go small or go home

I am wearing white pants today so that must mean summer is here in Vancouver. It actually arrived a little over two weeks ago and surprised us all. The abrupt temperature rise has got me wondering whether organizations use social networks as much when their thoughts turn to backyard barbecues and tall glasses of lemonade. I had assumed we would spend less time on Facebook, Twitter et al during summer months, yet judging from the consistency of posts among my networks (including mostly  social media and communications professionals, not-for-profits and a handful of savvy online superheros; celebrities and other), I’ve observed that their tweets or blogs aren’t less frequent it’s just that they are more mango salsa than brown bag lunch.

Take for instance this tweet by benlocker, a UK copywriting agency: “I’m overtweeting. Time for a book and a glass of wine.” Or this one by paulrouke, “I’m attending Manchester Digital Summer Barbecue….”

These days, more people in my professional networks are recommending books to read or sending tweets from the beach or poolside. Another thing I’ve noticed: More people are updating their LinkedIn profiles and changing their Facebook and Twitter profile pics.  It’s true that holidays or slow work days can be a good time to get caught up on all those social media chores that have been piling up.

Speaking of which… given that summer is the season of parties and celebrations, why not take the opportunity to show your not-for-profit’s lighter side. Let’s face it, all work and no play makes Jane or _____ (insert not-for-profit name) a dull girl/organization. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Summer in the social media

1) Organize a barbecue or baseball game to celebrate a momentous year of fundraising and serving your community.  Maybe things have been challenging and staff need a pick-me-up and something to show they are still valued. Take pictures of the event to post on your website or blog. Tweet about it during and after to show your partners and site visitors your organization’s amazing team spirit.

2) Do you have a summer intern who might like to ‘guest blog’ during the summer months? Could be a cool way to infuse the organization with some fresh ideas and new perspective.

3) Offer your Twitter followers or Facebook fans some free stuff.  A little while ago Ethical Bean was tweeting about certain locations its followers could go to on a Friday to take home a free bag of their Fair Trade coffee. Rustle up some in-kind donations from local businesses; use an online contest as an opportunity to share your organization’s story and the community you serve.

Friday afternoon antics

Two whole hours left till the weekend; it’s hot, the air conditioner is broken again or blowing colder than the legal limit. I know I’ll…

1) Visit Twitterer, type in summer or vacation and see what others are up to.

2) Join an online parade with my Twitter followers.

3) Sign up to be a friend of the cephalopod mollusk that predicted the 2010 FIFA World Cup winners. Btw, the oracle octopus has 170,000 Facebook friends. And you thought you were special.

Have a terrific summer!

The other day a client asked me a question that comes up a lot, mostly after I tell an organization what is needed for them to build an online presence.

“What’s the point for us to use social media? We have a hard enough time keeping up with the stuff we are doing now.”

Having worked in the not-for-profit sector for many years as a communications coordinator, editor, writer, media relations adviser, publisher, fundraiser, eco-tour guide, educator, gardener, support worker, designer, volunteer coordinator–there’s more, but you get the picture–I don’t take this question lightly. I know how much work goes into these organizations. How there are never enough hours in the day, and how it often feels it all won’t get done unless you clone yourself and everyone you work with.

“Social media IS the stuff you’re doing now.” That’s the cheeky answer that pops into my head after hearing that question. Sometimes when we don’t like the answer we are given then we need to rephrase the question. This means approaching the problem from a different perspective so we can view it differently, maybe even see it more clearly.

Let me explain.

Building an online presence shouldn’t be seen as an add-on to what not-for-profits already do, but rather as part of the continuous flow of what is already being done to accomplish your mission and tell your audiences about the great work you are doing. It’s about capacity building, nurturing community, communicating to members, stakeholders and the general public. Seeing what your partners are doing, trading stories “from the field” in order to learn from each other, and so on. All the stuff organizations already do, except now they are doing it online. You wouldn’t want to miss a conference involving your community partners so why would you opt out of discussions and the opportunity to hear their news by not having an online presence through social media?

