ajfca social media slides

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standing together. moving forward.

Understanding Social Media &Its Impact on Your Agency

Lisa ColtonFounder and President, Darim Online

[email protected]

INTERNET STRATEGIES FOR JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES

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Overview

• Social media definitions and theory• How to think strategically about social media tools• Social technographics• What does it mean for your work?• Examples of social media tools• Common challenges


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Be Goal Oriented

• Technology is a tool.• Success of a tool is if

it helps you achieveyour goals.

• Thus, critical to knowyour goals and thendetermine whichtool(s) to used inwhich ways.


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Communication Revolution

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Communication Revolution


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What is Social Media?The Term “Social Media” refers to online tools (web sites) that dependon user contributions and interactions between people to build sharedmeaning and value. It is:

• Participatory: It blurs the line between producer and consumer, media andaudience.

• Open and Democratic: It encourages voting, comments and the sharingof information. For this reason it is seen as authentic and trustworthy.

• Conversational: Two (or more) way conversation rather than one-directional broadcast. Is personal, specific, and engaging.

• Communal: Supports formation, growth and strength of communitiesaround a particular shared interest.

• Connected: Thrives on being connected, making use of links to othersites, resources and people, rather than being territorial and proprietary.


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Do You See This Evolution in Your Work?

CONTENT

CONNECTIONS

COLLABORATIONS


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Institutions -> Collaborations

Institution

Huge resources spent to coordinate & bring people into the institution

Add coordination to the infrastructureof the group - more results, less cost. Bring the “problem” to the people.

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Examples of Social Media Tools

• Blogs• Social Networking• WIKIs• Online video• Microblogging (Twitter)


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http://www.commoncraft.com/blogs

BLOG


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Examples: www.jcarrot.org• Blog of Hazon (Jewish

food, environmentalbike rides, etc.)

• Specific focus,integrating twointerests.

• Building a brand --connections into otherprograms.

• Empowering andenergizing amovement.


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Taking the Learning Outside of the Walls

• CBI Preschool• Share what’s going

on inside withinterested partiesoutside

• Reinforce learningat home

• Demonstrate valuebeyond the obvious

• Embed video

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Avi Chai - Educational Technology (P2P)http://edtechexp.blogs

pot.com/• Sharing experience• Documentation• Collaboration• Wide audience


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Anatomy of a Blog

• Title, date, author

• Links to other sitesand bloggers

• Quotes from othersources

• Listing of recentcomments made


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Anatomy of a Blog, cont…

• Add a comment• Blog roll• Categories and tags


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Anatomy of a Blog, cont…

• Number of comments• Subscribe to RSS feed icon• Recent posts• Search box• Tag cloud

www.tagcrowd.com

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RSS -- Really Simple Syndication• 115 million + blogs• Old way: go OUT to blogs and news sites

and check periodically for new andinteresting content. This requires time andinitiative.

• New way: RSS allows you to subscribe toyour favorite sources of content, and newcontent is delivered to you in your “reader”window.

• Many sites have icons that allow you tosubscribe in one click. Look for theseicons.

• For an RSS video, visit:

http://www.commoncraft.com/rss_plain_english


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RSS - Aggregating Content• This is Lisa’s Google

Reader.• Like “bookmarks”, left side

shows list of feeds she’ssubscribed to, with newposts in bold.

• Can read excerpt or fullposting within the RSSreader.

• Aggregates what you’reinterested in to save timeand bring the things youcare about to you.


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Blogging Resources

• Free or low cost blogging platforms:– www.blogger.com– www.wordpress.com

• RSS readers:– www.bloglines.com– www.google.com/reader

• Books:– The Blogging Church– Naked Conversations


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SOCIAL NETWORKING• Social Networking builds

online communities of peoplewho share interests andactivities.

• Social Capital is the value ofthe connections between andamong social networks forincreasing productivity,spreading information, andlocating desired resources.

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Social Networking• Facebook profile &

news feed• Connect with friends

and colleagues;• “Solidify” relationships;• Affiliate with groups and

causes;• RSVP for events;• Very “sticky”


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Productive, not just Social


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Facebook: Groups

• Individualsbecome“members”

• News, events,“wall”, photos andvideos

• Bottom-up• Needs facilitation


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Facebook Pages

• Organization’s“profile”

• Updates areadded to “fans’”news feed

• News, events,photos, video,wall, etc.

• Statistics,reporting,searchable.

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Facebook Causes

• Causes is anapplication

• Users can JOIN acause, DONATE(thru Network ForGood), and recruitothers to the cause.

