This document provides guidance on becoming a successful community weaver by utilizing social media and online engagement. It emphasizes shifting to a network leadership model that focuses on engaging everyone, facilitating connections, and supporting self-organization. Specific recommendations include socializing online, listening and responding to people, celebrating successes, and creating "social sermons" that invite active participation in online Jewish learning and community building. The goal is to humanize leaders, build relationships both online and offline, and get more people involved in education and community in non-traditional ways.

1. Becoming a Successful
Community Weaver
PT Meeting Thursday, July 26
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2. As a Network Weaver
• Help people SEE OPPORTUNITIES
• Support initiation of COLLABORATIVE
projects, i.e. the Elul Project
• Help DEEPEN THE QUALITY of relationships
• Who is our audience?
• What do they really want and need in
their lives?
• How can we connect them to
other audiences?

3. Steps to Network Weaving
• Shift in leadership mindset
• Know your network
• Socialize
• Listen and Engage
• Connect

4. Traditional Mindset: Hub &
Spokes
New Seniors
Members
BAW
BAM
Adult Synagogue
Students Program Team Teens
Admin. Staff
Families w/ Committees
Young Board
Children
Émigré
Young B’nei Interfaith
Adults Mitzvah Couples
Students

5. Network Leadership
Organizational Leadership Network Leadership
Few Leaders Everyone is a Leader
Leader Broadcasts Leader Engages
Leader Controls Leader Facilitates and Supports
Top Down Bottom Up
Planning Innovation & Experimentation
Provides Service Supports Self-organization
Adapted from June Holley’s Network Weaving Handbook, pg. 29

6. Mapping Networks
Know the Net –
see the map of how
things really work
Knit the Net –
adjust the network
for improvements
Mapping can
illuminate key
opportunities
for action and
investment
http://ccc.georgkolb.com/

7. Temple Beth
Abraham in
Tarrytown, NY
SOCIALIZE
Here’s an idea:
Post questions to promote
social culture, even if you
know the answer.

8. Build and Engage the Network
• Develop more
relation-based rather than
institutionally-based
communications
• We tend to send out
broadcast messages
– OK, but good to activate
more social interactions

9. As You
Socialize
BE YOUR
TRUE SELF!

10. Listening & Engaging:
You have to BE
IN the conversation
Rabbi Danny
Burkeman on Twitter
(@Rabbi_Danny)
shares his
professional
activities, reflections,
thought leadership,
hobbies and more in
conversation with his
local community and
beyond.

11. People Want to Hear From
and Engage With Clergy

12. Beth Am FB
Postings from
May 2-June 11,
2012
These are postings which went
unanswered – lost opportunities for
potential conversations.

13. Make Connections

14. Be Responsive!

15. Celebrate/Share Successes

16. Celebrate Successes & Grow
Beth Am Members who probably “Liked”
our page after hearing about postings that they relate to, directly or indirectly.

17. Beth Kanter
• Make it personal. Ask audience for stories,
input, thoughts! Emphasize their
importance to the community and allow
them to run with projects and to be creative.
Everyone wants to contribute and to make
something better/leave a lasting mark.
• Humanize your leaders. Make them
available. If the members feel like the
community is very hierarchical they may
never feel like they belong on the “inside”. Use your position to
energize your community.
• Play matchmaker. The leaders in the community should focus on
putting people together with ideas, interests, etc. Help them
bridge the social interaction gap.

18. Humanize
Your Leaders

19. Some Ideas for Posts
• It’s Friday! What have we learned this week?
• What does the shofar
call you to do?
• Comment/ask questions
about Parshah
• Instagram/video postings
• Sermon link to article on Facebook
• Get creative

20. Facebook
• It’s NOT interruption technology!
– It’s a listserve without the interruption
• Fundraisers: For every event “Like” get a $
• Where are you? Include location if taking
place “offsite”
• Who are you with?
• Schedule a post: set a posting to reveal itself
on a future date
• Add “Like” button to footer/
signature of email

21. Demographics
• Check out demographics
– Overviews / “Likes” / Reach / Talking About
– Plan content and see what is effective

22. Social Sermon
Sweet Spot

23. What is a “Social Sermon”?
• Opportunities to engage in LEARNING and
COMMUNITY BUILDING using online tools
• Weaving this content and these relationships back
into the FACE TO FACE community in our local
communities  talk about what was discussed online
• Inviting ACTIVE participation, rather than passive
attendance

24. Social Sermon
• Assumption: There are audiences who are interested in
Jewish learning, but unable or unwilling to come to regular
adult education classes.
• Objective: Torah study and community building don't have
to happen in the building, at a set time, face to face.
• Strategy: Getting more people to participate in education
and community more often doesn't mean market it more.
Time to rethink our design.

25. Six-Word Story
• Finding the words to capture our stories and reflect on our
legacies is a quintessential Jewish project. (Moses, apparently,
did not get the memo about the six-word limit, since he spent
all 34 chapters of the book of Devarim--the Book of Words--
recalling his journey with the Jewish people.)
• At this season, in which we assess the year gone by and make
promises for the year ahead, I'd like to invite each of us to
share your own Six-Word Jewish Story.
• And then what? These stories, our stories, the words of our
community, will shape a "Social Sermon" for Shabbat Shuvah.
A "social sermon" is a deeply participatory experience,
capturing and building on an online dialogue that begins
here, now. New Year, fresh start, six words.
Shir Imagination: Rabbi Lisa Levenberg’s blog:
http://shir-imagination.blogspot.com/

26. Creating a Social Sermon

27. Creating a Social Sermon

28. Risk Taking
Sharing and giving Value errors
Allowing for and mistakes
emergence, surprises,
experiments Transparency
Listening
Valuing diversity
and inclusiveness
Not putting
people into boxes Permeable boundaries
Coming soon: 10-page Social media
policy workbook from Darim Online

29. Novel Ideas
• Skype Forums
• Google/virtual “handouts”
• Twitter chat at an appointed
time each week
• Streaming videos of
services/classes/lectures

30. Key Building Blocks
for Success
• Be social, not a bullhorn
• Be helpful, and
people will help you
• Find your voice, and
have personality
• Be a good listener,
participate regularly
• Thank people!

31. Action Steps
• Articles
• URJ Webinar Archive
• Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?