This document summarizes best practices for using various social media tools. It discusses using RSS feeds, blogging, YouTube, Facebook profiles, groups and pages, Twitter, and creating custom social networks. Key recommendations include using RSS to streamline workflows, finding your voice in blogging, tagging YouTube videos, engaging followers on Twitter through sharing and responses, and using multiple platforms to share content. The document advocates strategic and focused use of social media that respects an organization's capacity.

1. Social Media: In Theory and In the Field Josh Futrell, Director of Projects and Support Center for Arts Management and Technology Carnegie Mellon University November 12, 2009

3. Accidental techie

4. Sometimes blogger

5. Listen-focused tweeter

6. Social media userTweeter Arts Advocate Strategic Marketer A nerd with an abiding passion for the arts who pays attention.

7. What We’ll Be Talkin’ Bout, Willis Tools RSS Blogging YouTube Facebook Twitter Custom Social Networks Agenda Overview Best Practices Snapshots Sharing Listening

8. I’ll Close My Eyes and Count to 10 Not really, but…. If you would like to leave now, I won’t hold it against you. Photo from Flickr, Creative Commons by kloppster

9. If You Haz Question… ASK IT

10. “Social Media” Covers a Heck of a Lot

11. The Social Media Food Pyramid

12. A Social Media Strategy Framework

13. A Social Media Strategy Framework

14. RSS: A Big Win For Frequently Updated Content RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a format for delivering regularly changing web content. It allows you to easily stay informed by retrieving the latest content from the sites you are interested in. You save time by not needing to visit each site individually. Description from What Is RSS? To Create RSS Feeds

15. RSS Readers and Aggregators RSS readers aggregate feed subscriptions into a centralized area to help users stay updated on the latest news and content from their favorite web sites.

16. RSS By Email

18. Share your RSS prominently and in multiple locations

19. Personal tip: set up an RSS feed readerwith relevant blogs and new feeds…then share it?

21. Blogging: Best Practices and Tips Find your own voice Use the breakcode (i.e. <!--more--> in WordPress) when a post is over 250 words Maximize outbound links Invite and encourage conversation

22. Snapshot Arkipelagos Blog of playwright, journalist, and photographer Robert Isenberg http://arkipelagos.wordpress.com

23. YouTube: Best Practices and Tips Get a nonprofit channel Benefits of a Nonprofit Channel: Change the look and feel of your YouTube channel to more closely resemble your branding. Drive fundraising through a Google Checkout “Donate” button. Add a Call-to-Action overlay on your videos to drive campaigns.

24. YouTube: Best Practices and Tips Get a nonprofit channel Tag your videos with keywords Embed videos elsewhere Friend other YouTube users Check in regularly Go out and find related videos…and favorite them Benefits of a Nonprofit Channel: Change the look and feel of your YouTube channel to more closely resemble your branding. Drive fundraising through a Google Checkout “Donate” button. Add a Call-to-Action overlay on your videos to drive campaigns.

25. Snapshot Pittsburgh Filmmakers’ YouTube Channel http://www.youtube.com/user/PittsburghFilmmakers

26. Facebook Profiles: People Food

27. Facebook Groups: Only for Membership Only

28. Facebook Groups: Only for Membership Only When a Group is Best When a conversation needs to be restricted to certain members and direct communication is preferred Rapid promotion around a particular event or occasion (members can send out bulk invites)

29. Facebook Pages: The Ticket For Organizations

30. Facebook Pages: The Ticket For Organizations Your posts get into your fan’s news feeds Detailed metrics for your page (Page Insights) Personalized Friendly URL(http://facebook.com/username/) Visible to unregistered visitors Ads Related event creation Can create custom applications It is possible for your organization to change from a group to a page. It just takes communication.

31. Page Insights: Learn More About Your Fans

32. Snapshot Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council http://www.facebook.com/greater

33. A Few Words about Facebook Causes

34. And, A Few Words about Facebook Ads You can 1) target your ads by various criteria. 2) pay for impressions or pay for clicks.

35. Twitter: Who Gives a Tweet? Twitter is a social networking and microblogging service that allows you answer the question, "What are you doing?" by sending short text messages 140 characters in length, called "tweets", to your friends, or "followers." http://tweeternet.com

36. Twitter: Who Gives a Tweet? Twitter is a social networking and microblogging service that allows you answer the question, "What are you doing?" by sending short text messages 140 characters in length, called "tweets", to your friends, or "followers." http://tweeternet.com What are you thinking? Interested in? Passionate about? What are you doing?

37. 70 – 20 – 10 Engagement Model 70% - Sharing others voices, opinions, articles, ideas, and tools 20% - Responding, connecting, collaboration, and co-creating with like-minded Twitter colleagues 10% - Promoting and/or chit-chatting http://www.angelamaiers.com/2008/09/my-twitter-enga.html

38. Twitter: Best Practices and Tips Twitter is not a broadcast medium Quality over quantity…and limit the quantity Help yourself with tools Managing the voices: TweetDeck, Tweetie, etc. Productivity: SocialOomph Finding others: MrTweet, WeFollow Look for tools. Don’t assume their non-existence.

39. Snapshot The Mattress Factory http://www.twitter.com/mattressfactory

40. Snapshot Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council http://www.twitter.com/PGHArtsCouncil

41. 2009 Nonprofit Social Network Survey Report – 30.6% of responding nonprofits had their own social network Ning, GroupSite, SocialGo White Label Social Network Platforms Chart from TechCrunch Should You Build Your Own Social Network? Why would you want to create your own?

42. Snapshot Art && Code http://artandcode.ning.com/

43. Snapshot Bricolage Theatre Company http://www.webbricolage.org

44. Snapshot Bricolage Theatre Company http://www.webbricolage.org

45. Work Smarter…Think Sharing! Share the content of others Share your own content across multiple platforms Video: Interview with Artist Post link in Web site Press Room section Share link via Facebook Page Post on your YouTubechannel Share link via Twitter Embed video in blog post Share link via e-newsletter

46. Work Smarter…Help Your Visitors Share http://addthis.com/ http://sharethis.com/

47. Sharing Black Belt: Creating Widgets Creating custom widgets that your constituents or visitors can use to share on their Web sites and pages

48. Listen Up: Tips for Social Media Monitoring Set up comprehensive Google Alerts Use Twitter Search to follow hash tags and keywords in Twitter streams Use URL shorteners like http://bit.ly Get addicted toGoogle Analytics Photo from Flickr, Creative Commons by tanakawho

49. Who Should Control the Organization's Identity? One individual or split duties among individuals? Team approach – multiple people sharing duties? Executive staff? Marketing staff? Younger staff or interns? Artists? Volunteers? Earlier in 2009, the American Red Cross released a Social Media Strategy Handbook for its employees containing a number of sound policies that may be adopted by arts organizations. https://sites.google.com/site/wharman/social-media-strategy-handbook (Google login needed?)

50. Social Media and Social Networks are Tools Tools are only as good as their users Learn how to use them effectively Watch how others use them Practice before going pro Envision success so you can achieve it Maximize your use of each tool Why use 5 tools if 1 will suffice? Will combining tools = progress or split-focus? Respect your capacity!

51. Questions?