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May
3

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Social Media, Social Networking & You

Category: Associations, Social Media Tags: , , Leave a Comment

If your organization is using social media and social networks and you are wondering where you fit in – this post is for you.  The problem is, most people don’t understand what this is, are not sure why we need to do it or can’t see how it fits in to the bigger picture, and many think only their web and social media folks get to use it.

Well, not really…

Think of yourself at a reception at one of your events.  When you are asked to mingle and network with event attendees, we nurture relationships through conversation, make connections and share ideas, which ultimately strengthens customer loyalty and engagement.

This is what social networking is all about.  Social media simply refers to the tools we use to communicate and talk about it.

Successful organizations adopt this social approach as part of their culture – and that is where you want to be.  It is customer service, marketing, sales, member outreach and networking all rolled in to one.  For many of us, it is (or should be) part of what we do every day.

We have a challenge and an opportunity

Our challenge is to step outside of our comfort zone and learn how to use these new tools.  Our opportunity is to take our organizations to the next level using social media and social networks in innovative and creative ways – engaging our members, customers and partners beyond what we currently do.

Whether it’s customer service, communications, marketing, or general outreach – we should all be using these social tools to share information, participate in conversations, answer questions, and communicate information about everything you do.

Here are a few things you can do:

  • Participate in conversations and share links in your social networks on LinkedIn and/or Facebook.
  • Start reading industry blogs and start leaving comments and engaging in conversations.
  • Start using Twitter – search Twitter every day for your organizations name and see what people are saying.
  • Share ideas for blog posts and/or podcasts with the appropriate folks in your organization.

Let me know what you are doing to get involved!

Sep
10

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More Twitter Tutorial: Twitter Networking Tips from TwiTip

Category: How to, Internet Strategy, Social Media Tags: , , , , Leave a Comment

Another great resource (while I am on a Twitter-roll):  8 Twitter Networking Tips: From Online to In-the-Flesh is an excellent post on how to use Twitter for networking, shameless self-promotion, and doing good things. Combine this with what you just learned from Lowrider Librarian – and you will be a Twitter star.

Apr
20

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Creating a social network for your members

Category: Associations, Digital strategy, Internet Strategy, Site-seeing, Social Media Tags: , , , 2 Comments

Now more than ever, association professionals must continuously define ways to deliver a valuable experience for members. Nurturing relationships, facilitating connections, sharing knowledge and ideas – all of these things are great in theory, but how do you really make them work?

Here are a few strategies:

  1. Keep it simple and easy to use – don’t over-complicate things
  2. Keep valuable content and learning experiences front-and-center
  3. Be engaged. Lead conversations, hold online events, package content and tools that really matter.
  4. Delegate a few very engaged, early-adopters to lead conversations and to have input in the direction of the online community
  5. Form online working groups to solve problems

For years, I have been creating a members-only social networks (formerly known as online communities). The good news is that not only have the tools improved significantly, they are much more attainable — even for organizations with the smallest of budgets.

My new favorite is Ning.com. Ning, a social networking platform that lets you build your own network in as little as 20 minutes. It’s a great environment for meeting people, collaborating and learning.

Ning’s popularity is growing rapidly – and was recently featured on cnet for reaching 1 million social networks.

Some examples of associations using Ning for member social networks:

eMarketing Association network group
2300+ members

National Association of Female Professionals
1500+ members

Association for Information and Image Management
3000+ members

The bottom line if you are thinking of starting a social network for your organization – don’t overcomplicate things. Give Ning.com a try.

Oct
19

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Strengthening your online presence: 3 things every Association can do right now

Category: Internet Strategy, Social Media Tags: , , , , , Leave a Comment

Are you scared or tired of everyone using the terms “social media” or “web 2.0″?  Do you recognize that you need to jump in to the world of social media but don’t know where to begin? Do you need to strengthen your online reputation?

The online world these days can be confusing at best – and for those with limited resources and big dreams – it is an overwhelming task to figure out where to begin. I have been in these shoes over and over-again, and have found that a simple, practical approach is best. Here are 3 simple initial steps to take that do not require a significant amount of resources:

1. Make your existing website more SEO-friendly.

While reassessing your current website for a rebuild is probably optimal, it is also overwhelming. We need results NOW. This approach will help you get better over time AND, if you do this right, you will see recognition in your Google organic search rankings.

