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

Go Small recently came across the work of an artist who uses both traditional and online media to weave narratives using an endangered species as the main character, in this case, the humble bumblebee. The artist, aptly called “Bumblebee,” uses abandoned newspaper stands and telephone booths in the real world to represent pages of a story called “The Story of How Things Came to Bee.”

The narrative is captured in pictures and words on Bumblebee’s Flickr site and the pictures contain notes (if you scroll over the bees). These notes can’t be seen on the street, however, there is a map that shows the locations of the newspaper stands so the online viewer can step outside (providing they live in the city!)  and travel to each spot to see these scenes for herself.

Looking at an almost obsolete industry from the perspective of an endangered species gives the viewer a deepened sense of vulnerability, the passing of time, the ephemeral nature of technology, and of the preciousness of life.

A wonderful way to work with both traditional and online media to create a complete and compelling storybook of ideas and impressions.

The ‘newspaper stand’ is soon becoming a forgotten way to communicate with the public. With more online news subscriptions being made, newspaper companies are leaving these structures abandoned. -Bumblebee