To rephrase the question: “Social media, why bother?” you might rather ask,

How can we take what we do here (e.g. advertising, e-newsletter, discussion forum) and translate it into that?

What are we doing when we do that new thing? Our goals are the same as before so our outcomes should be also.

How can we cut down on all the things we do and be more effective in order to make room for building an online presence that grows and saves us time and money in the long run?

How much and what?
This basic list will give you an idea of how many hours to carve out for social media endeavors per week. We advise you to develop a game plan that answers the questions who, what and when. Above all, don’t leave it up to the social media muses as those blog posts, tweets and Facebook updates will never get done!

Now you just need to get your team on board, come up with a list of stuff to write about and you’re own your way. Some people find it helps to schedule updates at the same time each day. Others just squeeze it in between a conference call and a sandwich. Keep building!

Facebook

Frequency: 1 to 2 updates per week

Focus: Not-for-profit and partners, local and international

Content: Events, publications, interviews, discussions, etc., campaign (e.g. member, fundraising) links to media (e.g. video clip, photos), contests, fundraiser, blog/web updates

Twitter

Frequency: 5 updates per week

Focus: Not-for-profit and partners, local and international

Content: Not-for-profit and partner events, contests, fundraiser, replies (@twittername), updates to blog or website, announcements, quotes, media links (e.g. video clip, photos)

Blog

Frequency: 1 to 2 posts, threads, updates a week

Focus: Local and global

Content: Local/international discussions, debates, topics, ideas, etc.

Flickr

Frequency: Once every two weeks by organization or uploaded by partner or other

Focus: Not-for-profit

Content: Groups, events

YouTube

Frequency: More infrequent; depends on needs of organization

Focus: Commercial or ad, events (e.g. fundraiser), local and global

Content: Activities (e.g. conferences), short clip on YouTube (2 minutes or less) about organization

Coming to the end of a year makes me yearn for lists. Not just Christmas lists, 2010 to-do lists, and New Year’s resolutions (a bit early for that…), but lists of things we saw from not-for-profits over the past year that made us think, wow. Over the next month or so we’ll be bringing you our top five lists in a few categories related to social media.

Whether you’re wearing toe socks or those comfy hand-knitted slipper socks with the leather soles that you buy at the season’s craft fairs (or your boyfriend’s or girlfriend’s woolen lumberjack socks), these lists will be sure to knock your socks off. So, here goes…our  first list of video picks.

These days with a little will and collaborative effort it’s relatively easy for not-for-profits to produce and post their own videos. Tech is cheap and amateur videographers abound. The difficulty is in creating something that cuts to the essence of what your organization does and in a way that is slightly edgy, but not annoyingly so. Short (not insubstantial) and visually arresting…no three-ring-circuses. The other challenge of course is getting people to download it, another ball of wax altogether.

Go Small has come up with a killer list of five videos we simply LOVE. Please note we almost never use caps! Or exclamation marks.

Peace it Together

Amnesty International

Oxfam

H2oil

charity: water

Tell us your favs.

In a previous blog post we wrote about Go Small’s participation in Resilient People + Climate Change. The conference looked at ways to strengthen psycho-social resilience among communities and organizations in the face of rising global temperatures.

Here are some quotes by panelists that were tweeted during the two days:

Culture is a collective narrative across neighborhoods.-Mike Littrell, Cultural Mythologist, Conference Co-Convener

We need to return to historic documents, myths and legends to learn about survival and building our resilience. Survival must incorporate tools not only for the body, but for the mind and spirit as well.-Carl M. Hild, Associate Professor, Public Health Administration, Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage, AK

We can learn resilience from the Squamish Nation, who have lived & survived great trauma. We can become witnesses by listening, observing, learning from the land and returning to community to share our stories.-Nancy Bleck, Photographer and Instructor, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver, BC

