Social Media 101 for Nonprofit Consultants

Yesterday I had the opportunity to present an introductory workshop on social media to a few of my colleagues in the Fund Builders Alliance. We covered some of the basics of what social media is and is not, got into the how-tos and whys of facebook, twitter, linkedin, and blogging, and briefly went over the variety of other services available (pinterest, storify, g+, ...). It's always a great day when you can get together with a group of professionals that you respect and teach them something new. (And thank you to Karen and Leadership Monterey Peninsula for use of the conference room!)

Here's the thing though. Although I was pleased to present this workshop, and although I do offer social media planning and coaching services, I'm always hesitant to use the title "social media expert." As I told the group yesterday, "At the end of this session you will all be social media experts, for about three hours." Social media is such a constantly changing and evolving ecosystem that I believe it is a continual learning effort. Fortunately, I am fascinated by it and enjoy that effort. But I still realize that there is always more to learn.

I've been playing around with online communities in my personal life for nearly twenty years now. On a professional level, I got involved with nonprofit online discussions as a member of HandsNet around 1996. A few years later, I wound up working for HandsNet as the Director of Online Community Development. Since then I've continued to be an early adopter of many new platforms, including blogger, facebook, youtube, and twitter. But "expert"? ...

I hope to continue to learn and fascinated by social media, and I hope to continue to bring that experience and enthusiasm to my colleagues and clients in the nonprofit sector. But if you ever catch me using the title "Social Media Expert" please splash a cold glass of water in my face. Just try not to splash my iPhone, thank you.

Oh, and if you'd like a copy of my powerpoint slides from yesterday's presentation, just send me an email (contact info in the "about the consultant" section of this blog).

Change One Thing

This is a story about about how the Internet brings people closer together. This is an example of why political borders are becoming increasingly insignificant. This is a demonstration of how a web 2.0 community like YouTube can be used to aid an individual or a family without the help of intermediary organizations or governments. Enough of an introduction, let's get on with it.

It begins more than six months ago in Australia, when the daughters of Ben and Amanda (YouTube username "Orbvious") were abducted by their birth father. He has kept them apart from their mother and step-father ever since. They've been running into roadblocks in the Australian legal and family court system, unable to find assistance. Amanda, of course, is wreck over this.

Ben wrote an email to Scottish singer-songwriter (and YouTuber) Peri Urban telling his tale. Peri was inspired to write a song for Ben and Amanda, which he posted on YouTube. This cheered Amanda up considerably.

That's when I stepped in and said, "If one song can cheer her up that much, what would fifty songs do?" And so, with Ben, Amanda, and Peri's permission, I started the "One Tube Group" on YouTube. We got our fifty songs, poems, and well wishers. We also got people from all over the globe to write letters on Ben and Amanda's behalf to the Australian authorities. And, we managed to raise a few dollars for their mounting expenses.

The video below is the latest part of this effort, and represents a great collaboration of the members of the OneTube group. Peri and I co-produced it, I wrote the bit of dialogue at the start, together we solicited clips from about thirty other members, and then Peri did the amazing work of writing and producing a new song and editing the entire thing into a cohesive whole.

Please take a look at the video, and if you are moved to join us, or read more about the situation, please visit us at The OneTube Challenge (on YouTube.com).

Nonprofits on MySpace

By now I'm sure you've all heard of MySpace.com, even if you haven't taken the time to see what it is all about. What you might know is that it is very popular with high school and college kids who use it to meet friends, find out about new bands, build community, and socialize online.

What you might not know is that MySpace members include much more than teenagers. There are members in all age groups, up to and including those in their eighties and above. They are geographically diverse, have a variety of interests, and use the site to learn about new people, places, and things.

I've even found a handful of nonprofits who have created MySpace profiles and appear to be using them effectively to attract new supporters. While the MySpace tools don't allow for direct fundraising, it does allow members to create interest groups and post bulletins to their networks.

Here are a few examples of organizations using MySpace: World Preserve, Inc. - Alchemist CDC - and Our Bodies Ourselves.

I especially like the OBOS profile, and how it is written in the first person ("Maybe you read me in a women's studies class. Maybe you saw me in the waiting room at the doctor's office..."). I think it is potentially of great benefit to the young women who frequent the MySpace site and may come across this profile by accident.

Part of every MySpace profile is the "Who I'd like to meet" section. Alchemist CDC makes good use of this, saying, "Sacramento-area residents, activists and workers that are interested in supporting the even distribution of benefits and costs associated with redevelopment. Alchemist has a variety of ways people can get involved, from helping with a Community Action Movie Night to volunteering to help plan upcoming fundraising events. We're looking for volunteers, board member and advisors!"

Should every organization be on MySpace? Not necessarily. But it is certainly something to consider, particulary if you have a program that intends to reach out to youth and young adults. Maintaining your MySpace profile doesn't need to be a major headache; this is a perfect opportunity for a college age volunteer.

MySpace is free to use, and requires no special technical skills to set up a basic profile. In today's fragmented media marketplace (you cannot count on everybody reading the same newspaper or watching the same three TV network news broadcasts) I think it is important to investigate every opportunity you have to get your message out there.