The ACM doesn't get it.
I was a member of the ACM in college, which was great for papers and research. They want me to join again, but i can’t find a reason to.
As a member of ACM, the Association for Computing Machinery, you will have access to a host of career-enhancing benefits including:
- Over 2,200 free online course titles from SkillSoft
Not interested.
- More than 1,100 free online books, including a large selection from Safari® featuring O’Reilly and many others
Slightly interested, but reading books online is tiresome, and I buy ones I really want.
- Access to ACM’s new highly targeted Career & Job Center
Not interested.
- ACM’s flagship magazine “Communications of the ACM”
Would be cool, but I probably wouldn’t take the time to read it.
- Full access to “Queue” magazine online, plus access to Queuecasts, downloadable discussions with technology experts
This is already free, and I already get the print edition (also free).
- “TechNews” and “CareerNews” email digests
Not interested.
- ACM’s monthly electronic newsletter “MemberNet”
Not interested.
- The ACM Guide to Computing Literature with over one million bibliographic citations
Not interested.
- The option to subscribe to the full ACM Digital Library with unlimited access to all ACM journals, magazines, proceedings, and newsletters
Yes! This is actually appealing. There are a ton of papers both new and old that interest me. Unfortunately, it is an additional $100. Not interested.
- The opportunity to share your knowledge by participating in ACM’s MentorNet One-on-One partnership program
Not interested.
- A free “acm.org” email forwarding address with high-quality Postini spam filtering
Not interested.
Sorry ACM, I think its time to simplify your offerings and try to add value instead of just adding benifits.
Join ACM today and you will receive a Free ACM Flip-Top World Calculator!
Well in that case, sign me up!
Comments
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I had a membership up until a few months ago, but I let it lapse for the exact same reasons. I was most disappointed in “Communications of the ACM.” The majority of articles were about either IT management or outsourcing … two things that have absolutely no relevance to my interests or career.
Is IEEE any better? I would really like to be a member of a relevant organization of software developers, computer scientists, and electrical engineers.
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I’m still getting daily TechNews emails, but I noticed the other day that my membership has lapsed and they want me to renew my membership. Is it work the $20 or so that a student-account could get me?
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Jeremy: Too bad that “Communications” isn’t worthwhile. I get “Queue” for free, but have the same complaint.
Brian: for $20, maybe. The version with the Digital Library is $42 for students so if you have any papers to write, it might be worth it…
Really, I wish the Digital Library was available for free, for everyone, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.
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Brian: Make sure that your school doesn’t already have access to the digital library… most schools do.
