Publishing by association: you probably know Groucho Marx's line about not wanting to belong to a club that would have him as a member. But it's a whole different feeling when everyone else wants to loin your club

Healthcare Financial Management, Dec, 2005 by Robert Fromberg

I recently returned from the Folio Show, a conference of mostly for-profit magazine publishers. And I was struck by the way in which several top-notch commercial publishers described their efforts to enhance their businesses.

Their strategy: make their readers feel part of a community whose experience extends beyond the publication.

Their tactics: membership, special interest groups, conferences, webcasts, and in some cases certification ... all built on the foundation of evenhanded, relevant information.

Hmmm ... that sounds familiar ... that sounds like ... what is that word? ... oh, yes, an association. Usually, when I listen to big-time commercial publishers talk, I feel to some extent that I'm not part of the club. But this time I thought, Gee, these people are trying to join my club.

And the association publishing club is a pretty good one, especially at HFMA.

HFMA members have a strong commitment to and involvement in HFMA. They routinely turn to HFMA as a trusted source for practical, timely, and unbiased information. They access HFMA at a local level through chapters, at a special-interest level through forums, and at a national level through conferences, publications, and more.

This makes an editor and publisher like me happy as a clam at high tide. Because I don't need to struggle on my own to establish reader trust, interest, and involvement. That foundation already exists. And I don't have to create an integrated group of educational and networking experiences. Those already exist as well, with publications one part of this whole.

Which is not to say that there is not work to be done. Every day, HFMA needs to maintain the trust we have earned, improve our content, and more effectively present all we offer--enhance the total experience of how you interact with HFMA.

One example, coming soon, is a more unified approach to how you can access healthcare business news and opinion through HFMA. This approach will encompass timely daily news available through a mixture of e-mail, a new web site, news feeds to your computer, and longer news stories in print. And this new approach will include not just news, but also views--a web site devoted to opinions from invited contributors and from anyone who wants to join in.

This approach is just one example of how HFMA is building on an enviably strong foundation of your trust, interest, and involvement.

Robert Fromberg

Editor-in-Chief

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Send your comments or questions about HFMA publications to rfromberg@hfma.org.