As I work in social media, the issue I have the most trouble with is keeping up. The tools change, the apps change, the devices change, the software changes, the websites change, the links change…. I think you get it.

For example, I have a new ipad – something I always said I would never get – primarily because I can’t ignore changing technology. I have always been a PC kind of gal, the only exception being my very first computer – an Apple 2e. Don’t worry, unless you are over 60 you won’t have a clue what I am talking about. After that I switched to a PC just to have the ability to function in the work world. I haven’t looked back since.

But there are elements of the iPad that make it important to consider when you are thinking about computer technology for older adults. One of my other passions in technology is helping older adults stay connected through their ability to use technology. I also teach them basic social media skills. (Did you know that the fastest growing group on Facebook is women asked 55 to 65?) Many many grandparents love to see the photos of their grandchildren on Facebook. And they don’t all act like the older couple that has been viewed on YouTube trying to use their web cam.

I have been working on developing a mobile lab – the ability to take laptops and a hotspot and teach computers at anyone’s kitchen table. When I thought about what laptops to purchase I found myself thinking about the iPad. The next thing I know, I have one. All for research, you understand.

The beauty of this thing is that you can be anywhere and still work. Now, those of you who have read my article on having a life and boundaries might think that’s a problem. But for me, with other issues of accessibility, it is a gift.

I am learning that nothing is the same on this platform as on the PC platform. There are positive and negative things about both – surprise, surprise – and I am enjoying learning the differences. So you will be hearing more as time goes on.

Three years ago, when I started working in social media for nonprofits I began searching the Internet to find information about social media in the nonprofit framework. Back then (back then in the dark ages of social media time), there was little available. In earlier posts I talked about some of the resources you could use to help you find your way as you begin. Then later, I posted about some of the sites and supports that can help you get started.

Those posts were two years ago, and some of the resources mentioned have faded away. Some of them continue to offer great support for all of us working in social media and nonprofits. And, of course, in the way of this Internet age of ever expanding information, there are now thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of new blogs available claiming to offer you the essential information you need to build a social media campaign for your nonprofit. It is impossible for me to research, edit and reference all of the options you have out there. And as soon as I finished my work, it would be out of date. When I began, so little was available from a nonprofit perspective and it took a lot of work to figure out the good sources. Today, there is so much, and it takes a lot of work to figure out the good sources.

Those of us who work in the nonprofit sector aren’t in it for the money. We aren’t in it for the fame. We do have a passion for the work – for the difference the work can make in people’s lives. As I learned more about social media, I realized the opportunity it presented to communicate this passion for the work and increase our ability to make a difference.

So I started reading, researching and learning. As I learned more about the power of social media, I became convinced this set of tools could have an amazing impact on our ability to communicate our message. I kept searching for others who shared my passion about social media and nonprofits. There were lots of voices talking abut social media. But for what purpose? Social media are a set of tools – a “design point.” They can be used to accomplish something larger. Learning the technology was essential, but I kept looking for voices that understood the passion as well as the technology.

I found three sources for that voice. Interestingly, they are all women, or represented by women. (I won’t go into my theories on that fact.) The first voice I heard was Beth Kanter. Beth’s work was cutting edge, at a grass roots level that changed the very essence of organizations. The second was Heather Mansfield and her .Nonprofit Tech 2.0 blog. Heather worked as social media coordinator for change.org (which pretty much says it all in terms of the passion part). But she also provided strong, sensible, easy to understand training that helps all of us increase our expertise in this new technology. The third voice was Holly Ross, representing a wonderful group of passionate folks at the Nonprofit Technology Network. Take a look at the values of the organization and you will get what I mean.

I went to classes and webinars that these folks offered. I heard them lecture at conferences. I joined their networks and signed up for their information. And they are still offering the same quality information and support they provided from the very beginning. I wanted to tell you about a new book that just came out from Heather Mansfield called Social Media for Social Good: A How-to Guide for Nonprofits. I am scheduled to teach an elective on Social Media and Communication for second year social work students in January at Georgia State University and I plan to use this book for the text. That probably sounds weird that you would use a text for a social media class. But Heather knows so well what most of us in the nonprofit world deal with each day. We are the “tech guy”, the “pr person”, the ‘”web master” and the “social media coordinator” all rolled into one. This book will give you the tools and resources you need to accomplish the impossible. Enjoy.

