Social networking for IT managers

Norman Reiss Nonprofit Bridge www.nonprofitbridge.com Nten Long Island 501 Tech Club October 7, 2010

1.Why should I care about social networking? Does it really matter to IT?
Tools may change but idea of social networking / media will persevere
Will help you play a more strategic role in your organization
Norman Reiss, Nonprofit Bridge Social Networking for IT Managers, Oct. 7, 2010

2.Which social networks should I focus on?
Where are your constituents?
Start with Facebook and Twitter – don’t try to be in too many places at beginning (better to use one or more channels well than many channels poorly)

3. Facebook or Twitter?
Where are your competitors?
Use Twitter for brief, frequent updates
Use Facebook for more detailed updates, to share videos and build ongoing conversation

4. Who in organization should handle social networking?
Best to assign to a specific person
Volunteers are OK but are they educated enough about your mission / focus?
Best to have staff involved too

5. How much time does my organization need to spend on social networking to be successful?
2 hours / week / channel
Devoting time to social networking does not necessarily guarantee success, but not putting in enough time almost guarantees failure

6. Can social networking be used for fundraising?
Yes, but this is not its main benefit
Best for engaging / communicating with constituents
See Facebook Causes ( facebook.com/causes ) and Tweetsgiving ( twitter.com/tweetsgiving )

7. How do I measure ROI on social networking?
Email list subscribers
Facebook ‘likes’
Twitter followers
Advocacy actions taken
Facebook Insights
Google Analytics
Trackable links (e.g. bit.ly)

8. How can my organization develop a social networking policy?
Do this FIRST before getting started
See Wendy Harman’s Red Cross Social Media Handbook
sites.google.com/site/wharman/social-media-strategy-handbook

9. How do I build a community on our social network?
Ask questions
Encourage feedback
Respond quickly to comments

10. Should I consider a private social network instead of a public social network?
Both can be useful but depends on your available resources
Private best for sensitive subject matter and for more control over platform

Halfway Through
Questions?

11. What do I talk about on our social network?
Information about your cause, not just about your organization
Give examples of your nonprofit’s work
Integrate with other communication channels

12. How do I convince management that social networking is worthwhile?
Start with small pilot project
Show what your competitors are already doing
Find an internal advocate

13. Should we create a Facebook application?
Do you have a large audience on platform?
Do you have expertise to create – and maintain application? (Facebook changes daily)

14. What type / size nonprofits do best with social networking?
Smaller organizations sometimes have the best results
Large organizations can do well if they don’t get embroiled in debate
Will your culture support an open communication with your constituents?

15. How often should we post on social networks?
Establish a baseline frequency and stick to it
Don’t promise more than you can reasonably deliver (e.g. email newsletters)
TIP – plan in advance with an integrated communications calendar

16. What are hash tags and how are they used?
Start with #
Ways to identify specific topics
Include in your posts on Twitter

17. What are examples of nonprofits that have succeeded with social networking?
American Red Cross
National Wildlife Federation
Humane Society
Lance Armstrong Foundation
Autism Speaks

18. How can we monitor what others are saying about our organization?
Google Alerts – www.google.com/alerts
Twitter Search – search.twitter.com
Technorati (to search blogs) – www.technorati.com
iGoogle Dashboard – www.google.com/ig
SocialMention – www.socialmention.com
Listen before you post

19. Should I use products like TweetDeck, HootSuite and Seesmic Desktop?
Good way to combine data from many social networks
Helps to filter topics you’re most interested in
Can be distracting if you keep active throughout day

20. What are some good resources on social networking?
Nonprofit Social Network Benchmark Report nonprofitsocialnetworksurvey.com
Nonprofit Social Media Decision Guide www.idealware.org/reports/nonprofit-social-media-decision-guide
Beth’s Blog – www.bethkanter.org
Upcoming Nten Webinars – nten.org/webinars
10/8 – Developing a Social Networking Strategy
10/15 – Learn about Nten’s Social Network Strategy
10/21 – Managing Your Personal and Professional Brand
10/26 – Social Media Decision Maker’s Toolkit

Thank You
Read my blog at www.nonprofitbridge.com
Connect with me on social networks:
LinkedIn - www.linkedin.com/in/nonprofitbridge
Twitter - www.twitter.com/nonprofitbridge
Facebook - www.facebook.com/#/nonprofitbridge
Email – [email_address]
Phone – 646-827-0635

Social networking for IT managers

by Norman Reiss on Oct 07, 2010

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Social networking for IT managers — Presentation Transcript