Blog: Wes’s thoughts, articles, and insights

[ai_chat_window]

My most recent posts

Blog post themes over 20 years…

By Wes Trochlil | August 5, 2026

Blog post themes over 20 years… I’ve been writing blog posts for nearly 20 years now. WordPress tells me I’ve written over 1,200 posts. So I asked AI to analyze my 1,200+ posts and give me my top three themes. Here’s what it came up with: Data management and data quality – these posts emphasize that data management is […]

Lots of feedback is a GOOD thing!

By Wes Trochlil | July 29, 2026

Lots of feedback is a GOOD thing! A client in the middle of their AMS implementation said to me: “I’m getting a LOT of feedback from staff about what the system can and cannot do. Is that good or bad?” My response: “Feedback means they’re actually in the system and using it! That’s a good […]

Doing the reps…

By Wes Trochlil | July 22, 2026

Doing the reps… I’m helping a client with the implementation of a new AMS. During a recent call, their internal project manager said “I’m still not as familiar with the system as I’d like to be. I need to get in there more often and play around.” I responded: “That’s exactly right. I suggest you […]

Add one, remove one

By Wes Trochlil | July 15, 2026

Add one, remove one In the world of home-organizing, there’s the “one in, one out” rule. Simply put, for every new item that enters your home, one similar item must leave, helping to maintain a constant level of possessions and prevent clutter accumulation. This would be a great rule for database managers when considering adding new fields […]

Spring cleaning, all year long

By Wes Trochlil | July 8, 2026

Spring cleaning, all year long I talk frequently about “weeding the garden,” the idea that proactively managing your data, consistently, over time, is a better practice than trying to clean up the data in one big effort once every couple of years. But beyond the data itself, weeding the garden should also include making sure all […]

Older Posts

Be careful about requiring a home phone

January 30, 2017

I was completing an application online today for an organization I was joining. One of the required fields was “home phone.” […]

Users meetings now augmented with quarterly calls

January 27, 2017

I’ve always been a HUGE advocate of software users groups. When I was on staff at an association and a […]

Do you know your member "sweetspot"?

January 27, 2017

When I talk with software vendors who are new to the association space (or at least new to me!), I […]

Users meetings now augmented with quarterly calls

January 26, 2017

I’ve always been a HUGE advocate of software users groups. When I was on staff at an association and a […]

Do you know your member "sweetspot"?

January 25, 2017

When I talk with software vendors who are new to the association space (or at least new to me!), I […]

Don't be afraid to follow your gut when choosing software

January 24, 2017

Consulting guru Alan Weiss often says “Logic makes you think, emotion makes you act.” I’m reminded of this when I […]

Are you using all of your AMS's features? And should you?

January 23, 2017

I read today that Nielsen reports that the average household has 189 channels. They watch 17 of them. That means the […]

Does your technology have a single point of failure?

January 20, 2017

If you read my work, you know that I have a strong bias for off-the-shelf (OTS) software for managing an […]

It's all about education, which for many associations means an LMS

January 18, 2017

One of the most significant trends that I’ve seen in the association market over the past two years is a […]

Scroll to Top