  • Write better (SEO friendly) content for your home page and main landing pages.
  • Update these pages regularly
  • Publish feed(s) from your blog(s) and other social networking sites (Flickr, YouTube, etc) throughout the site (see below)

2. Launch a blog.

Blogs give your organization a voice, and if done right, make you more approachable and personal. More than anything, they are all about inspiring conversations around topics and issues important to you. Through this, you will help to increase understanding around your messages and topics – and eventually strenthen your brand on (and off) -line.

Pick a topic that you are most passionate about. Recruit a few passionate, inspired folks to write posts (these can be folks on staff, or part of your membership). Publish feed(s) from your blog(s) on pages throughout your main website. Encourage comments and respond to them. Cross-link to other industry or issue-related blogs.

3. Launch a Flickr and/or a YouTube Channel.

You have photos, lots of them. Photos from events, luncheons, activities. Every photo that you have should be uploaded to flickr and ‘pushed’ to your other online properties. For $24.95 per year, you have a highly functional photo repository that not only enables you to easily publish them anywhere you like, it gives your organization a “face” and exposes it to the millions of folks on the web. It works for you while your are sleeping. The same concept works with YouTube for video content.

Using this approach also makes you more efficient. You do not duplicate effort by having to post the same content (photos/video) to each online property. You have one central repository where all of this lives, and you simply publish it to your other sites.

    Oct
    17

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    IAEE Presentation on Event Websites

    Category: Internet Strategy, Social Media Tags: , , , 1 Comment

    Last week Margaret Core and I presented to a great group of people at the IAEE luncheon on Web 2.0 for Event Websites. Since then, I have had several requests for the slides.

    In part of my presentation, I discussed the use of public social networks such as YouTube for Video, Flickr for photos and encouraged the audience to use Slideshare to share powerpoint presentations. Right after the presentation, I uploaded it to Slideshare and it seems that the site is having technical problems accross the board.

    No one said this web 2.0 stuff was perfect.

    So folks, here is a link to the presentation

    Oct
    15

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    5 Reasons Why a ‘Social Media Approach’ is Critical

    Category: Digital strategy, Featured Articles, Internet Strategy, Social Media Tags: , , , , Leave a Comment

    Working for a large trade organization, I am challenged by the typical mix of technology early-adopters, agnostics, and, of course, those who just don’t understand what the big deal is when it comes to Social Media – so they would rather not. Trying to explain why this is important critical is often difficult and frustrating – at best. Nine times out of ten, I walk away trying to remember why I am in this line of work in the first place.

    So I came up with the ‘elevator speech’ version of why adopting a social media approach is so important for any organization:

    1. Gives you a voice, makes you personal & approachable
      Blogs and other social networks have a different tone, they are informal yet informative. Inspired, passionate blog posts and conversations allow your audience to connect with you on a whole new level.
    2. Increases understanding through conversation
      The old school of communications was a one-way street. No matter how good your content, messages, and imagery, its ability to really impact the level of understanding is minimal compared to the world of social media. Because messages and content are being discussed, or used in a context that makes sense to the audience, it immediately increases understanding. It’s all about messages within the ‘human context’.
    3. Increases Discoverability – so people can find you and learn about the good works that you do
      There is a ton of data behind this – the fact is, if you adopt a social media approach, Google (and other search engines) will love you. And there is no love like Google love.
    4. Broadens your reach
      Having a presence on existing social networking sites works for you while you are sleeping. Using sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, and Delicious gives you a exposes you to communities that you would have never found otherwise.
    5. If you don’t participate in existing online conversations and activities, they will happen without you
      The world of social media is crazy and out of control – and makes many organizations feel uncomfortable. All the more reason to pick a few insightful networks, blogs, and sites and join in. Do this–and start a few of your own–then earn the respect of your existing audience as well as develop new relationships along the way. Don’t get left out.
       

    Jun
    2

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    Great Resource: 7 things you should know about

    Category: Featured Articles, Social Media Tags: , , , , Leave a Comment

    If you are responsible for technology, or managing your organization’s online presence – Educause has put together a series of smart, useful briefs called 7 things you should know about.

