connecting commnities - online tools for networking for community groups
DESCRIPTION
A presentation to the NZ Association of Community Access Broadcasters. A bit of a return to my roots as my career began in niche broadcasting at NZ's Christian radio network, which is where I began to learn about virtual communities. Hence the first message - it's not about technology, it is about communities. This presentation outlines some of the many, many tools available, mostly for free.TRANSCRIPT
Connecting CommunitiesOnline Tools for Networking
Association of Community Access BroadcastersNational Conference 2009
Simon YoungSocial media exploreriJump Ltd
It’s not about technology
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/avoiretc/3441244946/
It is about communities
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cowbite/3518838283/in/photostream
Some of the options
• Ning
• Google Sites
• Wetpaint
• SocialText
Facebook Groups
Pros
• Everyone’s there
• Great functions (Events, Forums, Photos, etc)
Cons
• Some people don’t want to be on Facebook
• Pull, not push
Facebook Pages
Pros
• Updates show up in fans’ news feeds
• Insights & stats
Cons
• Some people don’t want to be on Facebook
Ning Networks
Pros
• Standalone - someone only needs an email address to join
• Fully featured: Forums, blogs, profiles, videos, photos, etc
Cons
• Doesn’t connect with Facebook or other social media accounts - have to set up a separate account
Google Sites
Pros
• Edit pages together
• Relatively user-friendly
Cons
• Every user needs a Google account
• No personal profiles
sites.google.com
Wetpaint
Pros
• Super easy to use
• Can use other social network IDs to sign in
Cons
• Designed to be public
Other options include Wikia, Wikispaces
SocialText
Pros
• Heavy duty collaboration tool
• Includes desktop app
Cons
• Costs money for groups of more than 50 people
Other options include Wikia, Wikispaces, Wetpaint
Choices
• Private or public?
• Open or Exclusive?
• Mostly two-way, or mostly one-way?
Steps to adoption
• Who’s responsibility is it?
• There is no perfect solution
• Part of the job is training people how to use the tools
Summary
• Facebook - groups and pages
• Ning - standalone social network
• Google Sites - collaborate on content
• Wetpaint - easy-to-use wiki
• SocialText - heavy-duty collaboration
Thank you
• iJump’s updates: ijump.co.nz/subscribe
• On Twitter: twitter.com/ijump
• By email: [email protected]