Out-of-Work CU Executive Launches New CU Chat Blog

An unemployed marketing executive from an Illinois credit union is making waves on the blog network this fall with a weekly Internet show called “CU Chat Up,” which is devoted to CU professionals.The live-chat show, produced by Carla Day, former director of sales and service at Hawthorne Credit Union in Naperville, Ill., is broadcast through the Website www.blogtalkradio.com. The program covers the credit union waterfront from overdraft protection to the corporate crisis.It is being promoted by Day, who was let go from her marketing job in June and is a former chairman of the Aurora Chapter of the Illinois Credit Union League, as a “fresh vehicle in social networking strictly for credit union professionals.”Day, who calls herself a fierce CU advocate, freely admits she hopes the show, broadcast from her home “at little cost,” will help her find a new job. In the meantime, the “talent we’ve been able to muster in sharing ideas has been truly rewarding to me and I hope to others.”One Arizonan praising the show, Paul B. Stull, senior vice president-marketing at Arizona State CU in Phoenix, called Day’s streamed program “unique and engaging,” adding that he admires her spirit and passion “even though she was downsized, Carla sustains an unusual interest and enthusiasm for the industry.”Day, who has been in CU and banking industry for 15 years, said, “I hope my show brings credit union professionals together to talk about what is going on in the industry in an interactive way.”Recent shows featured a discussion with consultants on the latest in mobile banking, new online banking services and brand strength. The show, www.blogtalkradio.com/CarlaDay, is downloaded on iTunes and has ties to Twitter, Facebook and Linkedin.The live broadcast includes an online chat room where users can discuss the show, post questions, or “chat about anything,” said Day.Day said she thought of the blog radio idea as a way to stay up to date on the latest innovations in the industry and represented a productive use of her time.In praising Day, Stull, who has appeared on the show, said he did not know of many out-of-work bankers “who loved banking so much they started a radio show to bring value to their peers.”Participants in existing CU social networks are also “highly engaged in building and sharing ideas, but in Carla’s case this effort is truly outstanding,” Stull concluded.–[email protected]