Friday Fun – The best of the CU blogosphere

Ok, I have to admit that I pilfered a bit of this list from Jeffry Pilcher’s new blog called The Financial Brand. But the reviews are all mine. If I left anyone out, blame Jeff.

Blogs AboutCredit Union News and Marketing

• Currency Marketing’s CU Brand Blog - I like Tim and Nala and all the Currency gang. This is definitely a site to check out. Tim has a real handle on the credit union industry in Canada (America’s Hat). Their claim to fame is the incredible Young and Free Alberta campaign. Also as far as marketing companies go, I guess they are all right. I mean if you aren’t going to work with us, I suppose they would be a good second choice
• Netbanker – Excellent source for news on all things financial. I dont know how these guys find the time to do this. Excellent read.
• Trabian’s Open Source CU – This was the first CU Blog that I have ever read. When I posted, Trey Reeme sent me an email welcoming me to the party. I try to take that attitude and put it forward. They are still one of the top CU blogs out there and definitely worth of subscribing.
• Marketing ROI: Whims from Ron Shevlin – I am a bit of a Shevlin fan. He is pretty edgy, some say grumpy and cynical but I say whimsically perturbed.
• Jeffry Pilcher’s The Financial Brand – Jeffry has been serving the CU industry for a long time and brings a strong focus as to what CUs need to do to stay relevent in this new world. I am glad to see he has finally put his blog where his mouth is.
• North Carolina Credit Union League’s CU Communicator – I really like this blog. It is well written and speaks directly to the CU professional about things that are important (branding, events, promotions etc). Excellent resource.
  
• Everything CU – Morriss Partee runs the show at EverythingCU. Since we aren’t a CU we can’t actually get in and look around but from what I hear it is top notch. Also, knowing Morriss, you can’t go wrong with following his advice. He is a smart guy with a lot to offer your credit union.
• Market Insights’ Grow Your Bank - Excellent reference source. This blog references news from around the country relating to credit unions and banks.
• Creative Brand Communications The Story – Jeff Stephens and the team at Creative Brand have a nice blog going that hits on all things marketing and branding for credit unions. After you read all of our posts here, you should give them a look!
• CUES Nexus Connection & Skybox – This is the go-to site for credit union executives and marketing experts. CUES has created an extension of CU Management Magazine. This is a regular read for me and it should be for you too!
• Bruen/Bensley Blog – Ron Bensley and Charles Bruen are two big hitters. Their blog is awesome in that it touches on current events in the industry as well as a lot of humor. It is a fun and easy read with a lot of good information.
  
• The Better Banking Blog – This blog is more about banking and innovation in the banking industry. But is a nice peek into the neighbors house to see how they are living. Consider it “Competitive Review”. Well written.
  
• The CU Loop from Andy LaFlamme, Gen-Y employee at Maine State CU who has really come up in the industry. When was the last time one of your tellers turned marketing guy was quoted several times at a marketing conference by seasoned pros?
• The mysterious CU Skeptic – If you are looking for a challenging point of view, you need to check out this site. CU Skeptic pulls no punches when dealing with credit unions. My only wish is that he would post more frequently.
• Azaroff.com, by William Azaroff – I am an Azaroff fan. His blog is a reference on the industry. This site should be closer to the top of my list here.
• The Banktastics from The Garland Group – I’m a member, he’s a member, she’s a member, we’s a member wouldn’t you like to be a member too? Excellent social networking site for folks in the financial industry. Don’t let the name fool ya, it is mostly CU folks here.
• CUBlogs.org – This site is a “Two-Fer”. It is a blog about the industry AND a site that allows your credit union to give blogging a shot in a controlled environment. Very neato-o.
• The Bankwatch – Excellent site for news and info on the financial industry.
• Payment Industry Insider – An excellent site about news, trends and technology vital to credit union product development and growth. Also the site is amusing enough to make it one of my regular reads.
• Thwart Mediocrity – Trey Reeme who was the main contributor over at OpenSourceCU jumped into the CU “Real World” when he took a position at a Texas credit union. Now he gives his perspective of live inside and outside of the credit union industry with a peek into his personal life. He is a good guy and definitely worth a peek.
• Denise Wymore’s Cult-ivation – Ok, Denise talks about everything from credit unions, branding and customer service and more. She is an insider turned commentator. Excellent read!
• The Garland Group – Yes, the geniuses behind Banktastic.com have their own company blog too. Wheen do these guys find time to sleep. As always, I wouldn’t recommend them if they weren’t good!
• The Credit Union Warrior – An insider’s look at the CU world.
• WiredCU – Social Networking Trends and CU’s hosted by Gabriel Garcia. I have met this guy and he cracks me up. He is incredibly passionate about both the credit union culture ans social media.
• CU Communicator – A tiny corner of the WWW dedicated to helping credit unions become the worst kept secret in the world. They cover every topic from marketing to security. Excellent site.
• Credit Union InfoSec – “Random Thoughts on IT Security in the Credit Union Industry” is what they say, I say good info on technology, credit unions and how todeal with your IT department.
• The Life and Times of a Credit Union Employee – Brilliant. One of the first CU employee blogs (public) and still one of the best.
• What’s The Difference – The folks at JayRay do a great job with this site. Th provide a great perspective and voice to the credit union conversation. The topics generally revolve around communication with your board and your members. Great stuff.
• Tinfoiling – The ever-brilliant Gene Blishen is the General Manager of Mount Lehman Credit Union. He shares is incredible grasp of the credit union world as well as his knowledge on technology, services, trends and social media. If this list was in order of awesomeness, he would be closer to the top too!
• That Credit Union Blog – One of the first and still the best credit union blogs. If I had a “Top-Ten” list, this site would definitely be on it. It coveres everything from compliance to marketing to technology.
• NAFCU Compliance Blog – Do you remember those shows where the trusty guide would put his ear to the ground and tell you when trouble was on the way? Yeah, this site is like that trusty guide.

NEWS MEDIA & PUBLICATIONS

• ABA Banking Journal
• Adweek
• American Banker
• Bank Marketing
• Brand Week
• Credit Union Business
• Credit Union Magazine
• Credit Union Times
• Credit Union Journal
• CUES Management Magazine
• The Financial Times
• The CEO Report

Gen-Y Oriented CU Blogs

• Commonwealth Credit Union’s Young & Free Alberta Gen-Y website. – Currency Marketing’s behemoth youth marketing/social media experiment. See what all the hype is about.
• PSCU Financial Services’ Project New Age and its blog - Very interesting experiment in social media and youth marketing.
  
• Filene’s CU Tomorrow – You know who these guys are. They are Filene!
• CUNA’s YES CU Blog: Serving 18-to-30s – Youth marketing much? Then you should be checking this out!
• Young Money
• RBC’s P2P user-generated Gen-Y website about money – Another example of how the Canadians do social mmedia and youth marketing.
• YES Community – If you ever wanted to talk to a large group of “Under 30s” who know about the credit union industry, you have found your site!

Credit Union Blogs

• Change Everything (Vancity Credit Union)
• Our Voices (Verity Credit Union)
• True Story by Doug True – (Forum Credit Union)
• The Addisson Cafe – (Addison Avenue Credit Union)
• Brighter than a Bank – (Carolina Postal Credit Union)
• I Love My Hooptie – (Carolina Postal Credit Union – see a trend here?)
• UTFCU Rocks! – (UTFCU Credit Union)
• The Boardcast – (UFirst Federal Credit Union)

So, this isn’t a complete list. This is just a starter. I will be adding to this list as I can.

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