I started working for ICA April of 2001. That month was the first time we offered online registration for our annual conference. In the years since, a seemingly unending array of adjustments, tweaks, and-arguably-improvements to the services we provide have worked their way from concept to fruition, while still others were tossed aside. One thing I've learned along the way: If there is anything constant about orchestrating a process for one to follow, it is the inconsistency in how one navigates through that process. What one sees as simplistic another finds unfathomable. Herein lies my quandary.

Having devoted so much time to trying to make things easy for members to find, I am often surprised when a member asks how to pay dues, or how to obtain a receipt once they have paid, or how to access the ICA journals. Unrelated, you say? Not entirely. All these tasks can be accomplished by using one small utility on your MyICA page, your Account Manager. The Account Manager is in the upper-right of the MyICA page that you see once you have signed in. Three links help you accomplish these things. The first two of these tasks, paying dues and obtaining a receipt, are as simple as clicking the "Pay Dues Invoice" and "My Past Invoices" links, respectively. For most of you, the former is a moot point since you will have paid your 2010-2011 dues by this printing; the latter, "My Past Invoices," lists anything you have paid- dues, conferences, and the like - for the past 3 years. Click the invoice number and the receipt (on ICA letterhead) will open.

The third link in Account Manager, "Update My ICA Links," helps organize portals to ICA services on your MyICA page. These portals, on the lower-left quadrant of the page, recognize you as a member and forward you seamlessly to your specified destination. If you do not see a particular link that you want or need, click the "Update My ICA Links" to add it to the list.

Online journal access, especially for new researchers, is one of the most compelling reasons for becoming an ICA member. Offering so much more than any one physical copy of our journals ever could, digital access inherently features a unique interactivity that soon proves to be an invaluable commodity to your research. Let's assume, for example, that you click on the link to the Journal of Communication. You will land directly on the Wiley Online Library site for that journal. There is nothing else to it - the system knows you as an ICA member and allows full access to the journals.

Organized by volume, the site lists the most recent year's quarterly issues, with the newest on top. Access each list of articles by clicking the respective issue's link. Careful study of each page reveals a plethora of resources at your disposal, not the least of which is access to the article in both HTML and PDF formats. You will instantly have article publication information, including authors, date of first publication, how to cite, who to contact and how, and any other publication history.

Just below this information for each article, a series of tabs reveals additional tools. Each abstract is available in six languages. Click on the "References" tab to access a complete list of references for the article. Each reference on that list, in turn, lists references for it, and so on. In most cases, clicking on "CrossRef" takes you to any cross-referenced material and instructions on how to access that material. Returning to the tabs across the top, the "Cited By" tab lists any citations on the article, links to similar articles, and even links to other articles by each of the authors. Should you come across a citation while reading a particular article, each will link you to the originating article for that citation.

Finally, each issue is searchable by words, authors, and titles. Multiply that by the number of volumes per journal - in the case of the Journal of Communication dating back to 1950 - and one can easily see why membership in this institution is indeed, worthwhile - even if it does take a while to find!

As many of you know, our organization is making a conscious effort to reduce our overall impact on the environment. A task force has created a list of recommendations and steps for the ICA Board of Directors to take towards that end. Each of the utilities I have described in this article moves us towards that goal. Paying dues electronically, for example, eliminates having to mail paper invoices and receipts. There is less chance of that paper getting lost or never getting to you to begin with, and the energy consumed in surface delivery is simply not there; there are no trucks, trains, and no airfreight. Journal mail delivery is dropping steadily as well. As of today we have 4,117 members. Of those, 2,800 receive the Journal of Communication by mail, 2,450 receive Communication Theory, 2,200 receive Communication, Culture, & Critique, and 2,000 receive Human Communication Research. Those numbers are constantly changing as more and more members realize the impact of mailing a journal, and how much more resourceful online access is. So, how does one tell us which journals to hold back? Why, the Account Manager, of course! Here's a hint: Update my Profile.

Happy holidays from me and the staff at ICA!

Next month: Presenters for Boston are selected, conference registration begins!