Early this month, I had the wonderful opportunity to speak to an MSW class at Georgia State University School of Social Work. I love talking to social work students about social media, particularly because it is not a typical subject for masters social workers. It’s fun to talk with them about how they, as practicing social workers, can make a difference in their human service organization. They won’t be working as web masters. They won’t be the organization’s technology guru. And they will often be at the bottom of the totem pole in their organizational structure, at least at first.

So, how can a practicing social worker use social media to support their organization? Here are a few suggestions about how to proceed.

Start a Movement

I know we all cringe when someone mentions a committee – but in this case, you really need one. A group of people in your organization need to start talking about the benefits of social media. This may start with informal conversations around the lunch room and blossom into something more formal. Eventually to proceed you will need a team, sanctioned by the organization to begin looking at the issue, with representatives from a wide range of departments and levels within the organization. But it might get started just with a conversation. Be patient.

Don’t try to do it yourself

Folks who are committed to social media sometimes think they can just go ahead and promote their organization on their own personal social media platform. In a well managed social media campaign, you will encourage your staff to participate in a number of ways, not the least of which will be through their personal social media accounts. But be careful not to put the cart before the horse.

You don’t speak for your organization on your personal Facebook page. In fact, we can all cite examples of folks who have talked about their organization on Facebook and faced negative consequences. Your organization’s social media presence must originate with your organization. Then you can join in and be a contributing participant, following your organization’s social media guidelines.

Study Best Practices

If you are going to try something new, it just makes sense to look at those who have gone before you. Heather Mansfield from Nonprofit Tech 2.0 is a great source of information on best practices. (Look for her book coming out in September). And Beth Kanter has one of the best blogs for nonprofits and social media. These two women are an invaluable source of information and experience in world of social media for nonprofits. One of the things they do best is pointing out nonprofits that have utilized social media to advance their mission.

Never stray from your mission

I have probably said a million times on this blog that social media is a tool – a vehicle. It is not the message. It’s the train to carry the product, not the product itself. Therefore, a “build it and they will come” mentality is doomed to failure. Think carefully about what your organization’s goals are and then decide which social media tools can help you achieve those goals. If they can’t, don’t start them. If you believe this vehicle can reach people you need to reach, help people you need to help and make a difference in the lives of your clients – then go for it.

Building your audience takes time

The most important thing for nonprofits to remember is that social media campaigns are a commitment. Just like any other PR campaign or media plan, your goals need to be incremental. We believe that social media is a tool that can help you promote your organization and increase your support. But don’t expect to get your return on investment in five minutes.

The name of this blog makes it obvious that I believe in story telling. Don’t miss the NOW part! The biggest problem with nonprofits and social media is that we are always waiting for…. you can fill in the blank. Here are some thing to remember about successful story telling.

TELL IT NOW

The first is the need to move at the pace people expect in social media. In case you haven’t noticed, the whole point with social media is immediate gratification. I was asking one of my younger colleagues about why chatting is better than email. Her answer? Why should I wait? When something cool happens, blog about it, post it on your Facebook wall and send out a tweet. (This is also the great content rule – people like to hear interesting things). If you wait, you won’t do it.

TELL IT EVERYWHERE

You have multiple channels for a reason. Do you remember the days when some of us got our news from the TV and others really wanted to read the newspaper? OK, so I am dating myself. But I suspect many of you remember that also. Well, social media is the same thing. Some people like the fast and furious tweet to give them a taste of what’s up. Others want to go to your Facebook page when they are on their computer at 12 midnight and the kids are finally asleep. And some folks really want to read this whole blog about telling stories, believe it or not.

TELL IT WELL

Your brand/organization/mission’s success is totally dependent on your ability to clearly articulate it in a concise and consistent manner. In writing class we always called this “telling” versus “showing.” You always want to show and try never to tell. Show me the family you helped (anonymously, of course), show me the difference you made. Don’t just tell me you did. And be consistent. The need for a consistent message is still important even though your method of delivery has changed. If you tweet something and then post something totally different on your Facebook wall – well, let’s just say people notice this stuff.

