Chad Norman's Webby Things

9 Simple Things Everyone Should Know about Twitter Hashtags

Chad Norman — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:30:00 GMT

A couple weeks ago, we had a rip-roaring conversation about Twitter on The Baudcast. We gave Twitter center stage for the entire episode, and picked a couple of topics we know people often have questions about. Wendy Harman (American Red Cross), Danielle Brigida (National Wildlife Federation), Anna Richter (NTEN), Frank Barry (Blackbaud), and Steve MacLaughlin dropped some great insights, including how to setup your account, the best tools to use, and hashtags.

Here are 9 simple things we discussed that everyone should know about hashtags:

They're great for grouping and tracking conversations (#nptech)
Hashtags make keeping up with events easy (#10ntc)
Useful when searching for real-time information (#iranelection)
Great for finding new people to follow (#nonprofit)
Don't overuse them in your Tweets - save room for content!
Funny ones can add some humor to a tweet (#justsayin)
You can integrate them into a program (#nwf)
Keep them short of you want people to use them (#ff)
You can search for them at hashtags.org

Now, if you're not that into hashtags, the show had plenty other stuff to chew on. I really liked the discussion around whether to use a branded Twitter account or just let your staff be your evangelists. There was also a lengthy discussion on Twitter tools.

Be sure to get all the juicy details on The Baudcast: (iTunes or direct)

Find Your Local Social Media Club

Chad Norman — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 15:50:00 GMT

There's no such thing as a social media expert - it's impossible to know it all. Every day we learn new tricks from each other, and a robust network is needed to make this happen. I've often cited Twitter as the "best professional development platform out there", but social nets like Facebook, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, Delicious, StumbleUpon, and Slideshare certainly bring in the knowledge too. But sometimes networking with atoms instead of pixels can add value, and that's where Social Media Club comes in...

Social Media Club was formed in 2006 by two San Francisco locals as a way to learn and network by discussing this growing technology channel. Since then, over 70 chapters have sprung up around the world (95 more are forming), and 501c3 status is on the way thanks to the hard work of a group of 5 directors and 40+ industry advisers. As the organization grows, its focus will remain on 4 key initiatives: media literacy, sharing lessons learned, encouraging adoption of industry standards, and promoting ethical behavior.

If you're looking to expand your knowledge about social media, or share what you already know, see if there is a Social Media Club chapter near you. If not, ping your network for interest and start one. There is a ton of information on their website, wiki, and Facebook group that can help get your inspired, which is exactly what happened to me.

Last fall, six of us here in Charleston formed our local chapter. After starting with casual meetings, we kicked off the first big event with a panel called "Social Media in the Media". This was a huge success, and the community responded favorably. This week, we held our second panel discussion, Social Media 101, which had an even bigger turnout, participation level, and some great conversations. Despite only having these two major events, many of us have already learned new things, made new connections, and been forced to actually put down our laptops and iPhones to interact with our peers - all good stuff.

So if you're sitting around wondering how your organization or business can better use social media, and you're tired of reading blogs, articles, and Twitter updates, seek out Social Media Club. And once you do, remember there is only one rule about Social Media Club: ALWAYS talk about Social Media Club. Spread the word!

View more presentations from Chad Norman.

6 Dogooding Webby Things Your Nonprofit Should Check Out

Chad Norman — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:19:00 GMT

The Internet, nonprofits, and cause-based action have been natural partners since day one, not unlike peanut butter and jelly...and, um, more jelly. So it's no surprise that the successes nonprofits have seen with social media are constantly being cited, something I observed at SXSW. This happens because social technology works, and new methods of interacting with supporters are emerging every week. Here are six great webby things that every dogooder should check out:

Act.ly
A tactful use of a petition can work wonders for a cause, and Act.ly is an easy way to integrate this activity into your Twitter strategy. Act.ly allows petitions to be created that target Twitter users (politicians, businesses, organizations, etc.). The platform provides a way for your supporters to sign the petition, send a tweet about the effort, see others that have joined the cause, and embed a badge on their own sites. Check out how the League of Conservation Voters is using the platform to urge Oprah to discuss President Obama's clean energy plan, and then integrating the petition into their home page. www.act.ly

