An incomplete taxonomy of social media for communicators

An incomplete taxonomy of social media: comments welcomed!

We amateur cartographers have been trying to map the changing landscape of social media.  While lots of smart people have put together some visually interesting taxonomies (including this nebula-like graphic just about Twitter, created by Brian Solis as shared by Beth Kanter), I’ve been trying to wrap my brain around how to classify and organize these things in my head.  When there are 19 Twitter clients, and counting, it can be daunting (maybe even impossible) to try to keep up with every new entrant in this rapidly changing arena.  Any list or directory that you create is out of date in about a day.

I’ve been using this Powerpoint chart (handily available on SlideShare) as a means of charting the territory that communications professionals really need to understand.  We need to know how people are communicating with one another, finding people with like interests, and sharing interesting content.  We also need management tools.   We need convenient ways of scanning social media, finding people of interest, listing ourselves in directories, organizing our stuff and so on.  And, of course, we need ways of monitoring communications and measuring the impact of campaigns.  Understanding the range of social media tools and tactics can help us do a better job of efficiently and effectively implementing strategy.

My taxonomy is an attempt to think about social media and tools in terms of how they function and what we do with them.  As the web – and particularly mobile – technologies evolve, there will be new functions.  So many of the buckets on this Powerpoint chart arose in response to problems people encountered in their social media experience.  For example, at one point I said something like, “Ack!  I’m overwhelmed with the blogs I’m reading through my email!  What do I do?”  I started using an RSS reader.  As soon as you hear someone complaining about something, like more SPAM coming through Twitter, you can bet someone’s developing a new tool that solves that problem.  Maybe someday there will be something that doesn’t feel soldered on.

Any PR agency or corporate communications department should have someone who is familiar with and actively using at least one channel or tool in every single bucket depicted on this taxonomy.  There’s simply no excuse to be unfamiliar with these capabilities.  They’re too important.

Non-profits are better at social media than corporations

National Wildlife Federation sends frequent Facebook updates about wildlife sightings and legislation affecting wildlife

I’ve seen two articles this week about non-profits’ adoption of social media.  Writing on the Harvard Business Publishing blog, Alexandra Samuel suggests that non-profits are better at social media because they excel at relationship development.  (She points to some good examples that are worth checking out.)  In the other, Kari Dunn Saratovsky of the Case Foundation riffs on a just-published report from Dartmouth showing how large non-profits have outpaced academic institutions and Fortune 500 companies in their adoption.  Why?  Kari suggests:

“As an active and interested observer of these trends, my hunch is that as we have begun adopting these tools in other parts of our lives, more people are finding that the social web can allow people who work in nonprofits the ability to connect and collaborate informally and across institutional boundaries in a quick and inexpensive manner.  Suddenly nonprofits see value in social media beyond attracting new donors or engaging volunteers, but in crowdsourcing ideas, getting instant and honest feedback, or even in finding new content for programs. ”

Having relationships with former colleagues in very large organizations, and now, actively engaged with several very small non-profits, I concur that non-profits are adopting social media more rapidly.  While we could spend all day talking about why (and I’ve got my theories), to paraphrase my old boss, the data would qualify as “interesting” but not really “information” that is useful to decision-making.

So here’s my tip:  whether you’re in commercial enterprise or you’re a small non-profit, track what non-profits like National Wildlife Federation and American Red Cross are doing on their websites, blogs, Facebook and Twitter.  Sign up to receive their e-newsletters.  Join their Facebook Causes or Fan pages.  Track down their handles on Twitter.  You can learn a lot from seeing how they use these emerging tools for building engagement and loyalty.

Blogs: not close to extinction yet (what I want is “Friend Suck”)

Steve Rubel's Future of Blogging Mind Map

Steve Rubel of Edelman Digital has taken a shot at describing possible evolutionary futures of blogging in the following mind map.  His prognostication, expanded in his Mashable post:  “One possibility is that blogs remain the primary social hub for many of us on the web but turn into lifestream sites that syndicate our content to and/or aggregate it from anywhere.”