TELL IT OFTEN

There is no such thing as too much story telling. There is too much asking and too many emails and too many phone calls. but stories are always welcome when they are well told and communicate a real human message. The same story over and over won’t work. But if you are successful in the first of these suggestions, you can’t tell too many stories. You can never know which story works for which supporter when on what channel. I think you get it.

TELL IT WITH PASSION TO ME

Make it personal. Write as if I am sitting across the table from you with a cup of coffee and you are sharing the amazing things your organization has done. You know what I mean. You know when you have passion and when you are writing in panic. Panic never wins support. Passion always does.

It is somewhat prophetic that the previous post on this blog was about boundary warp and how social media can totally take over your life. This one is about what it feels like to unplug and look up. It seemed like an appropriate contrast to me.

Before I left for Costa Rica, my good friend kept asking me to define vacation. There seemed to be an opinion going around that I needed to unplug and take a break. I was caught up in all of the “get it done before I go on vacation craziness.” Right before I got ready to pack I looked up the definition of a vacation: A period of time devoted to pleasure, rest or relaxation. Wow. It hit me. It’s not taking a few breaks from your computer during the day. It’s not looking outside at the view and then going back to work. A vacation is devoted to pleasure – rest – or relaxation. Well, what do you know?

So I went off to Costa Rica with that goal in mind. I did it so well, I have been having a very hard time plugging back in. In fact, this trip has caused me to think hard about my non-vacation life. But that’s another story. For now, here is the Costa Rica story.

We stayed at a wonderful resort in Tamarindo – the JW Marriott. Yes, it was decadent and lavish and had the largest pool in central america. And I took advantage of every part of that. So, take a little tour with me. You may decide to unplug yourself.

Driving in Costa Rica

We decided to rent a car and drive from the airport in Liberia to the resort in Tamarindo. We had such detailed directions, we just knew we would find our way just fine. Huh, uh. Well, we did ok, but there were certainly moments when we weren’t sure we were going the right way. When we made the last turn toward the resort and the “road” was just a gravel path, we really weren’t confident.

There was tremendous relief when we drove into the resort and they came to greet us. Whew! Plus, the 95 degrees was a shock after the 45 degrees we left in Atlanta. But we were thrilled to get to a beautiful room, have a view of palm trees and green grass, and change clothes. We had lunch at the pool restaurant looking at the ocean while we ate.

The next step was swimsuits, sun block and costa rica hats.

First Night Sunset

The first night we were there, I learned about being so close to the equator. You get about 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of night. I didn’t totally understand all of that, until I realized that we were walking on the beach and folks were setting up to get photos of the sunset – at 5:30 pm! After I got out of my geographically challenged mode, I realized that I was in exactly the right place at the right time – totally by accident. As I watched Nancy walk the beach with her new costa rica hat, I was also ready for the first sunset.

Tamarindo

We ventured into town the next morning and realized the definition of roads in Costa Rica. The people are wonderful and friendly, we just had to get our brains away from the urban definitions of road signs. We did find our way to Auto Mercado (the grocery story), and were relieved to be able to use dollars and just get colones in exchange. With an exchange rate of 10,000 colones to $18, my brain couldn’t do the conversion in my head. I got better as the trip went on (move the decimal point over three and multiply by 2 – take off a little), but our dollar was more popular here than it is at home.

Roads and signs aren’t quite the same in Costa Rica, but we loved driving around feeling like we were big and brave. It was great fun! And yes, I know the self photo is dumb, but I couldn’t resist.

The Resort

I can’t describe the resort. It is even more amazing than the photos on the website. OK, OK, I work for nonprofits. I know about the contrast between the resort and the “real” Costa Rica. I spent some time talking with the folks who worked there, partly because I like to know people and partly because those little guilty moments crept in. I was impressed with the folks I met and how much they seemed to enjoy what they were doing.

One waiter talked with us quite a bit about his work and his boss and his goals in life. He was appreciative of the opportunities he has, is almost finished with business school (to change is waiter life style and see his girlfriend more. Hummm, sound familiar?), and talked about being tired but loving the overtime pay. The country may be different, I’m not sure the goals are.

So, enjoy some resort photos.

