Sidecar Blog

Abstract illustration of a central figure weaving glowing coral and teal threads to connect smaller charcoal silhouettes in a web-like network, set against a soft cream-to-teal gradient background.

5 min read

Why Most Association Online Communities Fail (And What Actually Works)

Many associations have launched online communities in recent years. The pitch was compelling: give members a space to connect, share knowledge, and engage between events. A platform where peer learning could happen organically and relationships...

Read More
Illustrated cross-section showing a tiny business-casual figure struggling with a pickaxe at the surface, while far below a glowing document rests on a pedestal in a vast gold mine cavern, emphasizing the depth between effort and reward.

4 min read

Your Best Content Is Buried—Here's How to Unearth It

Ernie Svenson made an observation in our recent Sidecar Sync podcast conversation that should give association leaders pause. Ernie is a former New...

Read More
Overhead minimalist illustration split in two: on the left, a dark charcoal maze with a glowing coral orb at its center; on the right, a straight simple path leading to the same glowing coral orb, set on a soft teal gradient background.

5 min read

When Daily Utility Beats Annual Membership

A lawyer recently made a claim that got people talking: most attorneys get more practical help from a $20/month ChatGPT subscription than from their...

Read More
Sidecar Sync Episode 112 cover featuring Mallory Mejias and Ernie Svenson

37 min read

Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast: AI & Legal Relevance with Ernie the Attorney | [Sidecar Sync 112]

Summary: In this eye-opening episode, Mallory Mejias sits down with Ernie Svenson—better known as Ernie the Attorney—to talk tech, tradition, and the...

Read More
Whimsical pop-art illustration of a smiling retro copy machine spitting out bright yellow certificates like confetti, papers flying and stacking in messy piles against a coral-and-teal geometric background with risograph texture.

5 min read

AI Can Now Forge Your Credentials (Here's What to Do About It)

A post has been circulating on LinkedIn that should make every association leader uncomfortable. It shows what's now possible with AI image...

Read More
POV walking down a wedding aisle toward five formal figures standing side by side; each has an abstract AI-logo head (Google colors, Anthropic amber, OpenAI black-and-white, Mistral geometric, DeepSeek blue). Coral-and-teal florals line the aisle, giving a slightly surreal, editorial-illustration vibe.

5 min read

Why Your Association Can't Afford to Marry One AI Vendor

The AI leader from January isn't the AI leader now. And the leader now probably won't hold that spot six months from now.

Read More
Sidecar Sync Episode 111 cover featuring Amith Nagarajan and Mallory Mejias

36 min read

The November Model Wave: DeepSeek 3.2, Gemini 3, Claude 4.5, Mistral 3, and OpenAI's Code Red Moment | [Sidecar Sync Episode 111]

Summary: This week on the Sidecar Sync, Mallory Mejias and Amith Nagarajan unpack one of the most explosive weeks in AI so far—from the stunning...

Read More
Close-up of a fossil embedded in sedimentary rock, but the fossil is made of layered paper and compressed documents with faint text. One section breaks free and becomes three-dimensional, glowing coral and teal as particles rise, while the rest remains flat, gray, and muted under strong overhead light.

4 min read

Transforming Institutional Knowledge into AI-Powered Products

Most associations have decades of content sitting in their archives. Journals, conference proceedings, research publications, technical standards,...

Read More