Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Never a Dull Moment: Venturing Off the Starting Line of Social Networking

Never a dull moment. That's how I would describe the second session on using social media tools for non-profits because we had lots of good questions and discussion. We covered another set of social network/media tools -- Youtube Channel, Flickr for groups, podcasting -- then showcased The Pixel Project non-profit group's global campaign to reduce violence against women. The Pixel Project uses social networking as a crucial means to fulfill their group's cause, which is why it was showcased last night.

One of the take-aways from the Communiversity class is that there are different levels to using social media. The first level might be "just starting," when you're unsure of how the social networking tool works and skeptical about the value to your organization. Another level might be "one-way communication" to your group's followers. Many groups use Twitter to send information about events, but don't use it to engage supporters. The next level is where your group is engaging supporters in conversation, getting them to carry your message and action to their friends.

Most people operate in the first two levels, so hopefully the course challenged you to look at techniques to "go to the next level!"

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Class members share skepticism about social networking for non-profits

The first session of Communiversity course, "Using the Internet for Social Change," on Feb. 22 provided a lively exchange of information on social networking from class participants. I thought we had a terrific cross-section of non-profit groups and individuals in Kansas City – health services, filmmakers, arts organizations, environment, as well as neighborhood associations.

Participants in the first session shared many of the familiar concerns that organizations face with social networking – lack of adoption, plus a healthy skepticism of the “payback” to an organization. These valid concerns are cultural changes that an organization needs to work through. Another important point brought up in the session was the need to link social media with your organization’s strategy.

In the first session we started a survey of a number of social media tools that individuals and organizations can use to expand their outreach and capacity. I hope to see you all again at the next session as we cover a lot of material on social networks and other new media tools.

Here is a link to the Powerpoint slides from the second session -

Monday, March 1, 2010

Case Study: Podcast Series “Tell Somebody” Using LibSyn

Start-up information for the entire podcast series:
  • A Paypal account – this is required for billing in support of your Liberated Syndication account.
  • An Apple.com account, which is required to submit a podcast to the Apple iTunes Store, a popular podcast directory.
  • Series title name: “Tell Somebody”
  • Series description – “A weekly public affairs program on KKFI-FM 90.1, Kansas City community radio”
  • Image or logo of your program in JPEG 300x300 pixel size. Filename = tslogopod.jpg
  • Tags or keywords to describe your show – community radio, public affairs, KKFI, alternative radio, alternative media, media reform
  • Podcast feed address - http://tellsomebody.libsyn.com/rss
  • Email address: tellsomebodyradio [at] yahoo [dot] com
Single podcast episode:
  • Program title: “Ray McGovern Discusses the Gaza Crisis”
  • Program description – “This week's ‘Tell Somebody’ radio program features a continuation of a conversation with Ray McGovern, former CIA official and now political activist.”
  • Image or logo of your program in JPEG, 300x300 pixel size. Filename = raymcgovern300.jpg
  • Tags or keywords to describe your show – Gaza, CIA, intelligence, Palestinians
  • Podcast broadcast date and the time length of the audio recording. 59 minutes, 30 seconds
  • Programs in MP3 format using a consistent audio and file format. Note: a 30-minute radio talk show using MP3 format with Layer 3, ACM, 22050 Hz, 24 kbps, mono settings would take about 10 megabytes of disk space. Filename = tellsomebody090113.mp3
  • Email address: tellsomebodyradio [at] yahoo [dot] com
Questions?
  • Matt Quinn – Email jmq0004@msn.com | Twitter @jmq0004 | facebook.com/jmq0004
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