Thinking about engaging in social media/social networking/Web 2.0 but don't know where to start? The "Listen, Learn, Adapt" method is a great approach. Using this foundation you will be able to approach any social network with reduced fear and a gained understanding as you will better understand how social networking can be used as a tool for you to spread the word about your affiliate. You will find what others are saying about your organization and be able to cultivate evangelicals for the UCP cause. They, in turn, will spread the word about your good work and exponentially spread your message to their friends.
Naturally, there is resistence to anything that is new, until we can percieve a tool will benefit our daily lives. Using search engines, the internet and e-mail or even learning how to use office documents such as a word processor program were all once new experiences and we managed to get beyond the fear and realize their utility in our lives. In the modern era, it is hard to believe how our daily lives would function without access to the internet.
The first step, as a best practice, is to start slow by listening and learning. Have you ever performed a google, yahoo, MSN or bing search for your organization's, executive director's name or board member's name? Then you have engaged in listening. You are finding out what others are saying about your organization or even about you. You can do the same thing about social networks. You can search for tips on how to start a social networking profile or the explanations of each social network.
After you have established a listening behavior, try joining one social network, personally or professionally. Get to know it, how it works, how to do basic tasks, such as adding friends and sending messages.
The next step in this cycle is to adapt. When you have these simple tasks mastered, look around for ways to better represent your organization, such as using Facebook by adding the Causes application or fan page application and starting a cause or fan page for your affiliate, if you haven't started one already or if one doesn't already exist. Then begin recruiting your friends to join and they in turn will recruit their friends. Post an update once per week or day letting everyone know about any recent news or events happening at your affiliate. These updates can be short such as, "UCP of xxx is holding a golf tournament, visit... for more information."
All listening doesn't have to happen online, finding or hiring a college intern is a great way to find out more about social networking platforms and how to use them, becuase they are likely already involved on a social network. Through "reverse mentoring," this person can help explain how things work and how you can better manage your presence on the social network. Of course, you can also find a colleague if you are uncomfortable with this idea that is knowledgeable in this area and they can assist you in learning more about social networking.
The experience of the national office is that many people like to ask questions and are seeking information when interacting with our profiles. This is a part of engaging in the conversation. Building relationships is a great benefit for UCP because these relationships will likely last a lifetime.
There might be hesitation that someone will post a negative comment and UCP national office staff have experienced that this is not the case. Posts such as these are rare and quickly removed by UCP national office staff and the national office is able to actively control its messaging on all profiles. Monitoring can be as little as five to ten minutes each day and includes responding to comments and questions.
Some managers would like to approve all interactions before they take place in responding to questions and commentary on social networks. A best practice is to allow for flexibility in the ability to respond to these inquiries. The key is trusting the person on the front lines, responsible for responding to these inquiries, becuase it is important to have enough flexibility and discretion to respond in a timely manner. An unresponsive organization on social networks can also become a negative thing for the public perception of your organization.
For more about listening, please view the slideshows and videos below:
The video immediately below was produced by the Case Foundation with Holly Ross, Executive Director of the Nonprofit Technology Network (NTEN) as a part of their series, Gearing Up for Giving:
For more information on how to get started, visit AffNet and click on the "Social Networking" link in the lower left quadrant upon logging in or contact Will Hull at (202) 973-7106 or Patrick Tutwiler at (202) 973-7141.
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