Facebook Fan Box
Having a Facebook Fan page is a great way to engage supporters, and many organizations are integrating these pages into their overall communications strategy. The Facebook Fan Box is an embeddable widget you can place on your website, blog, and other web properties to integrate the Facebook experience. Visitors can use the Fan Box to become a fan, view status updates, see who is supporting your cause, and read what they are saying. The Lance Armstrong Foundation uses the widget to connect connect fans with Lance himself, and drive visitors to this valuable social channel. www.facebook.com

IdealistNews
Using social news sites like Digg, Yahoo Buzz, Mixx, and Reddit can bring new visitors to your cause, but only if your stories don't get lost in the vast pool of content. Idealist.org has partnered with Reddit to create IdealistNews, a nonprofit-focused social news platform. Once your organization's news stories and blog posts have been submitted, users have the opportunity to vote them up. The more votes, the more likely people are to hear your message. www.idealist.org

Actions for Facebook
For advocacy-based organizations, providing easy ways to communicate with politicians is critical to success. Grassroots Enterprises has released Actions for Facebook, and powerful online advocacy application for Facebook. The tool makes it easy to turn your fans into activists by helping them send letters to state and federal officials, find appropriate local activities, and invite friends to participate. Features like widgets, unique URLs, and data collection make it easy to integrate into your communication strategy. www.grassroots.com

eBay Giving Works
While this isn't exactly new, I like that eBay helps users create positive change with every purchase. eBay Giving Works allows buyers to find sellers that support good causes, give direct donations via PayPal, and enables sellers to donate proceeds to nonprofits. All you have to do is sign-up your org to participate in the program. www.ebay.com

Good.ly
If your organization is using Twitter, then you're probably familiar with URL shortening tools like bit.ly, ow.ly, and TinyURL.com. Good.ly has taken the short URL business into the nonprofit sector by generating donations from users. When purchases are made from Good.ly click-throughs, a portion of the referral fee goes to one of three featured charities. While this may not be a financial windfall for the nonprofits, it is still a great application of technology for social good. www.good.ly

I also want to give a shout out to a few other webby things I've been digging lately. Check out Geoff Livingston's List of Change for a dynamic list of the most popular nonprofit blogs. Socialbright is a great resource that can help your nonprofit use social media, as is Social by Social. And of course there is the Summer of Social Good, Mashable's push to promote dogooding through social media.

Power to Your Peeps! Why Real-time Fundraising with Twitter Works

Chad Norman — Tue, 26 May 2009 16:22:00 GMT

I dig speaking at nonprofit conferences and events, and one of my favorite topics to cover is the real-time use of social media. It's the perfect mix of emerging technologies, social media, communities, and the web - some of my favorite things.

The conversations inevitably get stymied around Twitter - which is no surprise, as every nonprofit is trying to figure out what the tool means for them. A channel for promoting your mission? A monitor for listening to chatter about your cause? A way to connect your org to your community? It's all of those things, but it's also something else: a real-time fundraising tool!

Raising money on Twitter is happening all the time. Beth Kanter stood on stage at Gnomedex and used Twitter to help raise $2,657 in 90 minutes. Last November, Tweetsgiving used Twitter to raise over $10,000 in 48 hours for a school in Tanzania. And just last month, I used Twitter to raise $350 in a couple hours to help send the NTEN staff out for a relaxing excursion. These examples show just some of the ways Twitter can enable real-time fundraising. Clearly it works...but why?

Tara Hunt calls it Whuffie. Chris Brogan calls it the Trust Economy. I call it the Deep Network. Real-time fundraising works because of social capital...because we tend to trust the people in our network. When an org sends an email, the open rate can be low - but when a person sends an email to friends, the open rate is 90%! This is because of trust, and works the same way with Twitter or any other people-based network. When we build up large, diverse networks consisting of supporters, friends, and peers, we are creating a bank of trust to draw upon when needed. When it comes time to ask your network for something, they will not need the time to interpret your motivation - because they know you and your org. And some will be ready to act...right then!