Eating

Eating in Costa Rica was a wonderful experience. The freshness of the food was a delight. Our breakfast buffet allowed us to have fresh fruit to the max. Pineapple, mangos, melons – yum!!! The fish was fantastic and it was all I ate. These photos are of the resort at night and us having a great time. I just couldn’t resist the night photos – remember, I’m on vacation… On Friday night all the power went off at the resort and it was more than a little weird. But then we managed to find our way our the sliding glass doors to the our garden and the stars were amazing.

Snorkeling

We loved our snorkeling trip, perhaps more for the boat trip than the snorkeling itself. The ocean was a bit rough and we got swamped a lot. But check out the landscape (and I don’t mean me…)! Wow.

Lola’s

Lolas is the place everyone wants to go and with good reason. It’s a local restaurant right on the beach with all the informality that implies. We thought about walking to Lola’s, but we were put off by having to leave early to avoid the tide coming in and blocking our way back. Since we had the rental car and had managed to find our way to the resort from the airport, we thought we could handle this one. Imagine our surprise when we met these folks on our way out! It was a very interesting road trip…

Lola’s is named after a 300 pound pig (no longer with us, the photos below are of a descendant), the seating and ambiance are wonderful and the view cannot be beat. You can relax in your swimsuit, drink beer (or whatever) and enjoy a spectacular view of the ocean. I’m not sure there is anything better. It’s also a place where you can soak up the local culture. Dogs are indeed everywhere, something we had no problem with. This was probably our best outing. It’s a wonderful place. This is one of those times where photos speak louder than words.

The Last Sunset

People who know me are well aware of my penchant for sunset photos. But the last night we found a wonderful location to take the photos and had our best sunset ever. I couldn’t resist and if you are a sunset photo lover like me, you can see a bunch more on my flickr site. But here are three that will tell you why we didn’t want to come home.

What did I learn?

Be careful when you unplug. You may not plug back in. More to come in a later post.

Boundaries are something we social workers know about. We are trained to assertively affirm the boundaries between ourselves and our clients, our personal and work lives, our own egos and the needs of those we love. For most of us, at some point in our educational process we had to learn the “boundary lesson” the hard way in one form or another. We couldn’t leave work at work, we let anxiety creep in about a client’s welfare, or we made a clinical misstep because we didn’t read the boundary issues of a client. We are boundary tested. Until we meet social media.

As a consultant for nonprofits and small businesses, I believe there is no test of boundaries quite like social media. When you compound a medium like social media with a tendency for unrealistic expectations (your own and your client’s), you have a boundary crisis on your hands. Here is my take on four of the elements underlying this crisis and some information on my own course correction.

Boundary Busting

Social media is, by it’s nature, boundary busting. It is pushing information at us everywhere, every way, and all the time. You can get your posts and tweets and updates on your computer, your iphone, your blackberry and your tv. But the problem is that it isn’t just about receiving the information. It’s the requirement of a response – immediately. You got it now, why shouldn’t you answer NOW. I’m the one who named my business Tell the Story NOW. I did that intentionally because I recognized that social media was a way for us to tell the stories of nonprofits with a true sense of urgency. I just didn’t understand how that same urgency would translate into a scope of work.

We often talk about the importance of your message being transmitted on multiple channels. Then everyone can choose the channel they wish to follow. Social media as a scope of work means that you are working in all of the channels all of the time. Ouch.

Best Practices

Another real dilemma is that social media best practices suggest you should be engaged 24/7. Paul Sutton, from Social Media Today, compared social media to caring for a baby. As he says, “The social web doesn’t rest, and Facebook and Twitter wait for no man (or woman). Log on at any time of the day or night and there are friends, followers and fans online, which means that any social media profile needs 24 hour attention; the social media pro needs to think in 24 hour terms.”

So if you want to be considered a competent, professional social media consultant, with each signed contract, you have just adopted a baby. And if you have several clients, you have just agreed to adopt several babies simultaneously. In my social work training, I would never have approved you for that many adoptions no matter who you were.

I attended a series of hand-on workshops at the Nonprofit Technology Network conference last year. The presenters taught us more than we could have imagined and demonstrated their skill and commitment. None of them were willing to tell us hour many hours they work each week – no matter how many times we asked.

Boundary Warp

When I think about the effect working in social media has had on me, boundary warp is the best way I know to explain it. Most of the time I feel like I live in a world where there is no distinction between what I do and who and where I am. Part of this is the work at home reality. Many of us find ourselves re-inventing our work lives in what used to be our personal space. Parts about that are fun, enjoyable and freeing. But when it comes to boundaries, the struggle increases.

