Blog of Mr. Tweet

This is a guest posting by Rebecca Leaman (@RJLeaman). As the Editor of Wild Apricot’s nonprofit technology blog, Rebecca has her finger on the pulse of current issues and trends in modern web technologies. Read original post here.

Great new presentations on social media are coming out almost daily, now that we’re deep into conference season, and many are directed specifically to the needs of non-profits. If you’ve been thinking of launching or expanding your organization in social media, Slideshare is a good starting point for information and advice. But it can be time-consuming to pick through a wide range of slideshows to find those that are up-to-date, actionable, and appropriate to nonprofits.

Here’s a hand-picked selection of presentations to get you started.

Some of these have become popular standards, while others are new material that you may not have seen before. In fact, a few of these presentations were just made available in the past few days!  And, as always, if you have a favorite social media presentation to recommend to other nonprofits, please tell us about it in the comments.

Social Media for Non-Profits: Overview
What is social media, why should a non-profit care, and who has the time for it anyway? Beth Dunn’s presentation covers the basics, complete with case studies, and suggests Quick start and Advanced Quick Start tactics to launch your nonprofit into social media.

Social Media for Non Profits and Special Causes
John Sheridan’s presentation at at Pod Camp Halifax 2009 gives an overview of social media and social networking, with plenty of non-profit examples.

Social Media for Non Profits
Primal Media’s sideshow is loaded with information on trends, recent statistics, and examples of social media used by nonprofits.

Social Media for Non-Profits: Succeeding in a Social World
Beeline Labs made this presentation to a United Way chapter in Boston: see especially the “10 Guiding Principles” and “Most Common Mistakes.”

Social Networking Strategy

How To Think Like A Nonprofit Social Media Genius
Beth Kanter breaks it down:

• Understand organizational change theory
• Use the Rule of Thirds (1/3 web presence, 1/3 one-way, 1/3 social)
• Listen first
• Build relationships with influencers
• Make it easy to re-mix your content
• No instant gratification — results require effort over time
• Use metrics to discover what works and what doesn’t

Creating Your Organization’s Social Media Strategy
Beth Kanter walks through the process of developing a non-profit social media strategy, with many practical examples.

Nonprofit Soc Media Overview
Maren Hogan says “These are the things that I would do”: here’s a step-by-step overview of the basic tools and tactics of social media, starting with a website and blog.

Return on Investment (ROI)

Social Network Fundraising is a presentation by Justin Perkins, Director of Nonprofit Services at Care2.com, featuring research on Social Network Fundraising and use of new media for nonprofit marketing — and an excellent analysis of the ROI for nonprofit  social networking campaigns.

Using Social Media to  Increase Website Traffic
A look at the return on investment (ROI) for using Digg.com and StumbleUpon.com to increase visitors to your website, using the National Wildlife Federation as a case study.

E-Metrics: Followers, Friends, and Fans: Expanding Your Online Community
Beth Kanter’s presentation advocates “ROI thinking” to help build a community around your blog: using measurements to tell you what works and what doesn’t.

Tips and Case Studies
Who’s Doing What, Where, and How?

• An Introduction to Facebook and Twitter for Nonprofits (Nathan Wright)

• A New Tool for Online Campaigns: How to Show, Tell, and Activate with a Video-centric Microsite (Michael Hoffman)

• Blogging for Nonprofits (Shirley Sexton)

• Energizing Word of Mouth through Social Media (Lee Aase / Mayo Clinic)

• Getting The Word Out About Your Cause With Blogs, Podcasts & Social Networks (Britt Bravo)

• Googe 101 for Nonprofits (Mike Heslin / Google)

• Practical Examples of Social Media for Non-Profits (Laura Lacy)

• ROI of Listening: America Red Cross Case Study (Beth Kanter)

• Sharing Your Story: Podcasting (Britt Bravo)

• Social Media and Social Change in New Zealand (Simon Young)

• Social Media for Non Profits - Tapping into the motivations of The People to change the world around us (Ed Schipul)

• Social Media for Social Good (Ian Schafer)

• Social Media Campaign Report: Tour de Kids (Sarah Allen)

• Social Media Marketing for Non-Profits (Laura Lacy)

• Twitter.org: What, why, who and how for Nonprofit Organizations using Twitter (Amy Sample Ward)

• Upgrading Your E-Newsletter (CanadaHelps.org)

Tip: Whenever you view a slideshow at SlideShare, do scroll down below the presentation area to check for helpful notes on the slides and/or interesting information in the comments thread. And remember — SlideShare is a social networking site, itself, so take a few minutes to explore its features and consider signing up to connect, share, comment, or just to build a library of your own favorite presentations!

• Did we miss anything?
• Have you created any of your own?

Share your creations and favorite presentations in the comments!

The saying goes, “you can’t win if you don’t play”. Today, the New York Times appointed Jennifer Preston (@NYT_JenPreston), a long time employee of the NYTimes, author, and journalist, as their first Social Media Editor! Not only does this point out that social media is growing, but it says a lot about the direction the NYTimes might be taking in light of economic issues.

However, after  checking out Jennifer’s Twitter account, it seemed @NYT_JenPreston was not a very active woman around the web and a lot of her social media profiles were private. 

Suggestion #1: OPEN UP

Since news has spread, Jennifer’s accounts are no longer private, she’s now following more people on Twitter, has attained more followers, and is replying to the community. She has also posed a valid question not only just for the NYTimes, but for any company looking to dive into Social Media:

How should @nytimes be using Twitter? - @NYT_JenPreston

We’ve previously asked what YOUR use for Twitter is and received over 200 insightul and unique comments! Let’s help the NYTimes be just as effective as you are on Twitter. Share your tips in the comments and we’ll add the best to our blog post! 

• How should @nytimes be using Twitter? 

See the original article on my personal blog SheGeeks.net

Daniel Crenna, a Microsoft MVP, recently expressed his thoughts on why Twitter clients don’t matter in the long-run. According to Daniel, the focus could shift from clients to applications in the true sense of the word: “unique software that solves a particular need, whether broad or niche.”

While I don’t disagree with Daniel on whether Twitter clients don’t matter, he’s helped me define why Twitter Clients will continue TO matter. It’s because of the next steps they are poised to take:

“I think Twitter clients really do matter. Web apps are great. They’re portable and once you’re done with them you can simply sign-out and move on. However, that could lead to users constantly hopping from place to place just access one application. Would you rather do that or just live in ONE Twitter client?

I think Twitter clients will eventually evolve into social networking clients, making them far more important than standalone applications, or features.”

This is a comment I left on Daniel’s post. 

The Open Client Platform

In the next level, things will surely become a race of who can conglomerate the most apps in the most visually appealing client. However, those that started as Twitter clients are no longer just Twitter clients. They’re dipping into other prominent and bubbling social networks such as Facebook and FriendFeed.

That’s because it’s not just about the features or the apps. Sometimes people just want an easier way to tap into their network. Other times, people just want one place to use their most common apps for their favorite social networks. Twitter clients solve this now and save a lot of tab space in my web browser while doing it.

Which only makes me wonder if these clients will eventually become branded as social networking clients or something along those lines…

What Do YOU Think?

What do you think is the next level for Twitter clients?

• How do you think Twitter clients will evolve?
• What new features do you hope to see Twitter clients integrate?
• What apps will eventually get lost in the midst of things?