So use Twitter for listening, communicating, and promoting, but don't overlook the platform as a vehicle for real-time action. Build your network around mutual trust, a sense of community, and personal attention. If you've taken the time to cultivate a trusting, loyal, and engaged following, you should be able to turn that social capital into financial capital - and in a hurry if need be. After all, when you're among friends, it's never hard to ask!

Podcasting, Podcasting, Podcasting

Chad Norman — Wed, 13 May 2009 12:18:00 GMT

OK, I've been home long enough to say I'm recovered from the 2009 NTC, but I'll certainly never be the same. This event has the potential to change the life and org of every single attendee that shows up, and that's why it will continue to be the premier nonprofit tech event for years to come. Yes, I'm in love.

Last week on The Baudcast, I assembled an all-star cast of NTC troops to break down the event and share some lessons learned. Anna Richter, the Program Coordinator at NTEN, joined us and was able to share some amazing inside knowledge. Danielle Brigida (NWF) and David Neff (American Cancer Society) broke down a couple of their sessions, and Peter Campbell (Earth Justice) waved the IT flag high. Rounded out by the Blackbaud crew, the show was a fun way to look back at this event. Be sure to check it out (iTunes or direct).

It was podcasting that brought me to NTC in the first place. I had the honor of co-presenting a session with the Nonprofit Podfather himself, Corey Pudhorodsky of the 501c3Cast (his NTC event and session notes are here). The session was packed, with people sitting in the hall to learn more about this fascinating medium. Though it was an A-Z overview of how to get started, I think many people left with specific actionable items they could use to start a podcast. The excitement was definitely there, and I can't wait to see some of these show ideas come to fruition.

Below are the slides to Nonprofit Radio: How to Make Podcasts That Support Your Brand and Engage Supporters. If you have any questions about podcasting, just shoot me an email, DM me on Twitter, or leave a comment below.

Nonprofit Radio - Make Podcasts that Engage Supporters

View more presentations from Chad Norman.

Happy podcasting!

Lights. Camera. Help. Brings DoGooding to the Big Screen

Chad Norman — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:43:00 GMT

While in San Francisco last week at The Nonprofit Technology Conference, I ran into one of my favorite dogooders: David Neff. Never short on energy and enthusiasm, David was even more pumped than usual. And why not?...he was just about to launch a great new nonprofit!

Lights. Camera. Help. is the premiere film festival exclusively for nonprofit and grassroots organizations, and they officially opened their submission process last Friday. A film festival for nonprofits like this is the first of its kind in the nation, and will provide a valuable platform for organizations and grassroots movements to be recognized for their work.

Anything that promotes the use of video is OK in my book, as almost nothing can engage and go viral like a thought-provoking film. Nonprofits have been using services like YouTube and DoGooder.tv for a while now, so recognizing orgs for their hard work feels like a natural next step. If you've got a great feature, short film, PSA, or other video content, submit it for entrance into the festival by June 30.

Aaaaaaaannnnnnnnd, scene.

15 Clay Shirky Quotes That Blew My Mind at NTC

Chad Norman — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 22:23:00 GMT

I had been looking forward to Clay Shirky's plenary at the 2009 Nonprofit Technology Conference for a while, and he did not let me down. Keeping in theme with his almost dead-on resemblance to Tom Hanks, his words/message/thoughts resonated around the room like Forest Gump on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Had the WiFi in the room not gone down, I am almost certain Twitter would have collapsed under the weight of our collective epiphanies.

If you haven't read Clay's book Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, be sure to take a look. It's required reading for anyone working with online communities and social capital, and his talk today took the book's concepts to a new level. I mean, after the debut of NTEN executive director Holly Ross's Beyonce tribute video, I thought it couldn't get any better. It did.

