Via: Online MBA

How many communities do we all need to be logged into? How many conversations can we hold at a time and what kind of audience does our vanity really need? Is there an over-saturation factor that we should be considering? I can’t help but feel like the continuous barrage of social site invitations has become a serious annoyance; one so pestering that if I were to receive notification of one that might truly be relevant and exciting to me, I may very well just not know I missed a great opportunity.

Are you heading to blogging haven at the end of May? If you are, I sure hope you got your hotels booked, transportation planned and itinerary worked out. It is going to be madness here in a few weeks so get a move on!

There is a great lineup!

2011 brings in Jennifer James (Mom Bloggers Club), Anne-Marie Nichols (thismamacooks.com), C.C. Chapman (Digital Dads) and SO MANY MORE.

Do NOT forget to book mark your interactive calendar so you can manage what will quickly become a crazy schedule. It is very easy to forget where you thought you wanted to be at what time on what day. get your plan together early and you will get much more out of your conference.

The intention is to make contacts, enjoy a great series of speakers, learn a little something and really get a sense of what opportunities you just might be leaving on the table. Have a great time, become a sponge and get blogging!

*Please leave comments below of sites that may have been left out. I will add tot he list and post as a note on our Facebook Page as a growing reference. Thanks for playing!

Communication

• Blogs: Blogger, ExpressionEngine, LiveJournal, Open Diary, TypePad, Vox, WordPress, Xanga, Blog.com
• Microblogging: FMyLife, Foursquare, Jaiku, Plurk, Posterous, Tumblr, Twitter, My2i, Qaiku, Yammer, Google Buzz, Identi.ca
• Location-based Social Networks: Foursquare, Geoloqi, Gowalla, Facebook places, The Hotlist
• Social Networking: ASmallWorld, Cyworld, Facebook, Hi5, LinkedIn, MySpace, Orkut, Tagged, XING, Hyves, My2i, Plaxo, Ning
• Events: Eventful, The Hotlist, Meetup.com, Upcoming
• Information Aggregators: Netvibes, Twine (website)
• Online Advocacy and Fundraising: Causes, Kickstarter

Collaboration/authority building

• Wikis: PBworks, Wetpaint, Wikia, Wikimedia, Wikispaces, Jottit
• Social Bookmarking (or social tagging):^[17] CiteULike, Delicious, Diigo, Google Reader, StumbleUpon, folkd
• Social News: Digg, Mixx, NowPublic, Reddit, My2i, Newsvine, MyWeboo
• Social navigation: Trapster, Waze ^[18]
• Content Management Systems: WordPress, Drupal, Joomla,
• Document Managing and Editing Tools: Google Docs, Syncplicity, Docs.com

Multimedia

• Photography and art sharing: deviantArt, Flickr, Photobucket, Picasa, SmugMug, Zooomr, BetweenCreation
• Video sharing: sevenload, Viddler, Vimeo, YouTube, Dailymotion, Metacafe, Nico Nico Douga (japanese film sharing site), Openfilm,
• Livecasting: Justin.tv, Livestream, OpenCU, Skype, Stickam, Ustream, blip.tv
• Music and audio sharing: ccMixter, Pandora Radio, Last.fm, MySpace Music, ReverbNation.com, ShareTheMusic, The Hype Machine, Groove Shark, SoundCloud
• Presentation sharing: scribd, SlideShare

Reviews and opinions

• Product reviews: epinions.com, MouthShut.com
• Business reviews: Customer Lobby, Yelp, Inc.
• Community Q&A: Askville, EHow, Stack Exchange, WikiAnswers, Yahoo! Answers, Fluther, Google Guru

Entertainment

• Media and entertainment platforms: Cisco Eos
• Virtual Worlds: Active Worlds, Forterra Systems, Second Life, The Sims Online
• Game sharing: Kongregate, Miniclip

Brand monitoring

• Social Media Monitoring: Attensity, Statsit, Sysomos, Vocus, Social Mention

Add to this fresh content your super-fly key words and you should be on your way to the beginnings of good content publishing habits. Are you talking about a topic that might not be totally familiar to your audience? Link to relevant sites to make your content more robust.

