what?
5. Speaking of learning, the 2011 CCUL Conference is this week in San Diego. What will attendees gain from this annual gathering?
6. What do you think some of the more interesting topics are? I'm thinking social media, mobile lending, and "CU Innovation, Why Bother?" will be a few stand outs.
7. To wrap up: Based on your experience as a former CU CEO and now heading up the California and Nevada leagues, what are a couple of things credit unions can do better to to increase their brand and ultimately market share?

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CCUL
2011 CCUL Conference

This year has been nothing short of exasperating in regards to Mother Nature unleashing her worst on the U.S. with record tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, fires, floods, blizzards, etc. Since credit unions, like so many other businesses, have been adversely affected by these natural disasters, we invited Ongoing Operations' Founder and CEO, Kirk Drake, on the program for his expert insight on how to prepare and cope when the weather rears its ugly head. Kirk also points out that not only did the weather impact credit unions, non-weather related events can wreak havoc on operations as well. Kirk provides some helpful business continuity tips, along with a few credit union examples to show what can be done. I hope you take a few minutes and check out what Kirk has to say. He has some very helpful items to share.

What you'll learn...
1. Tell us about Ongoing Operations?
2. 2011 seems to have been the mother of all natural disaster years, have you ever seen anything like it?
3. Why are business continuity and disaster recovery plans so important for credit unions today?
4. What are three preparations credit unions can do to protect themselves in the event of a disaster?
5. Do you have any interesting disaster assistance anecdotes to share that credit unions may learn from?
6. So do you like to track the weather and mentally prepare for something to happen in the event of a hurricane, tornado, flood, earthquake, etc.?
7. Not every disaster stems from nature, what are some other situations credit unions need to be aware of and proactively plan for?
8. What has changed over the years in business continuity and how have credit unions adapted?

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Ongoing Operations

CU Times has created with yet another recognition program, dubbed "Women to Watch" -- which is hot on the heels of its popular "Trailblazers 40 Below". We invited CU TimesEditor-in-Chief Sarah Cooke on the show to explain the "Women to Watch" premise that displays the positive impact women continue to have on our industry. Sarah even cites many examples of today's women credit union influencers. I, of course, had to throw all objectivity out the window and nominate my hometown San Diego favorites: SDCCU'sTeresa Halleck and Cabrillo's Robin Lentz. So now it's your turn. If you know an accomplished woman executive at your credit union who is making a tremendous difference, nominate her today. October 19 is the deadline for December 2011 announcements. Enjoy the show!

What you'll learn...
1. What's "Women to Watch" all about?
2. Now you already have the Trailblazer awards, Trailblazer 40 Below. Where did this idea come from? And why?
3. What are you looking for in a candidate?
4. How do you see women positively impacting the CU industry?
5. How have women excelled in this industry?
6. How do you see this program benefiting the CU industry -- along with women dedicated to it?
7. How can women get nominated?

Visit:
Credit Union Times
Women to Watch

I recently read a blog post-turned-Op/Ed piece by fiVISION President, Mike Winter, explaining how smaller credit unions were stuck in "no man's land" when it comes to being able -- or not being able -- to implement certain technologies because of costs. The post, appropriately entitled, "No Man's Land", piqued my interest so I invited Mike on the show to explain his point of view -- along with his solution to this issue. The heart of the issue: Smaller credit unions need to implement many of today's technologies to keep pace with their peers and competition. But with the high costs of some these tech solutions, smaller credit unions simply cannot afford to do so -- hence, being stuck in "no man's land." It's a very interesting and eye-opening conversation and Mike certainly delivers -- peppered, of course, with a bit of levity throughout. Enjoy the program!

What are your thoughts on this issue? Are smaller credit unions at a disadvantage?

What you'll learn...
1. You recently wrote a blog post-turned-Op/Ed piece discussing the "stuck between a rock and a hard place" status of smaller credit unions today when it comes to implementing tech tools to keep up. Can you expand?
2. You mention in the article that fewer than 50% of smaller credit unions ($250M and below) use an online account opening technology, for example, -- and even fewer credit unions provide online share account opening. Why is this?
3. You also state that 50% of all accounts will be open via online by 2015. What's this mean for the smaller credit unions?
4. You use the term "no man's land" to describe these smaller credit unions's situation. What do you mean by that term?
5. So it's an affordability issue with the bigger credit unions able to afford these tech solutions, while the smaller ones are challenged in this area. True?
6. What's the solution here?
7. Your company helped a $60 million credit union, how'd you do it?

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fiVISION
"No Man's Land" blog post