There were a few people Qiking the talk, and I'm pretty sure NTEN recorded it as well, so hopefully you'll have a chance to check out the whole thing soon. In the mean time, here are 15 quotes from this morning that absolutely blew my mind. I realize they are totally out of context, but like a fortune cookie they may bring you valuable insight. Enjoy!

"The loss of control you fear is already in the past."

"We're not good at thinking fast. We are good at feeling fast."

"Tools don't get socially interesting until they get technologically boring."

"Once one person solves the problem once, the problem stays solved for everybody."

"The intention of users has more impact than the intention of the designers."

"Each of us is simultaneously an individual person and a global publisher."

"Start small and good, then make it bigger."

"We spend more time figuring out whether something is a good idea than we would have just trying it."

"Don't hire consultants. Hire your own 23-year-olds."

"Just take our organization and add some Internet."

"It's not just about delivering content to members, it's about the convening power to help members discover each other."

"Fail informatively - Fail like crazy."

"My guess is that the high water mark of Facebook's universality has passed."

"Nothing says dictatorship like arresting people for eating ice cream. The problem wasn't the ice cream, it was the group."

"I was just making things up."

Hey, Your Org Was Just Named Nonprofit of the Year!

Chad Norman — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 18:50:00 GMT

What if all of your organization's wishes came true - instantly, overnight, in a flash, or maybe even granted via genie? That would certainly change things. Million dollar gifts, an unending supply of volunteers, loads of Whuffie - it could happen, right?

Check out what a scenario like that might look like with this customizable video report from Nonprofit Network News. Just enter your org's name, your name, and hit customize. Hilarity ensues.

» Customize Video

And while I'm a huge fan of magical impromptu windfalls, it probably isn't the best strategy to wait around for this to happen. Like Santa Clause, The Great Pumpkin, and possibly Big Foot, genies are technically fiction. (Though, if you're an actual genie reading this blog post, feeeeeeel free to stop by my house and prove me wrong. I only need one wish!)

If you want to do something today to help your nonprofit thrive, all of us Blackbaudian's are here to help. We've featured some resources on our nonprofit wishlist page. You can also read our blogs, check out an event, chat us up on Twitter, or download some white papers. Be sure to check out our Internet Solutions team blog at www.NetWitsThinkTank.com, or visit Blackbaud Labs for the latest in nonprofit tech.

Lets stop wishing and start doing - together!

How Much Are Your Webby Things Worth?

Chad Norman — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 11:29:00 GMT

The cost of keeping your cause on the web, whether it's online fundraising, social networking, or raising awareness, is hard to quantify. It's even harder to determine wheather these efforts are actually helping your organization, or just wasting valuable time. Blackbaud wants to help you find out!

Today is your last chance to participate in the "What is the monetary value of being online?" survey, which is part of the State of the Nonprofit Industry (SONI) program. Not only will you be helping the nonprofit industry, but you'll be entered to win one of three $100 Visa gift cards. You'll also receive a copy of the final report, and that's it - because not only will your information be kept confidential, it won't be used for sales purposes. The SONI team really just wants to help us all understand the value of being online!

Take the Internet value survey - What is the monetary value of being online?

The survey ends today at 5:00 p.m. ET, and the results will be released very soon. In the mean time, be sure to check out these other studies:

Online Giving Smackdown :: A Very Special Baudcast

Chad Norman — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:18:00 GMT

When Target Analytics released its 2008 donorCentrics Internet Giving Benchmarking Analysis, the sector responded with keen interest. The study is packed with insightful nuggets, but one trend is capturing everyone's attention (including The New York Times): First time online donors are often migrating to other channels, like direct mail. Yikes!

Will online giving, with it's higher average gift and youthful appeal, prove not to be the silver bullet everyone thought? The blogosphere and Twitter lit up looking for an answer, but I really liked this post on The Agitator: is online fundraising Too Important for Techies?

