YPS may not be an acronym that will catch on quite like, say, ASTA, but it deserves a tip of the hat nevertheless.
It stands for Young Professionals Society, a group that just earned the distinction of becoming ASTA's first recognized "community." YPS is basically a group of agents under 40 who felt the need for, well, a community.
ASTA continues to organize itself into chapters based on geography, but the bylaws allow any group of members to seek recognition as a community "based on non-geographical affinity." YPS, which has been around for a decade, is the first to achieve "Chapter" status.
This is a good idea that might border on greatness.
Given some of ASTA's struggles in recent years to attract and retain members, the idea of recognizing, representing and serving agencies on the basis of their shared interests, rather than their location, could be an important step.
And it's probably no coincidence that it mirrors what has been happening in the digital marketplace, where shared interests are driving the growth of social media sites in a way that ZIP codes never did.