Now, to be honest, that was a bit of a “huh?” for me.  Especially “lifestream sites.”  (I betcha Edelman has service marked that one already.)  But let me ’splain what I think he means with this example.  Right now, I have several tools that I use to support my relationships in various spheres of my life including Facebook for friends and family, and LinkedIn for professional relationships.  LinkedIn is my professional hub.  I installed their wordpress tool so that this blog shows up in snippet form on my public LinkedIn profile.  I joined a couple of LinkedIn groups, such as the Social Media Caffe.  Highlights from that group show up on my LinkedIn page, as do publications and recommendations that are posted by people in my network.  I’ve found some of these updates and recommendations to be useful, although there’s a bunch that I consider to be SPAM.

I’d love it if there was a way to see all of my social media at once.  Thus far, I haven’t seen anything that, in one screen, gives me windows into the various social media places I hang out.  I’ve seen people experimenting with their own RSS feeds/displays (kind of like Mashable, but personalized).   Tools like TweetDeck are nibbling around the edges by allowing you to see real-time status updates from Facebook (it shows up in an added column), but you can’t feed LinkedIn updates that way.  And, of course, TweetDeck wants you to love Twitter best and just bring other social media as second fiddle.  Amplify and Friend Feed let you share stuff you’ve read and liked across social media platforms, but they don’t work in reverse.  I guess what I need is a social media vacuum, but something called “Friend Suck” just doesn’t sound right.

In foreseeing the possible demise of blogs, Steve ignores the important role they play in Search Engine Optimization.  Blogs keep website content fresh, and have a big effect on natural search results, at least the way that the Google algorithm works right now.  Blogs as we know and love them aren’t going away any time soon.  But I can hardly wait for “Friend Suck” to deliver my favorite blogs and social media status updates in one place.

Look over Wendy Harmon’s shoulder to learn about social media

Yesterday and today, I’ve seen blog posts referring to an amazing work-in-progress being created by Wendy Harmon of the American Red Cross, The American Red Cross Social Media Strategy Handbook.  At this point, I’m far more impressed with what non-profits are doing with innovative communications than commercial enterprises; perhaps they’re less stuck in their silos, or maybe they’re just more desperate.  Non-profits like the ARC are leading the way, figuring out not only how to use social media, but to do so strategically.  If there’s anything I love, it’s strategery (to quote our former president).

Why check out Wendy’s draft document, intended for staff and ARC chapters?  You’ll get a great tutorial in what five social media Wendy considers critical to ARC’s success:  blogs, Facebook Pages, Facebook Causes, Flickr and youtube.  She’s not breathless about these new media, however.  She talks about how to tie these media to ARC’s strategy so that they contribute to the brand, and further the results of the organization.  Check it out.

Hat tip to the Case Foundation and Beth Kanter for sharing the link to Wendy’s document (in PPT format).

Searching for Mr. Right Now: my top 5 tips for non-profits

Read this! (Image thanks to "427" via Flickr, Creative Commons license)

There’s Mr. Right, and there’s Mr. Right Now.  The blogosphere is rife with opinions about the very-most-important tools and tactics for non-profits.  When working with small, local non-profits, it can take six months (or more) to implement the very most basic of basics.  While I think that Facebook in particular is an important part of the marketing mix, it’s a “Mr. Right” but not necessarily a “Mr. Right Now.”

Here are my top five nominations for “Mr. Right Now” when it comes to non-profit tactics:

• Website – All roads lead to the website, or they should.  Whether people stumble across you through search, or are looking for your website to respond to something, you need to make sure your website is prepared with the right content to inform people, the right look and feel to move people, and the right navigation to help people.  Websites are digital brick and mortar.
• Email/e-newsletter – Even if Facebook traffic now rivals emails, many of the constituents who will give to your mission still prefer email.  Email and enewsletters are also superior for their ability to target both cultivation and appeal messages.
• Blogging – In my experience, this is the hardest sell.  Misconceptions abound: blogs are full of snark, blogs are a waste of time, blogs will send forth droves of creepy stalkers after me or my staff.  Blogs are a great, immediate way to collect and share stories about the work your non-profit is doing.  They are also one of the very best ways to keep websites fresh and attract search traffic.
• Media relations – This now incorporates both traditional media and online media.  It’s hard to beat the boost in credibility that comes with a feature story.  I’ve written a lot about how non-profits need to begin to identify who blogs about their issues locally, given that most traditional news outlets have had to make radical cuts in staff.  Online newspapers, like Sacramento Press here, are also gaining steam.
• Messaging – OK this doesn’t fall into the tactical bucket; it’s strategic.  Many bootstrap non-profits have poor names and rely on their mission statements to communicate their value.  Short of name-changing, it’s vital to have a brief – like seven words brief – tagline or statement that informs and inspires.  No wonder America’s Second Harvest changed their name to Feeding America.  It’s also important to put appeals in a context by “campaignizing” them.  How much do you need now, by when, and why?  In today’s turmoil, people need a really good reason to part with their dough or get involved.