We decided to dig into the issue on episode 24 of The Baudcast (iTunes | direct), so key players were invited on the show for an epic online giving battle (or at least a lively conversation). Joining me was Roger Craver (founder of The Agitator and Craver, Mathews, Smith & Company), Hildy Gottlieb (president of The Community Driven Institute and author of The Pollyanna Principles), and Rob Harris (co-author of the 2008 donorCentrics Internet Giving Benchmarking report). I had a great Blackbaud crew on hand as well: Steve MacLaughlin, Allison Van Diest, and Melanie Mathos.

The conversation was GREAT to say the least, as both Roger and Hildy blew us away with their understanding of multi-channel integrated campaigns. Steve posted some quotes from the show over on Connections, and we were all live tweeting comments during the call. Near the end of the conversation, I asked the panel what nonprofits could do tomorrow to better integrate and support online fundraising efforts...here are the responses:

Have a strategy that goes beyond fundraising. A good strategy should start with what your organization wants to accomplish, who you want to reach, and where those people are - then decide on the channels and tools.
Find other organizations that are doing multi-channel communications well, and copy them.
Listen carefully to what people are saying on blogs and social networking sites. Then use these feedback mechanisms to solicit information from your audience. Testing should used online as much as it is with direct mail - because it works.
Invest in good copy. Not just a good writer, but looking at your audience and what drives them. Then craft a message based on that.
Use your online channel to improve stewardship and increase the value of your donors.
Leadership is needed at an organization to break down the silos between the direct mail, email, and phone-a-thon teams. An integrated campaign is a successful campaign.

There you have it. Hear the rest on The Baudcast: (iTunes | direct)

Things I Liked from SXSW Interactive

Chad Norman — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 18:58:00 GMT

If you're reading this, there's a good chance that you're a social media hipster doofus internet geek just like me. If that's the case, go ahead and make your plans for next year's SXSW Interactive Festival, because it's the one event you simply cannot afford to miss.

I realize that I may have lost some geek cred by not live blogging the entire event, but that was never part of my plan. I wanted to focus on building relationships with my fellow nonprofit geeks, actually pay attention to some sessions in an effort to learn a thing or two, and keep my Twitter feed updated with nuggets I could use later. After a day in the office, here are some things I liked:

The Social Media Nonprofit ROI Poetry Slam
Nonprofit Social Media rawk star Beth Kanter moderated the Social Media Nonprofit ROI Poetry Slam, which brought together experts from around the sector. The four participants included Danielle Brigida from the National Wildlife Federation, David Neff from the American Cancer Society, Carie Lewis from the Humane Society of the US, and Wendy Harman from The American Red Cross - we couldn't have been in better hands. Each person used a poem to tell the story of how social media was used at their nonprofit, and what the results were. The format was a creative way tell stories, but the best info came of of the insightful questions from the judges and audience. Things like: Charity Water did well with the Twestival because they were willing to let go of control, the Humane Society made $650,000 from a $5,000 Facebook app, and you have to know what to do with executive sponsorship once you get it (view all my tweets from this session). We all learned a lot, but everyone recognized that the disconnect between social media and donations is still large, but getting smaller every day. Be sure to check out Beth's reflections on the session, which includes slides, pics, links, and videos.

The Beacon Lounge
People kept telling me that out of the 11,000 attendees at the event, 1,000 were from nonprofits. I was a little shocked at first, but after a few days I realized this presence was real. Michael Cervino and Beaconfire hosted The Beacon Lounge, a place where SXSW attendees could chill out, do some good, and help nonprofits. Organizations like Operation Smile, OptInNow.org, and The Capital Foodbank of Texas got a lot of attention from this techie crowd, and we (Blackbaud) were pleased to help out Feeding America by sponsoring lunch on Monday. The lounge also became a rally point for all of us NPTech geeks who often needed a place to read email, get a drink, or just meet some new people. It was a great vibe, and really helped bring awareness to the nonprofit movement at this massive event. I'm excited that Beaconfire will be back next year for more of the same!

