This post is authored by Terrence G. Ives, president of ISA 2013.

Did you know that ISA’s website attracts more than 1.2 million unique visitors every year? It’s true – and how many of those people can actually find what they’re looking for on our current site? Not very many – we have so much information, and we’ve packed it into a website platform that is more than 13 years old (which is truly ancient for web technology!) We have heard this feedback and the leadership of ISA decided to invest in our future and approve the building of a best-in-class website and association management system.

ISA’s new website will be a state-of-the-art hub for technical information, networking conversations, and leveraging your membership value. The new isa.org caters to users like never before with enhanced search and filtering capabilities sitewide, a brand new navigation with mega-menus that allow users to browse three levels deep in the site by hovering over a navigation button, and an easy, intuitive, and fast check-out process.

Plus, we’ve built an all-new Members’ Corner section of the site for our members and leaders to easily access the tools you need to make the most of your ISA membership. You can edit your profile, set your communication preferences, store your favorite articles and content items, see personalized recommendations just for you, view your member savings history, and more. The Members’ Corner section features calendar and forum feeds so that you can keep up with the latest happenings in your Divisions, Sections, and committees from one central location. You’ll also be able to engage in dialogue with members and colleagues via ISA’s communities and blogs.

ISA Sections, Divisions, and committees are all able to build and maintain their own microsites using the latest technology available, and their content can be publicized on the main isa.org site easily and quickly to increase attendance at local Section meetings, Division symposia events, and keep other members updated on the latest news. Each microsite can host discussion forums, document management services (checking in and checking out shared documents in a password-protected environment), blogs, event calendars, social media feeds, and promotional calls-to-action to engage visitors.

Teams of staff, volunteer leaders, and best-in-class vendors are working day and night to complete the build of the website and the back-end system for the association. User acceptance testing and training will take place in November and the site is scheduled to go live in December. Watch your email inbox for more information as the launch gets closer, and be sure to update your profile and communication preferences so that you can be in the loop on these exciting developments over the next several months.

About the Author
Terrence G. Ives is the third-generation president and owner of Ives Equipment Corporation in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, a process control manufacturing representative and stocking distributor. Terry has been actively involved in ISA leadership for many years. He has held numerous positions at the local and Society level including Society Treasurer, Executive Board Parliamentarian, Finance Committee Chair, Investment Committee Chair, District 2 Vice President, and Philadelphia Section President and Exhibit Chairman. He received a bachelor of science degree in industrial systems engineering from Ohio University.