RSS Feeds & Social Media
Slidedeck goes together with blog posts on www.socialmedia-tools.com
Held April 7, 2009 Gulf Coast Society of Fund Raising Executives at Broadway Palm River Theater.
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The ever changing online landscape with new services, a smarter, more demanding online population, and fewer donors, will leave many nonprofits behind.
The financial service crisis, tighter budgets and higher accountability standards are the offline reality for others. Most nonprofits will face both, and it’s not for the faint of heart. There plenty of challenges lying ahead for nonprofits in 2009.
The following articles give you a head start on the tool sets available to face them:
Think of the Nike Way: Just do it!
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Ever since I was asked to volunteer to tap into my personal network of friends, family and acquaintances, I have obsessed over the topic. The tools provided by that particular organization were poorly designed, and wouldn’t integrate with other online activities, online tools or social media.
And, then I suddenly understood the power of one in the age of social media. There are multiple online advocacy tools for the personal support of causes. You can create personal fund raising pages, write petitions, or write politicians. However, the choices available to nonprofit organizations are still very, very limited.
The site, SocialActions.org, has brought 50 online advocacy sites together in one site, and you can find plenty of individuals that are on a mission for their cause, their classroom or their nonprofit. SocialActions.org, however, also pushes the integration outward, with their three month old public API, that lets developers and users tap into a wealth of information on the Social Actions site.
Yesterday, the submission deadline for ‘Challenge for Change’ passed, and, on Monday, the official voting begins for the best ideas to use the public API. The applications are available at netsquared: Change the Web
“Social Actions currently aggregates opportunities to make a difference from over 50 online platforms, such as VolunteerMatch, Kiva.org, DonorsChoose.org, Idealist.org, and Change.org. We’re looking for applications that will share these opportunities to take action on the websites, blogs, and social networks that people visit every day.”
Updated with data up to April 15, 2009
Summary:
Current active users worldwide:
193+ million
Share of active users for North America:
38% (=74.34 mio): 41% Male | 56% Female | 3% Decline to state
Most quoted fact on Facebook user growth:
The fastest growing group are Women over 55.
The O’Reilly numbers confirm it, but it also shows that the age groups left and right of the 55 – 59 bracket also grow very fast!
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Since I realized I don’t like change either, I look at people resisting change in a different way. I credit Mari Peck for opening my eyes during one of her recent seminars. Here is the little exercise Mary had has done. It may help you, a manager tasked with implementing change, to understand the nature of change resistance:
Have the members of a group write their name on a piece of paper. Then have them switch hands and write their name underneath the first. Ask how people felt writing with the wrong hand in comparison with their usual. People will describe a variety of feelings — awkward, uncomfortable, stupid and so forth. Then ask them about the difference in time spent. You’ll get answers like, “Much longer†or “Three times longer.†When you ask about the quality of their second signature, expect comments like “Very bad,†“Abysmal,†or “Horrible.â€
And, that’s why nobody likes change: It makes us uncomfortable. It’s awkward. The new way takes too long; in the beginning, the old way is much faster. The outcome is poor – certainly not the quality we are used to. These are the barriers to change!Â
Now, as a “change manager†you have to overcome those barriers. Recognizing them is the first step. Your staff needs to hear from you that it’s ok that during the transitional phase the job takes longer to finish and that the outcome may not always be top notch. Then, you need to share the benefits you expect for them enduring this torture.
Here are the three things you must put on your list when implementing any change:
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TELL THEM AGAIN AND AGAIN
During implementation, everyone needs to hear repeatedly that it’s ok to feel stupid and awkward. Broadcast success when someone accomplishes a milestone, major or minor, on their quest to master new things. Regularly publish reports of progress. And, don’t shy away from sharing what didn’t work. You want everyone to learn from the mistakes. Separate the results of transition from the results of change. The difference can be difficult to communicate, but it builds trust in the process and in you, as a manager.
I could write more about training and testing, but that’s the easy part for you to figure out.Â
The theory is it takes 21 days to change an exercise routine. A swimmer or golf pro changing a stroke needs to practice it a thousand times before regaining their previous level of proficiency. How long will it take to change a daily work place routine or something even bigger?
REMEMBER THE WIIFM FACTOR
Of course, employees need to know how they benefit from the change. And, what’s in it for them may not be the same thing that’s in it for you. For example, doing work faster is not necessarily a goal they’d share. Sometimes, completing a task faster, gets translated into: When I accomplish my work faster, I’ll end up with more work on my plate and I am already overworked.Â
More work is not what most employees want. Increased productivity is a benefit for the company—a big picture item. You need to find a better WIIFM answer—maybe the quality will improve or the work will be less tedious. Work enrichment can be an attractive benefit for some employees. Be aware, though, that there are as many different motivations to change as there are employees and stakeholders. A good change manager will provide many variations of the answer to WIIFM.
KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BIG PICTURE
Don’t let yourself be dragged down by minutia and resistance. Implementing change gives you a great opportunity to reconnect with your people, but on a totally different level. In this process, the staff most outspoken against change is your greatest gift. Focus on them; address their issues. Once you convert them, they will become the loudest cheerleaders for change. Don’t forget the big picture, though. Keep your eye on where you and your crew are headed.
Change is hard work and should not be underestimated. The technology is easy to teach. But, it’s how you manage the change that ensures a successful outcome.
Who hasn’t done something in haste, because he was distracted or pre-occupied? Mistakes happen.
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As successful online communication strategy needs to be based on good data related to your target audience. Pew Internet, a non-profit organization studying internet behavior, has been an invaluable resource since 1999.
“The share of adult internet users who have a profile on an online social network site has more than quadrupled in the past four years — from 8% in 2005, to 35% at the end of 2008.” After the news that 60% of Twitter users abandon their accounts, this number is certainly to be taken with a grain of salt. The most common internet activities remain e-mail, searching and finding information on various topics and the news. So, a successful online strategy starts with great website content, and an e-mail notification system.
A snippet of the most popular activities among the different generations is shown in this graphic (click on it to see a larger version):
Quoting the Report summary:
“Compared with teens and Generation Y, older generations use the internet less for socializing and entertainment and more as a tool for information searches, emailing, and buying products. In particular, older internet users are significantly more likely than younger generations to look online for health information. Health questions drive internet users age 73 and older to the internet just as frequently as they drive Generation Y users, outpacing teens by a significant margin. Researching health information is the third most popular online activity with the most senior age group, after email and online search. “
The full stats are available in this report: Pew Interent: Generations- Online in 2009
Google Sidewiki has incredible large potentials in regards of participatory Net and communications with site users.  It also has created some controversy among site owners and web site designers. The discussion is a similar to the one roaming the Internet when Frames came up, a way to load other people’s web pages into a frame set as if it where part of the current site. The discussion is about if what’s proper and that site owners are not able to control what happens on their sites. For now it only works with Google Chrome Toolbar.
You can catch up on the Google Sidewiki discussion via these few articles. Comment below if you find additional information.
in reference to: Google Sidewiki (view on Google Sidewiki)