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Credit unions offer a unique focus on the needs of local communities, employee groups, and affinity groups. In an age of increasingly sophisticated financial services options and high levels of personalized member interaction, credit unions seek to maintain a special quality relationship with its members. Credit unions lend a personal touch to providing new products and financing options to its membership.

Does anyone remember the Betamax? Although this Sony videocassette recorder was the first on the market, the VHS format-not the Beta format-became the industry standard.

Credit unions often misapply marketing resources because they don't understand the youth market. Since "youth" ranges from newborns to those in their early 20s, it's a wide audience with significant differences in product usage, interest and financial institution awareness. Only when the needs of each age group are analyzed can marketing entice youths or their parents to open accounts.

Notes from the Bank (even though more than 300 CU folks were on hand) Administration Institute Retail Delivery Show last week in Las Vegas...

A credit union's brand is the place it holds in the minds of its members. In the same way, its internal brand, or culture, resides in the minds of its employees. Culture amounts to the written and unwritten rules that govern how employees behave, think and feel. The external and internal brand must be aligned because it's very difficult to deliver an exceptional member experience, without an exceptional staff experience.

Random thoughts while on-hold trying to make a room reservation for CUNA's 2008 Governmental Affairs Conference, and having this conversation:

I just read the Credit Union Journal article on the use of instant messaging (IM) (CU Journal, Oct. 22). We began using the AOL Instant Messenger approximately five to six years ago internally, precisely for the reasons cited in the article.

Editor's note: this letter was written in response to an article that appeared on www.cujournal.com Nov. 2.

How safe is your member data? Not nearly as safe as you might imagine-especially if you're blissfully unaware that many common assumptions about important data security matters are dangerously inaccurate.

I'm certain that I'm not the only Credit Union Journal reader who laughed out loud while reading Frank Diekmann's op/ed entitled, "Forget Room 1408: Far Scarier Hotel Room This Halloween" (CU Journal Oct. 29).