We must learn to reconnect with the world and the environment, and women will take the lead on doing this.-Carl M. Hild, Associate Professor, Public Health Administration, Alaska Pacific University, Anchorage, AK

Let’s talk about creating a new emergent, hybrid, global culture, telling new tribal stories.-Glenn Albrecht, Professor of Sustainability, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia

What are the characteristics of a resilient individual? Making connections and building deeper levels of trust amongst networks and friends.-Sanjay Khanna, Climate Change Writer and Conference Co-Convener

Besides presenting some powerful ideas for how we can continue to live together on the planet into the future, the conference made me question how to further deepen interactions and strengthen networks both online and in real time.

Essentially social media isn’t about learning the technical aspects of Web 2.0, it’s about finding ways to connect and explore what’s important to us. Stuff that makes us tick, laugh, think, learn, understand each other, grow…. That is why I use the word “malleability” in the title of this blog post because it’s true new media can be hammered into many different shapes without breaking!

Yet often we are so caught up in the “how to” that we forget why we showed up in the first place. These observations spurred us to create a list of questions that in the coming days and months we hope to explore.

What are your chief reasons for using social media?

What wisdom do you find through online connections?

What do you really want to know that you don’t already know?

Social media is like teen sex. Everyone wants to do it. No one actually knows how. When finally done, there is surprise it’s not better. –Avinash Kaushik, Google’s analytics evangelist

Not sure I agree with this statement, but it made me laugh when I read it and it’s a good starting point for this blog post. I suppose it’s true that social media is like teen sex in the sense that the more practice a person has at something, generally speaking, the less effort and more fun that person has. I could extend the metaphor by saying social media can make neophytes into bumbling idiots, lose confidence in our ability to perform, but I think you get the point.

Let me put it this way, you wouldn’t expect to play tennis a few times and suddenly become as good as Serena Williams. When you first start playing most of your time is taken running after the ball that you didn’t hit, trying to get it over the net and cursing each time you don’t. The same goes for social media. When you put the time in and put the time in and put in the time… eventually you begin to see some results.

This is a lesson that many not-for-profits are learning as they integrate social media into what they do. Although it is often an uphill battle for organizations that are strapped for resources, I constantly marvel at how so many have risen to the challenge presented by these new technologies to come out stronger, more savvy and creatively charged.

As technologies keep changing, not-for-profits must learn new stuff  just to keep up. Organizations often have a hard time adapting to constant change and as a result sometimes give up trying.

Remember that social media is an imperfect beast so try not to strive for perfection. Better yet, think of the infamous Nike slogan “Just do it” and you’re more than halfway there.

Let’s face it, artists, designers, filmmakers, musicians and other creative types frequently have ideas that, while outlandish to some, seem perfectly legit to them. Today creatives are using online communities not only to connect with like minded people, rather they are putting their ideas front and centre so that others can help make them happen.

You want to make a documentary about trying to reunite the band, the Kinks? Or what about flying to Iceland to photograph fjords?

Kickstarter is a funding platform that helps bring to life ideas and endeavors put forth by artists, writers, designers, photographers, musicians, filmmakers and others. The website lists each project and allows others to share the project information through email, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or to grab a widget and promote the project (as seen below) with the hope of garnering more support. Pledges are $1 minimum.

One of the projects is We Scream: Voices From The Ice Cream Underground, a documentary short that explores the subculture of ice cream truck owners and paleteros (cart vendors) in Los Angeles.

Don’t tell me you’re not the least bit curious about what’s behind the old painted truck buzzing down the street, mechanical nursery rhyme standards filling the air, a gaggle of kids chasing after it. Pretty sweet way to support the arts.

The other day I was having a conversation with my sister about how social media could be used by an organization to fortify connections between a community and its customs and traditions, while showing those outside the community the power and continued relevance of these traditions.