Gary Vaynerchuk
OK, I'm not going to beat around the bush - I love Gary Vaynerchuk. I would walk 1000 miles over lava-covered glass shards just to hear him speak. I watch his video blog at WineLibrary.TV, even though I hate wine. I send his short presentation from Web 2.0 Expo NY to friends at least once a month. None of that prepared me for the mind-bending, though-provoking talk he gave at SXSW. Already dubbed this year's unofficial keynote, his presentation blew the room away. Gary put his honesty, energy, and intelligence out there for everyone, which is what he is all about: being yourself and doing what you love. Some of my favorite quotes from the session include: 1) "If you live for the weekends and vacations, your $hlt is broken." 2) "Content is king, but marketing is queen - and the queen rules the house." 3) "I think about legacy over currency every second I breathe." 4) "Delegate everything, except what you love." There's a bunch of great quotes here (someone needs to make "v-shirts" with these quotes on them!), but do yourself a favor and watch/listen to the whole presentation. Get inspired, plan, act, repeat. Watch out for Gary at next year's SXSW, and in the mean time you can follow him on Twitter.

Delivering Happiness
Tony Hsieh's opening remarks about Zappos' success and company culture is something every HR and Customer Service leader should listen to. Zappos takes a very common sense approach towards dealing with both employees and customers: deliver happiness. Zappos is willing to take a 25% hit on revenue just to provide an amazing customer service experience (24-hour service, free shipping, special treatment, etc.) They believe that every customer service dollar should be looked at as a marketing expense. When more and more companies are scaling back phone support in lieu of online self-help, Zappos has grown to $1 billion in revenue by taking the opposite approach. And the same goes for their employees, who are offered $2000 during training to walk away - not to get rid of the bad apples, but to make the good apples more engaged because they "turned down the money". Half of the interview is about culture fit, with questions like, "On a scale of 1 to 10, how weird are you?" Tony advised that companies often hire based on talent rather than fit, which is fine once in a while...but over time it poisons the whole staff, creating a dysfunctional, poor-performing company.

Other sessions really stood out to me, like Tara Hunt's "Making Wuffie". Be on the look out for her upcoming book...it's going to be good. I also went to a great online community panel and learned things like, "Your community will not grow into the vision you had for it...you have to grow and adapt with it." The rest of the time I spent stumbling into texting walkers, networking at events, searching for food on 6th street, and learning from my friends. It was great being in a bubble-world with others like me, and I'm already looking forward to 2010.

All the rest of my photos are up on Flickr. But if you don't feel like clicking though the photostream, check out the video made from them on animoto.com . See you at next year's SXSW!

Nonprofits and SXSW Collide

Chad Norman — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:45:00 GMT

The nonprofit presence at the 2009 SXSW Interactive Festival has exponentially increased, and I'm really looking forward to all the amazing sessions and panels waiting for all of us do-gooders. And while I'll certainly be attending sessions without a nonprofit focus, here's a few events that are on my NPO radar...

I'm most looking forward to the Social Media Nonprofit ROI Poetry Slam, featuring Beth Kanter, Danielle Brigida, Holly Ross, Wendy Harman, Carie Lewis, David Neff, and Katie Paine. Using a poetry slam format, each panelist will present for 5 minutes on how they are using social media at their organizations. Check out this preview of Danielle Brigida's nonprofit interpretation of The Raven to whet your whistle.

If your organization wants to tap into the giant pool of mobile phone users, check out The Mobile Web for Good: Hype or Reality? The session called Nonprofts: Be the Web You Wish to See looks good if you are working on an internet strategy. Why Nonprofit is the Right Choice for your Startup covers how going the nonprofit route with your tech startup might give you a competitive advantage. Jessica Kizorek will do a book reading called The Digital Future of Philanthropy: Engaging Donors with Online Video. PBS will be hosting an Interactive Social Media and Online Video Studio to record interviews with the many visionaries that will be on site.

