Getting Started on Social Media
8 April 2010 at 4:16 pm
Is your organisation ready to use social media? Two US experts have put together some bite-sized wisdom especially for Not for Profits
Virtually every Not for Profit realizes that, pretty soon, social media will no longer be optional according to two US experts who have put together an e-book of bite-sized wisdom especially for the charity sector.
So if your Not for Profit is ready to make the leap into social media, how do you go about it? Most of the information and pointers out there are directed to corporates, and what works for corporates does not necessarily translate well for NFPs. So says Janet Fouts, Social Media Enabler, along with industry expert Beth Kanter. They have put together the e-book ‘#SOCIALMEDIA NONPROFIT tweet,’ especially for Not for Profits.
Beth Kanter (best known for her Beth’s Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media,) says that for every person in a Not for Profit team who is enthusiastic to take the plunge into social media, there may be a handful of naysayers. The book takes that into account.
Kanter says the book offers guidance on how to convince the naysayers, how to measure the benefits of social media, how to manage volunteers and create evangelists, and best practices for using Twitter and Facebook.
These last points are especially valuable she says because efficient use of social media can work wonders for a Not for Profit, while poorly-conceived or inefficient practices can be detrimental across the board.
The authors say they have written it in easy, digestible, and popular 140-character tweet format, which distils the knowledge and expertise of industry leaders to bring some guidance and wisdom that a NFP can deploy immediately.
Editors note: we purchased and downloaded the e-book version and found the short ‘bite-size’ format very easy to read with some great information which started some very productive conversations.
‘#SOCIALMEDIA NONPROFIT tweet‘ can be downloaded in an e-book PDF format for $US11.95 using the following link:
www.happyabout.com/thinkaha/socialmedianonprofittweet01.php
Are the Facebook numbers working for your organisation? Or are you planning a Facebook presence in the future?
Take part in our Pro Bono Australia online Facebook Factor Survey and let us know if your organisation has a Facebook and or Twitter presence.