She told me about Dr. Heather Castleden’s research work which was undertaken in collaboration with the Huu-ay-aht First Nations. As part of this research, she co-developed a digital story which tells of the place of her own story within the richness of Huu-ay-aht First Nations stories she came to know.

“Digital Storytelling is the modern expression of the ancient art of storytelling,” says Leslie Rule of the Digital Storytelling Association. “Digital stories derive their power by weaving images, music, narrative and voice together, thereby giving deep dimension and vivid color to characters, situations, experiences, and insights,” she adds.

I like Dr. Castleden’s idea expressed in her digital story (after the African saying, it takes a village to raise a child) that it takes a Nation to raise a researcher. In other words, it isn’t the academic at the centre of the story anymore or the one with all (if any!) of the answers.

Digital storytelling, like the technique of “photovoice” (see Go Small’s March 31st post called Giving Ugandan girls a “photovoice”), gives subjects more power to be the creators of their stories and hopefully influence policy decisions being made that have a direct impact on them and their communities.

The Digital Storytelling Association along with the Center for Digital Storytelling has some useful examples to illustrate how this technique is being used by organizations related to the arts, education, family, health, and identity. 

WARNING: These stories will both uplift and tear your heart out.

With widespread layoffs, budget cuts, foreclosures and a generally depressed (who wouldn’t be) economy, not-for-profits are getting creative like never before at raising money.

United Way’s Give 5 viral fundraising campaign for vital services and programs for families most affected by the economic downturn is one example that proves the age-old adage that when the going gets tough, the tough get going. Yet, in this instance it feels more appropriate to say, the tough get creative.

Fact is, at no other time in history has it been easier in terms of the availability of low-cost social media tools for not-for-profits to reach audiences. Yet at the same time, given that many donors are tightening their belts and that there are many other organizations out there using the same channels to reach people, it is also one of the most difficult times for organizations to attain their fundraising targets.

Down $800,000 in funds raised from last year, the United Way of Northeast Florida is feeling the pinch of the economic downturn as are the communities they serve. For that reason they’re targeting a new generation of donors who might never have donated to the organization. Using social networking sites like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, United Way is broadening its reach in hopes of generating interest from 20 to 30 year-olds looking to make a difference without breaking their piggy-banks.

This viral campaign is asking new donors to donate as little as $5 and then to e-mail the link to five friends. Being asked to give  a small sum is viewed in this instance as no small thing because that $5 might be used to help a homeless family pay for an evening meal. With that kind of payback, it’s hard not to give.

Working with those at healthcare facilities such as hospitals and hospices to transform dreary corridors into canvases that are hopeful and inspired, founders Gary Blair and Earl Pinchuk focus on projects that improve the welfare of both healthcare workers and patients while giving voice to artists that might not otherwise have a venue for their artwork.

We’re not leaving the continent of Africa quite yet. An inspiring project came to my attention from Uganda, Rwanda’s neighbour to the north.

The project is called ZoomUganda and it uses the little-known though increasing prevalent technique called “photovoice” to bring attention to Matale, a community in southern Uganda where more than half the children have lost one or both parents to HIV/AIDS.

Created by Caroline C. Wang and Mary Ann Burris in 1992 to enable rural women of Yunnan Province, China to have a say in policymaking affecting them, “photovoice” enables individuals who are typically subjects, to be creators, as they document their world.

Sponsored by the Harambee Centre in Portland, Oregon, ZoomUganda involves 12 girls who were given 12 cameras and 24 hours to tell their stories. Another part of the project was for the girls to keep journals wherein they captured their hopes and dreams. Proceeds from the project will benefit St. Andrew’s Secondary School in Matale, Uganda.

Photovoice is a powerful tool for organizations, whether working in the Global South or in the Deep South, to help citizens take control over how the world perceives them.

If the technique seems a good fit for your organization, then build on your photovoice project by integrating social media such as video and other interactive web capabilities to seriously engage online visitors and connect them to your organization’s vision for social change.

Remember that–where social media is concerned–there are many ways to tell a story.