    Aside from liking it because I love the number 7 (it’s very Harry Potter), the series provides concise information on learning technologies. Each brief focuses on a single technology or practice and describes what it is, how it works, where it is going, and why it matters.

    While the materials have an education ‘spin’, they are relevant to most of us on many levels, reviewing sites, social networks, and concepts such as Twitter, Flickr, Wikipedia, YouTube, Facebook, RSS, Creative Commons, and much more.

    I use these briefs to help educate and ‘enlighten’ my organization, helping to shift the fundamental attitude and culture of understanding around social networks, information management, and technologies that help support the mission.

    Thank you Educause for putting this together!

    Jan
    11

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    How Harry Potter taught me everything I know about social media

    Category: Social Media Tags: , , , , , , 2 Comments

    As an avid (some would say obsessed) Harry Potter fan, I felt compelled to write a post on this topic. Although I am incredibly sad that there will be no more midnight book release parties to dress up for, I am encouraged by the fact that Harry’s magic lives on by making a positive impact on the world in ways previously unimaginable. All of this made possible by a community of compassionate, creative, and innovative individuals – and the Internet.

    Amidst the flurry of Harry Potter madness — including anti-Christian controversies and debates on whether or not the series is appropriate for children — it seems that a clear, positive global impact has been made on our youth. Check out Amy Jussel’s blog post “Harry Potter Alliance Tackles the Darkness of Darfur” on her Shaping Youth Blog where she discusses this topic in the context of how media and marketing influences kids.

    Here are just a few examples of how the Harry Potter fandom uses the Internet to make a difference:

    Wizard Rock — musical fan-fiction with a cause — raises more than $10,000 for First Book in 2007

    Harry potter fans are extremely creative – so much so that they started an entire genre of music all their own called Wizard Rock. This genre of music has grown on me over the past few months – as some of it is really great and some is simply entertaining! Out of the Wizard Rock movement came the Wizard Rock Club – where fans subscribe online to receive monthly cds, and artists have a way to easily distribute their music. Fans can visit the Wizard Rock websiteto get a sampling of upcoming releases and discuss related topics. Subscription fees are used to cover all costs associated with producing and distributing the CDs to members. After that, all remaining proceeds are donated to First Book, a non-profit organization that gives children from low-income families the opportunity to read and own their first new books. I am, of course, a proud subscriber.

    The Harry Potter Alliance: The politics of Harry Potter & grassroots advocacy at its best

    Couching themselves as the real ‘Dumbledores Army’ (only true Harry Potter fans know what this means), the Harry Potter alliance leverages the power of the Harry Potter community to make real change happen in our world through using online community outlets such as Myspace and Facebook, as well as producing events, podcasts and other multimedia messages with a cause. My favorite effort is the HP Alliance House Parties with a Cause, where there is an online toolkit you can download to help you plan a socially concious house party. You gotta love it!

    Other HP Alliance efforts include:

    The HP Alliance is growing in numbers and has created an energized movement that raises funds, awareness, and engagement by youth around the globe. They have implemented incredibly sophisticated and effective grassroots advocacy efforts through using community outlets, websites, videos, podcasts, events and more – all made possible by the power of community.

    What strikes me most about all of this is that they did not need to hire ‘high-dollar’ Internet strategy experts to strategize and figure this all out. They had no boundaries, just conviction, compassion, creativity – and the Internet. Most of them started out using free tools to get the job done. All of us could stand to learn from this – it is genius.

    There are other great examples of how this fandom uses the Internet to make change, but I will leave those for another post. I think you get the point.

    Jan
    10

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    The web IS changing us

    Category: Digital strategy, Social Media Tags: , , , , Leave a Comment

    I never get tired of this – it’s a very thoughtful perspective on how the Internet is changing our lives, our culture and our sense of community…and to think that 5 years ago, we all thought that the Internet would cause people to stop talking to each other. Now people are connecting with each other more than ever and in ways never before imagined.

    This is part of the Digital Ethnography working group at Kansas State University – where they originally began looking at they way YouTube connects people accross the planet:

    [youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=NLlGopyXT_g]

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