Rambling thoughts and observations

(Source: dilbert.com)

Notes from a case study presented by Andrea Walker of Oxfam New Zealand, at “Engage your community” Conference at Massey University, Wellington on 12 November 2009.

30% of New Zealanders use social media on a weekly basis. Oxfam New Zealand use Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Twitter to engage with people. Organisations should also consider using MyBlogLog - discover who’s visiting your site and connect with your readers; Jaiku - a microblogging site similar to Twitter. And advertise your events in Upcoming - an event calendar and social networking site.

Social media:

• allows a non-profit organisation to engage with a broader audience
• it’s personal - you can have a conversation and open up channels of communication
• you can get others to promote your work
• it’s free
• you gain visibility for your supporters.

How does an organisation know which social media portal to use? Don’t join too many and spread yourself thin. Look at what’s hot before jumping in. Also check who your target audience is. Check your site statistics and undertake some analytics work.

Tips and tricks - you must let go of control and embrace the culture of social media. Be authoritative and reflect on your organisation’s beliefs; be friendly and interactive; get involved and answer questions; keep the connection regular, but don’t overdo it. Include a link to your website in your messages. Promote yourself - people aren’t looking for you. Show your organisation to the world.

On Facebook, use a fan page rather than a group page. Facebook can show you statistics of page views, etc.

Think about Twitter as a conversation, not just as media releases. Be friendly, personal, and sometimes be mundane (e.g. tweet about what’s happening in the office at the time).

If social media is not bringing in money, what is it’s value? Brand awareness, and brand trust, sends traffic to your website. For example, the recent tsunami in Samoa saw both Twitter and Facebook as key drivers to the Oxfam NZ website, which in turn, generated donations to the cause.

“Is social media a fad?” This thought provoking video is by Eric Qualman who has also written a book on “Socialnomics”. A few points from this video - YouTube is the second largest search engine; 38% of bloggers post about brands - do you like what they are saying about your brand?; Wikipedia is more accurate than Encyclopedia Britannica.

With Twitter, plan what you want to say during the week. Set this up as part of your communication strategy. It’s about commitment - it’s no longer a 9-5 job with social media.

Governance - there is no social media policy for Oxfam NZ, which is part of an affiliate. However, Oxfam NZ monitor what people are saying online as they are representatives of the organsiation. And the main concern is around the brand.

Notes from a presentation by Nathalie Hofsteede (@nathalierose) of Give at Little at “Engage your community” Conference at Massey University, Wellington on 12 November 2009.

Embrace your organisation’s niche - get real about how relevant your organisation is. Challenge what is not important.

Communities and charity organisations should be looking at having social media site, e.g. Facebook. Commodify your service to attract donors. A charity brand is needed to attract purchases. A user will feel generous for supporting a charity, e.g purchasing the soap Dove which supports the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.

Nathalie discussed “Blockbuster charity” and “Kitchen Table community groups”:

Blockbuster charities have a huge mandate and geographical reach; you are able to make people cry with your subject matter; have an iconic image (e.g Red Puppy for the Foundation for the Blind); celebrity endorsement; enough budget for a TV campaign.

Kitchen table community groups have a niche purpose with a local/community focus; are hobby or volunteer driven; with a printing budget.

Organisations need to balance resources with relevance. There is a continual need to stay relevant. Support is largely reactive and can suffer from donor fatigue and have a disproportionate profile.

The title of this presentation is taken from Chris Anderson’s “The long tail” book. The Internet gives us infinite choice. It has given us a lens to find other communities like us out there.

Get on to Facebook - use this to find blockbuster friends. An organisation doesn’t have the scarce resource of time, to spend actual time with users, but it can be used successfully to keep in touch.

Create news - use Scoop.

Social media is a platform for small organisations. It uses new channels and has new audiences. It is the virtual bricks and mortar. Cause content has a shorter lifespan and must be relevant for a small amount of time to attract the community.

The organisation “Give a little” is a good starting point for short causes.

For direct cause, make your own website, e.g. Jen Lucas’s breast cancer appeal website.

Make time to consider how these changes affect your organisation and engage in ways we haven’t before. Take back control. Strive for engagement not ownership. Embrace existing platforms - don’t reinvent the wheel. go to where the community already is. Put real people and real life in the spotlight - don’t use agencies to twitter for your organisation, for example.

Get everywhere you can online, fast. Blog, tweet, get fans, show yourself, introduce supporters to each other (e.g. Ning.com). Use video too.

Crowds draw crowds.