NTEN Conference, Part 2

At the remote conference at Convio, we were able to choose some of our sessions. There were a couple that I desperately wanted to go to, and luckily they were one of the ones chosen for Convio to stream. I geeked out a little bit over the fact that I was able to attend "The Networked Nonprofit," which was led by Allison Fine and Beth Kanter. I had read Allison's book "Momentum" and LOVED it, and pretty much every informational interview that I have ever gone on has recommended to follow Beth's blog, since she is THE expert on social media.

One of the biggest brain grapes that I got from this session was that "Listening is the gateway drug for social media." Whoa--this ties in to what Andrew Sullivan was saying about how blogging is a one-on-one conversation, that social media is really SOCIAL, it's not all a one way street. Listening does so many things for the social organization--it allows the organization to not only find where its constituents are, but also to figure out HOW to interact with them. The session talked about how there is a "great learning in reflection"--how organizations need to assess ideas, look and see what works and if they don't give them a "joyful funeral" to say goodbye.

But doing this means that there must be a culture of innovation, of not just forging ahead blindly, but figuring out what to do and giving it up if it's not working. That's a lot of pride to swallow. If this isn't part of the nonprofit's culture, taking small steps in that direction will definitely help--but big steps would probably be better. :)

The most useful one of these I have seen yet!

In my research on ways your nonprofit can use social media, I have come across a bunch of "10 ways your nonprofit can best use social media". However, this one is the best one that I have found yet. I think that the tips mentioned are incredibly useful and relevant for nonprofits. One of the tips that resonated the most with me is the one about making social media social. Most people enjoy seeing pictures of themselves and their friends online. Add in the fact that they are doing something good, and they get some bonus points!

However, nonprofits do need to get permissions before tagging people in pictures. Some people don't want to be tagged (even if they are doing something positive), so make sure that the registration form/sign in sheet has an opt-in for this.

This can also get a nonprofit more followers to your Facebook, Twitter, etc. because people will want to see when the pics are posted, details of the event, etc.