I blogged back in April about John Kenyon’s perspective on chicken-or-egg dilemmas when it comes to non-profit marketing.  John’s a strong believer in website and emails being top priority.  Yesterday, Beth Kanter published a guest post from Jordan Viator who interviewed David Neff of American Cancer Society’s High Plains division for the Connection Cafe.  David’s top five includes website and email, but he also puts Facebook, videos and file sharing on his list.  About Facebook, he says, “If you concentrate on one social networking tool that’s out there, I would say get on Facebook and make sure you make your presence known.”  You’ll find David’s tips explained best in the video embedded in Jordan’s post.

I’m recommending Facebook, too, but often in the second six-month period of a plan, after the very-most-important pieces are in place.

What’s in your top five?

Help! Santa Fe Indian School team needs help getting to Chicago for the National Youth Poetry Slam

Santa Fe Indian School's Spoken Word Team flyer: can you help?

I’ve never used this space for a direct appeal before.  I’m hoping you may be able to help the Santa Fe Indian School Spoken Word Team plug a gap in their fundraising efforts to pay for their trip to compete in this national slam poetry competition starting July 13.   I know the teacher/coach through his sister, Maureen McLaughlin, who is a much loved and respected counselor and Christian Service staff member of Jesuit High School, here in Sacramento.

This group has appeared on PBS, HBO and the Jim Lehrer Show.  Here’s how they describe themselves:  “…a group of indigenous youth writers who are nationally recognized for their performances of poetry that incorporates Native languages and philosophies.”  I just listened to a .wmv file of one of their pieces and it’s really powerful.

Their major donor had to reduce his/her support so the kids are scrambling.  They’ve come up with a raffle, and they would also welcome donations of any size.  Given that it’s Santa Fe, many of the kids know (or are) talented visual artists and they’ve come up with turquoise jewelry, basketry, and other artistic items that can be awarded as prizes to the lucky raffle winners.

I think it’s worthy, and it’s also clear that the group doesn’t have a website set up, much less the capability to accept online donations (and I really doubt they’re familiar with Tipjoy or on Twitter).  So this is going to be one of those person-to-person efforts if they are going to get the money to make it to the National Youth Slam Poetry competition. 

Tim McLaughlin, the coach, is inviting people to send checks for raffle donations made out to him with “SFIS Spoken Word Team” in the memo line.  I know, I know… it sounds very low tech and dicey.  Normally I wouldn’t do that either, but I heard directly from Maureen, Tim’s sister.  I’m sending a donation along.  Tim’s contact info is below if you want to help.  Thanks in advance.

Tim McLaughlin, 4772 Vista Del Sol, Santa Fe, NM  87507

timgrandpa@hotmail.com

By the way, Tim spent a number of years teaching on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.  My son just returned from an amazing cultural/service immersion trip there, thanks to Tim’s continuing relationships.  Among other things, he learned about the Lakota Sioux values, which include generosity, the Lakota word for which is canteyuke.  The Lakota believe that generousity is reflected in the Earth itself, and so we must demonstrate the same consideration for all things.

Holiday philanthropy guides may not be in non-profits’ interests

Blogs are awesome tools for wondering “out loud”.  Last week I was working on a non-profit’s marketing and communications plan and realized they were putting time and energy into lining up businesses to sponsor listings in printed philanthropy guides.  Did they have a positive ROI, I wondered?

Not for most non-profits.  It could even hurt them by diminishing the amount of dollars available for direct contributions from potential corporate sponsors.

How so?  Here in Sacramento, we don’t have a lot of corporate headquarters.  We do have a large number of businesses that are regional operations of national companies.  When they underwrite a listing in a philanthropy guide, they take the money out of their contributions budget, not their advertising budget.  The amount of available money in their budget goes down.

