CRMUG has several things going for it, even as a free "associate" (rather than a paid up member):
- access to their own forums which a whole bunch of people collaborate in, who may not visit other web forum sites
- in particular, their forums often get great answers to questions which are more opinion based, ask for people's experience with different approaches, or looking for insider knowledge of using CRM for the business needs of particular vertical markets
- you will find out about in-person meetings in your area (although depending on the particular "chapter" these may or may not be free to non-members), where you will be able to join in discussions, technical sessions, round tables and more generally network with your local peers. Chapter size varies widely from a dozen or so people who get to know each other very well to 60, 70+ where things are not so intimate but you may get more content (since most content is member-generated, a larger group has more people to draw on).
- find out about free online webinars where other members deliver great content and/or "ask the experts" sessions where the main point is to have an interactive audience discussion.
Paid up members get more benefits:
- free attendance at local chapter meetings, and discounts for larger events such as the annual Summit (attended by over 650 people this year, with 180 sessions to choose from across 3 days)
- access to all online events (only selected webinars are free to non-members)
- access to the library of recorded online sessions, so you have a huge back catalog of learning to work through straight away
Lots of online and in-person events are presented by MVPs - there were 21 of us at CRMUG Summit in St. Louis two weeks ago. As well as presenting content, there were various panel sessions for audience questions on specific topics, as well as very general "Ask the MVPs". There was also a "medic desk" for anyone to bring their CRM questions and get answers from a range of MVPs and other expert peers. If you have questions, there are plenty of opportunities to get them answered!
You can join CRMUG at http://www.crmug.com/join - if you fill in your email address and complete a user profile and password at the first stage you will be signed up as a free "associate" member.
If you proceed to paid membership you will need to provide more details and choose a payment option. Membership costs vary according to size of your organization, but it is a single membership per company for as many named individuals as you need.
I think your nearest chapter at the moment could be Atlanta, Georgia:
www.crmug.com/.../community-home
There are several chapters in Florida which might be as easy to travel to (eg flights at better times), as well as in Philadelphia (for any colleagues based out of your Pennsylvania offices)
Disclaimer: as chapter lead for CRMUG UK I may be slightly biased, but 13,000+ member users can't be wrong!