When your scope of work is social media, the boundary warp increases. It used to be I would decide a time of day when I wouldn’t take the phone call or schedule the appointment. Now I was deciding at what time of day I would turn off my computer. Then when would I refuse to look at my blackberry. After that it became a matter of could I look and not respond.

Creeping Scope of Work

Small organizations, particularly nonprofits, are typically working with less capacity than demand. This is particularly true in areas of technology or infrastructure. Social media is tied directly to the technology capacity of an organization. Your email marketing is connected to your website pages is connected to your optimization is connected to your data management. You get the idea. Without even realizing it, you find yourself sliding over into other technology assignments because you know that without that work your social media campaign doesn’t have a chance.

And then there is the ability to “do” social media and also “tell” about what you are doing. Most stake holders are not as familiar with social media as the folks who do the work. The older the stakeholder and the younger the social media consultant the greater the gap. Just trying to keep your clients informed about your progress can be as large a component of your scope of work as doing the job – but most clients don’t count that in your hours.

Course Adjustment

In several articles about social media best practices there is much about “focus.” It’s as much a social media buzzword as Facebook (well, maybe not quite). I would agree with the importance of focus to limit the boundary warp and creeping scope of work. People also talk about keeping your eye on the big picture. I would suggest that is perhaps more about narrowing your vision. Pick a couple things and make sure you are always there. Let the rest go.

It’s very hard to talk about limiting anything in a conversation about social media. Everything is expanding and more is always seen as better – more friends (excuse me, “likes”), more followers, more page views. But if you can’t take adequate care of the baby, don’t adopt. Limit the channels to the ones you can handle. You may have better conversations and, more importantly, you may live longer.

Social media are wonderful communication tools for nonprofit organizations. They are useless unless your organization has a clear message and mission. No matter how new and jazzy the tools have become, the basics are as important now as ever – or perhaps even more important.

Oh, No! We are still right back at strategic planning, mission statements and goal setting??? Ugh! Yep – that’s what I’m saying. If you don’t know what you are doing and where you are going, how do you think you will use any method of communication to get anyone to follow you?

So here are some pointers about messages and missions in the context of a social media environment.

Short and Sweet

Please don’t spend days developing a mission statement that takes three web pages to communicate. If your mission statement can’t stay “above the fold” on your website, it’s too long.

Multi-channel message

Get clear enough about your mission and message that you can develop copy for every single channel available. Can you tweet your mission?

Stay on Message

This is a favorite phrase of politicians (which we are all tired of at the moment), but don’t throw the idea out. Every single member of your staff should be able to repeat your mission and your basic message with no prompting. So when someone asks them on their facebook page or tweets back to them about something you are doing – they know exactly what to do and say.

The personal is NOT organizational

In this case, we will through out the political message. Social media for nonprofit organizations is exactly that – about the organization. You MUST help your staff understand the difference between what they choose to do as individuals on their various social media sites and what you are trying to accomplish for the organization.

This is most difficult on Facebook, mainly because the structure of the site is totally individual pages. Even though you can build fan pages and “like” things, you do everything on Facebook through the individual page. Set up best practices with your staff and hold them to it.

Don’t feed the trolls

Every organization has had some experience with negative, and sometimes hateful, communication on one of their social media channels. You will have to learn the difference between the individual who has a legitimate questions or concern that you should address, and those who are simply looking for attention that you must not give them.

See – social media mission and message isn’t as bad as the old strategic planning days. Unless your organization has lost it’s way. Then you are back to the two day retreat and a consultant.

I consult with a number of nonprofit organizations about websites, social media campaigns and building an Internet following. All the organizations are different with different needs and in different stages of development. Most of them are smaller and do not have the national level web development budget available to the Red Cross or the Nature Conservancy. They are working hard with limited resources to make a difference for their clients. They just want to know if social media can help them accomplish their goals.

We first talk about the importance of building your audience, that social media is not a matter of “build it and they will come,” and how their organizational goals are the place to start. (If you want to read about my approach, you can find it here.) If they still think social media is right for them, we start talking about how to make it happen. That’s when I start talking WordPress. I recommend a WordPress platform and the Thesis Theme for whatever I am developing (at least I have so far). After engaging in so many discussions about why I recommend this approach, I thought it was time to outline my reasons here.