When non-profits approach them for direct contributions or to sponsor events that may result in friendraising or fundraising, the businesses may figure they’ve already done their bit for that organization.  Or they may not have the money left to spend.

It may be good for the business’ reputation to be seen as a community good guy, but better use can be made of the money for the non-profit.  Several non-profits say they have received a donation or two based on the info published in the guide, but they might have gotten a better return if they had worked directly with the business.

P.D.  My Twitter pals were uninterested in my query, but I did get a few responses from friends in the non-profit world whose perspective I value.  I didn’t quote or name them here in case on the off-chance that local publishers wouldn’t take kindly to their skeptical view of these guides.

Don’t skip to tactics until you know what you’re trying to do

The Campaign for Female Education took 13 years to build its list to 10,000 supporters and is now picking up 5,000 members a day on Facebook Causes

Non-profit social media rock star Beth Kanter is making a cross-country move.  Rather than taking a hiatus from blogging (as I did last month), Beth wisely lined up some cool guest bloggers.  A post today by Brian Reich, author of Thinking About Media, got me thinking about what’ s been missing in several non-profit marketing plans I’ve seen lately:  a hypothesis about what will cause a desired action to happen (be it donations or advocacy) and a strategy about how to achieve that momentum.

The plans I’ve seen are a bucket used to hold a bevvy of popular tactics (including social media) - with no educated guesses about how they will contribute to the desired outcome, and no prioritization.  I’d call them a listing more than a plan.

Brian’s post is focused on Facebook Causes, about which he’s skeptical, but his comments go to the heart of my concern about lack of strategy:

You can’t expect your audience, no matter how passionate they are about your work, to make an online contribution only because you ask – or to continue to make donations after they became involved through an event or opportunity.  Those are all actions that you, as an organization define.  Your audience, and particularly those who donate, want to be directly involved in your work and empowered to help support your efforts in the ways, and using the tools, they feel most comfortable with…. Stop developing new features and tools until you have found ways to get your users more invested in the setup you already have.  Find ways to better educate and support all your nonprofit members, as well as the users that power your success. I’m not suggesting you stop innovating or improving your tools, but the needs of your audience should drive that work, instead of the technology driving how the users are able to get involved.

Many of the organizations I’m working with as a pro bono consultant haven’t clearly defined why the world needs to support their organization or cause, nor have they raised awareness.  To use Brian’s suggested five-part process, they have to start by listening, introducing and educating their target audiences before they turn to engagement and mobilization.  His process is a variation on a traditional marketing communications pyramid model (from awareness building to preference, trial, use and loyalty) but it’s a nice update for the non-profit world.

If you’re thinking about Facebook Causes or any other form of social media, read Brian’s post first.

Do holiday philanthropy guides have a positive ROI for non-profits?

Comstock's "Capital Region Cares" spread on River Oak Center for Children

I need your help.  I need to hear from you about whether non-profits you’re associated with have received donations attributable to holiday philanthropic guides published by newspapers and magazines.

I’m confident that individuals receive donations when their stories are published in such guides, but I’m less sure about how organizations fare.  There’s a cost to be included in most of them, and community-oriented businesses often pick up the tab.  But is it worth it?  In terms of donations?  Or reputation enhancement?

Here in Sacramento, I know of at least three holiday philanthropy guides:  the Sacramento Bee’s “Greatest Need” section, The Sacramento Business Journal’s “Partners in Philanthropy”, and Comstock Magazine’s “Capital (sic) Region Cares”.

I’m working on two comprehensive marketing/fund development plans right now.  Every penny has to count, now more than ever, so I need to know if there’s a return from these investments.  What do you think?

Stumbled across: amazing listing of how economy is affecting arts organizations

Greater Philadelphia Arts Council Home Page

Now we can thank Philly for more than heart-attack worthy steak sandwiches. I didn’t find what I was looking for on a search today, but I was pretty amazed at this online resource maintained by Ryan Freytag at the Greater Pittsburgh Arts Council.  The page may not be pretty, but scroll down to peruse links to articles about the effect of the recession nationwide on the creative sector dating back to September 2008.  This little digital treasure chest also contains links to lots of articles about how charitable organizations are changing their fund development strategies.   Articles may have been collected with arts organizations in mind — and from what I read, they’re hardest hit in the non-profit sector — but many would be interest ANY kind of non-profit.  Thanks, Ryan.