Beaconfire Consulting will be sponsoring The Beacon Lounge - the coolest place for nonprofit tech geeks to hang out at SXSW. Blackbaud will be sponsoring a lunch in The Beacon to benefit Feeding America (Saturday, March 14th from 12-2), so stop by and say hi! There will also be a special event at Stubb's BBQ called Social Media for Social Good that I'm hoping to attend, not to mention the NP Tech Bash on Monday.

What other sessions do you think do-gooders should attend?

7 Webby Things I Have a Crush On

Chad Norman — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 14:31:00 GMT

If you're a web geek like me, you probably spend every day getting inundated with new tools, services, products, processes, posts, feeds, people, etc - it's mind bending! Finding a useful tool in all that noise sometimes comes down to luck - some weeks nothing will stick, while other weeks it's like having breakthrough after breakthrough. Here are a few helpful webby things that have crossed my screen over the last couple weeks.

BackTweets.com
If your organization is using Twitter to measure engagement, two of the main components worth tracking are retweeting and incoming links to your website. With all the Twitter-friendly URLs being used (tinyurl.com, SnipURL.com, is.gd, etc), search.twitter.com does a poor job of finding people linking to your site. BackTweets solves that by digging into all those short URLs, and returning results showing exactly who is linking to your website. Very cool! www.backtweets.com

Blackbaud iPhone Browser Simulator
A couple weeks ago, Blackbaud CTO Shaun Sullivan released iBBDemo - a demo and test platform for iPhone web content that runs from within Windows. Initially developed to demo iPhone content during presentations, this app is a great tool for any developer working on the platform. Check out Blackbaud Labs for a free download.

The Social Media Elevator Pitch
Whether you're in the nonprofit or for profit world, selling your social media strategy to your internal stakeholders can be a common source of pain. Beth Kanter wrote a great blog post featuring Wendy Harman, the "professional listener" for The American Red Cross, discussing her social media elevator pitch. Social media is still very new, and many executives want to learn why it's important, but need the message to be clear and concise. Check out the post for some great ideas you can use to get your pitch ready.

monitter.com
I'm a huge fan of the real-time social web, and so you can imagine my excitement when a friend turned me onto monitter.com (Thanks, Lindsey!). Monitter is a Twitter aggregator that displays keyword-based tweets in a real-time stream. www.monitter.com

Gmail fixes attachment annoyance
Oh my, some times it's the simple things. Gmail will finally allow you to select and add multiple attachments at one time. Oh yes, that's right. This is one of those features that was painfully missing, and it should make anyone's Gmailing a little more efficient.

N2Y4 Mobile Challenge
Mobile technology is becoming a common partner to social action, and organizations like NetSquared are doing amazing work to see that innovation thrives. The N2Y4 Mobile Challenge brings together mobile tech junkies and social activists for collaboration and competition. And with a target audience of 2.2 billion, a little innovation can go a long way...

Change the Web Challenge
The work Social Actions is doing is changing the way the world acts. The Change the Web Challenge reaches out to the development community to create innovative tools that help people share opportunities with those ready to act. Check out the stuff that's already running on the Social Actions API. If you're interested in the $10,000 prize, you've got until April 3rd to submit your entry.

8 Things I Learned from Episode 22 of The Baudcast

Chad Norman — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 18:27:00 GMT

One of my favorite things about producing The Baudcast (iTunes | direct) is that I get to learn directly from nonprofit industry experts, share with all of you, and then apply that knowledge at my own organization. Last week's show centered around storytelling, and specifically how to use the web as the vehicle - something we could all use a little help with.

Amy Sample Ward (Global Community Builder, NetSquared) and Danielle Brigida (Associate Operations Coordinator, National Wildlife Federation) just completed hosting sessions at TechSoup Global and NTEN's webinar series on Social Media and Storytelling, so I asked them to come on the show and share some of what they covered. They had some amazing insights, and I definitely took away some things I could do/use right away.