Social Media Central

It’s easy to use a WordPress/Thesis site to be your social media central. You can build with the same design and style of your regular website because Thesis is so easy to customize. The theme is the same, but the look can be totally different. Most importantly, you can add pages for anything you want. You can place html code anywhere, and you simply log on to your WordPress dashboard to edit.

One of my clients is using the WordPress platform for their entire website. Another is using the WordPress site as a “gathering place” for the social media activities of the organization. We are setting up WordPress site with separate blogs as an interactive site for parents and teenagers to talk about issues for another agency.

Fast Moving

What makes social media effective is it’s speed. You have to be able to post and put up information quickly. Typical html layout programs, while more sophisticated in design options take more time to layout and structure (at least for those of us who are not web designers by occupation). WordPress allows for fast additions and deletions – add a page, delete a page, take it off your nav bar until later. The combination of WordPress and Thesis (including Thesis OpenHook), makes those changes in a matter of minutes.

Intuitive Interface

The WordPress dashboard is easy to use and easy to learn. You don’t have to be able to write code to use the program effectively. Plus, you can make certain elements of the site available to multiple staff members for updating and designing.

Themes, Plug-ins, Tools and Support

The WordPress community is very strong and many plugins and additional tools have been developed. Most of them are free or at a minimal cost or donation. The Thesis community is one of the best support communities I have ever been part of. The DIYThemes support forum is available virtually 24/7 to answer your questions, help you with problems, show you where to find things – or even give you that tiny piece of CSS or PHP code you need to make that little cutomization.

Geek Friendly

If you are lucky enough to have a geek in your midst, or someone willing to learn, the only limitation is time. I have been able to take customization to new lengths as I work with this platform, and I am no programmer. The interface, particularly Thesis Open Hook, gives you the interface to take you past many of the hurdles in designing in PHP and CSS.

Many people will tell you it’s all what you are used to. I would suggest that this platform and theme are tools that make a fast moving social media campaign much more possible.

There is a wonderful nonprofit called ConKerr Cancer. If you haven’t heard about them, here is a video that’s fun. There are even more on their YouTube Channel.

If you are really inspired, you should go to this post and vote for them in the Pepsi Refresh Challenge! You can help them make a difference.

P.S. Yes, we know the video on the Pepsi site isn’t working – but you don’t care because you saw it here!

I was listening to Science Fridays (also known as Sci Fri) on NPR last Friday. They were talking with a group of professional journalists about social media (an other things related to science reporting today. One of the members of the audience asked the panel how to increase the signal to noise ratio of what is reported in the media. Huh?

It took me awhile to get it. I felt better when I realized that some of the panelists were having trouble keeping up as well. Signal to noise ratio is used in electronics engineering (short description), and generally refers to the ability to hear the “real” signal over the other “noise” in the radio or other media transmission. I am not using all the formal and correct terminology here, as it would only bury the point in further definitions. Basically her question was how to communicate in such a way that the scientific message (signal) is heard amid all of the other perhaps more popular voices (noise) that are not substantiated by good science. You know what you have to say is critically important, but you can’t get heard above the other voices that don’t know as much as you do about the subject. Interesting question….

In social media campaigns you can often feel like you are sending out your signal only to have it drown in all the other noise going on in social networks today. The conversation made me stop and think. There are a number of things I believe we can do to increase our signal to noise ratio.

1. Be clear about your goal.  The most important thing for any social media campaign is to know what you are trying to accomplish with your online communication strategy.  If you know the goal, the rest follows naturally.
2. Target your audience.  Your message is much more likely to be lost in the din if you try to craft a message that fits everyone and then send it out to the entire online universe.
3. Engage your community.  If you aren’t the only one communicating the message – if your supporters and advocates are out there talking for you – there is a dramatically higher likelihood that you will be heard.
4. Use many voices.  Social media is a viral medium.  Use all the platforms available to you to communicate.  You should be standing on all your platforms and using all your voices – tweet, tell your Facebook fans, put up photos on your YouTube channel, sing your song on your MySpace page, and then get all your friends to tell all their friends by bookmarking everything you do.

I promise if you pay attnetion to these things, you will beheard.