• Works well forspecific campaigns

• Spread virally• Birthday function


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Digital Intimacy and Ambient Awareness• See NYTimes Article “Brave New

World of Digital Intimacy” Sept 7,2008 http://tinyurl.com/6fsll6

• Small bits of information add up to astronger relationship

• Implications for community building,staff relationships, team cohesion,board engagement, volunteer anddonor recruitment and engagement,etc.

• If you are in the business ofrelationship building, this is one ofyour most powerful tools.


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WIKIS

• A wiki is a collaborative online workspace wheremembers can add and edit content easily. Wikipedia isthe most commonly known wiki.

• Wikis can be private or public, and have a variety ofpermissions.

• “Wiki” means “quick” in Hawaiian.


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What is a Wiki? Why Do I Need One?

Old Way New Way

WIKI

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Wikis

• Wikipedia is anexample

• Any user can add,edit or delete pages(if you givepermissions)

• Shows history ofchanges

• Powerfulcollaboration tool


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How to Add to a Wiki

• Click “edit this page”

• Use a WYSIWYGtoolbar like a Word doc

• Click “save”


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Uses of Wikis• Drafting grant

proposals or reports• Project plans for a

distributed team• Storage of documents

to be accessible fromanywhere

• Central repository forideas, brainstorms, etc.

• Your experiences?


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Permissions

• Totally open• By invitation only• Request to join• Anyone can view,

only members canedit

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Wiki Resources

• Wikispaces.com• Free basic account• $10-50/yr for private,

on own domain,remove ads

• SeeTechSoup.com/stockfor nonprofit discounts


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Video

• AJWS produced a series of videos with See3.net• Volunteer/donor focus to tell a story from the first person• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wQgm2e1IHk


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What is “Video”?

http://www.youtube.com/wath?v=WIvmE4_KMNw&e


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“Casual” and humor are still powerful

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJRxR4VzwCE&e

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Tie Video to Mission and Goals

• Reduce barriers to participation– UJC - video about Super Sunday– Obama campaign about volunteering– Anticipate what barriers might be

• Engage on a personal and emotional level (humor, intensity, authenticity)• Demonstrate the mission rather than “telling” it (e.g. AJWS)• YouTube.com Channel

– http://www.youtube.com/user/92ndStreetY• Google Checkout for donations, link to main web site, comments,

subscribers, etc.– http://www.youtube.com/user/HadassahIntl

• About research, Young Hadassah Leadership Board, Makes activities inIsrael vivid


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Video: How to Start• Inexpensive to make and host:

– Flip video camera: About $150, no cables, no tapes. Sony also makes similar.– Upload to YouTube.com, Vimeo.com, DoGooder.tv– Embed in free platforms: Blogs, Social Networking Sites, etc.

• Take footage everywhere, label well!• Telling a story is more important than professional production• Keep it focused and brief

– No more than 3 min for viral distribution

• Great sound is more important than great visuals. – Consider an external microphone.

• Chicago-based www.See3.net/guide is really useful.– (They also do video and web production work.)


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Twitter is a social networking and micro-blogging servicethat allows users to send and read other’s updates(“tweets”), which are text posts of up to 140 characters.

Updates are displayed on the user's profile page andinstant messaging, SMS (text msg on phone), RSS, emailor through an application such as Twitterrific or Facebook.


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Twitter• “These technologies

are helping us tocreate an informationand intimacyrevolution, not drivingus to interact less assome purport.”

• 140 charactersdelivered to web, IM ortxt on your phone.

• Social andprofessional

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Examples of TwitterSharing Knowledge Promotion/Marketing

Keeping Up with Friends


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Tools and Skills

“These technologies are helping us tocreate an information and intimacy revolution,

not driving us to interact less as some purport.”- Jake Brewer on Beth Kanter’s blog

(beth.typepad.com)


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Next Steps• Your job is to understand the

movement that’s underway, andexplore how to participate in it BOTH asa user/participant, and as arepresentative of an organization.

• Homework: start to play! Report backto me and each other what you learn,enjoy, discover, try… You may not “getit” until you jump into it.

• Talk to each other about what you’redoing and what is working well andwhy.


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Start Listening• Search for your org to see

what people are already doingand saying

• Sign up for Google Alerts(www.googlealert.com)

• Search Technorati.com foryour organization

• Find opportunities to askquestions and listen to whatyour constituents want andneed.

Photo credit: Banlon1964, Flickr

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Q/A and Discussion