Find the people in your organization that have the voice to tell your story. Staff, board members, field workers, volunteers, or even those who receive help from your organization are all great resources to speak on your behalf. Seek them out, give them the tools, and let them tell your story for you.
Let activists use social media to help lighten your work load. Letting others tell your story for you has a great side effect: More time for your staff to focus on fundraising, event planning, etc. If you get others to tell the story of your mission, you'll have more time to focus on it.
Create a supporter toolkit. If you want people to tell your story, but your Marketing team is a little nervous about brand control, give your supporters a storytelling toolkit. Include your key messages, logos, photos, links, etc. so that they can help you tell your story in a way that supports your brand.
Create a separate YouTube account for you blog. This is a great piece of advice if you are want to include shorter, edgier, and funnier videos on your blog, but don't want them to show up on your main YouTube channel. Great idea Danielle!
Be authentic. This is always good advice, for anyone! Tell your story in a natural voice, not something that has been vetted by the public relations team. Avoiding the Marketese will add authenticity to your content.
Don't forget to listen! Use Google Alerts, TweetScan, BackType, search.twitter.com, and other services to generate RSS feeds that track mentions of your organization. Forgetting that we have 2 ears and only 1 mouth will get you into as much trouble on the social web as it will in the real world.
Twitter can become the FIRST social media service you use. Amy suggested that if you aren't currently using social media at all, you might as well start with Twitter. Using the service will help you learn a lot about your own audience's use of the social web, and put you in a better position to develop an overall strategy around blogging, Facebook, YouTube, and other social media tools.
Using video and photos instead of words to tell you story. A picture really is worth a thousand words, so let the photos and videos fly! Using services like YouTube, Flickr, 12Seconds, UStream, TwitPic, and others will help you add visuals to your compelling stories, which will encourage visitors to engage with and share your content more easily.

Thanks to Amy, Danielle, Steve, and Melanie for being on the show last week - I hope you all had as much fun as I did. If you'd like to subscribe to The Baudcast, please visit the iTunes Music Store or Blackbaud.com.

Beef Up that Twitter Bio to Get More Followers

Chad Norman — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 19:00:00 GMT

If you are using Twitter to connect with and engage your constituents, you're not alone. The popular micro-messaging service has become an inexpensive, valuable, and effective way to reach an audience, and can really help communicate and personalize your message. Of course, this is an opt-in service, so to develop it into an effective channel you must attract followers to your Twitter profile.

Sharing your Twitter account via your website, blogs, newsletters, and other electronic content is a great way to get started. The network effect will get you additional followers, as people retweet your updates or find you in the follower lists of other Twitter users. You also want to make sure your background, avatar, and color scheme reinforce your organization's brand. And then there's the Bio field - the one place in your profile where you can add text that tells the world who you are. Having a great Bio full of related keywords is one of the best ways to draw in potential followers.

With this in mind, I took a look at my organization's Bio field. Back when I setup our Twitter account, I had used our simple tagline in the Bio field: "Living green. Here." Clearly that is very non-descriptive, and devoid of any keywords that might interest people. So back on February 2, I changed it to read: "Go Green Charleston is a local guide to sustainable living. Environmental news, education, and events." I immediately began to see an increase in new followers, and it hasn't slowed down. @GreenCharleston had 373 followers on February 2, and only 18 days later we have almost doubled that. In the chart below, generated at TwitterCounter.com, you can see the follower growth rate of @GreenCharleston compared to my personal account @ChadNorman. Can you see where I changed our Bio field?

While this has helped more individuals find us, most of the new followers are organizations and businesses with similar missions. Adding these types of followers may or may not help you get the word out, but it can't hurt if your mission has a wide appeal - or if you want to have conversations and listen to a diverse audience. Measuring engagement is important when determining the success of your social media strategy, so having similar organizations retweeting or replying to your Twitter updates is a positive outcome. So be sure to mind your Bio feild when setting up your profile, as it can clearly make an impact on how sticky your Twitter account is to potential followers.