From Palm Pilots to the Internet to teleworking, technology has been integrated into almost every aspect of our lives and business. However, one area of business that has been slow to evolve is membership directory management.

As many associations already know, creating and mailing a printed directory each year can be a costly, time consuming and frustrating experience. And with people constantly on the move, printed directories are about 20 percent outdated by the time they are mailed.

Today, many associations are doing away with their primitive, printed membership directories and looking to the Web for solutions. By using an interactive, online membership directory, associations are becoming more valuable to their members. Members can search for other members based on any criteria, create and print customized mini-directories and send e-mails or faxes through one simple step.

"The number one reason people join our association is networking," said Ellen Volpe, president of the American Business Associates. "Anything we can do to facilitate them, the more valuable we become."

An interactive online directory can also help any association ease the staff burden of constantly updating member information by offering associations the option of allowing members to update their own information. Another benefit is the ability to painlessly send newsletters through e-mail or fax. In addition, printing mailing labels is easier than ever using an online membership directory.

"Every two months we were mailing a newsletter to 2,500 members, in addition to several mass mailings each year," said Sally Slusher, director of media relations for North Carolina Association of Pharmacists. "Now, we can send our newsletter out in a snap using our directory's e-mail and fax features. My staff now has more time to work on things they enjoy and it also saves us a lot of money in printing and postage."

Good communication is key to any association's success. Moving your membership directory online could dramatically improve your association's communication abilities while keeping the information extremely secure. At the same time, this could help save money and ease your association's staff burden.

Stacey Paletsky works for MemberClicks. For more information on the MemberClicks online membership directory, please call (800) 914-2441 or visit www.memberclicks.com.