As a consultant for non-profit organizations for several years, I have observed some very unproductive behavior. I am not saying that non-profits are unproductive as a whole; it is simply the nature of the entity. Most charities tend to be constantly cash-strapped and lacking in resources, right? Generally, this means that MANY times all staff wear several hats. The problem with this is that it leaves little room for some important aspects of productivity.

So… Are non-profits unproductive? NO. They are just busy, horrendously understaffed and strapped for cash.

One More Hat

Non-profits acquire some very passionate people. Charities are started and run by those who saw a need, felt strongly compelled to fill the need and can be emotionally tied to the cause. These qualities are absolutely necessary for the survival of a non-profit organization.

Brian Hawkins, National Board Member of Kids Korps USA, had the following to say about his involvement in the organization; “I have served on a number of non-profit boards and committees, and have worked with dozens of non-profit organizations, yet to me, Kids Korps USA has the most unique service model and impact of any non-profit.  The value of Kids Korps goes far beyond the ways in which they make volunteering simple, the breadth of the organization is the volunteer resources provided to hundreds of organizations, the depth is the impact that volunteering has on youth who serve and all who receive.”

See? PASSION and complete understanding of Kids Korps USA’s value create unwavering champion’s for an organization. This is the kind of support that all charities strive for.

There is one aspect that is TOO OFTEN missing from the mix, the “all about business” hat. It is very difficult to be a “profitable”, contributing non-profit when the business aspect of an organization is not also in the list of priorities. Charities too have to look at the bottom line and evaluate best business practices in order to continue to provide services and programs for the social good. Time management is essential in every business but in a not-for-profit environment it is IMPERATIVE. Most organizations have a team that does consist of a development/marketing position. This position usually is also coordinating events and the many moving parts that go along with them; volunteers, committees, vendors, caterers, permits and so much more. Events are seen as donation lifelines and they can be ALL CONSUMING. The awareness campaigns and promotion needs of an event can be over-whelming, taking much needed hours from a position that should be focusing on cultivating new relationships.

Overall, development is key for an organization because keeping the donor pipeline fresh can make the difference between dollars to your organization or one of millions who also have programs needing funds. Relationships with donors (past, present & potential) require finesses, time, patience and pinpoint evaluation skills. This can make or break a non-profit.

For the TOP 3 Questions Your Organization Should be Asking Itself for a 2011 In the Black, read this article by the Giving Scene, http://givingscenesd.com/.

*Giving Scene is an online magazine dedicated to the promotion of social good and the organizations, corporations, philanthropists and social entrepreneurs who support the community with their good works.

I get asked all the time. What is the deal with the social networks? How can it help me in my business or organization and what do I need to do to get started?

For many business owners, non-profit organizations and newbie entrepreneurs, the social networking concept can feel like a beast. The amount of information about the topic can be overwhelming. This can make it a no-go for many. Truly unfortunate.

Initially, it takes work… plenty of directed effort. If at the end of this high level argument in favor of social media, you are not convinced it is worth your time to fully commit; leave it alone. STAY AWAY FROM SOCIAL MEDIA! There is no benefit to minimal effort and could have the opposite result.

Do I HAVE to be on a Social Network?

In order to be current and competitive, it is imperative for organizations to seriously consider their levels of participation in social media. Most organizations can benefit from “talking” to their audience whether it be customers, recipients of services or other industry professionals. There is plenty of chatter about privacy but when you are talking about business there is no reason to stray from this form of communication with your customers, constituents and stake holders. What does need to be evaluated is WHO will be responsible for being the voice, is this person prepared to communicate clear messages that are beneficial to the audience and are they capable of understanding the (good and bad) impact their communications can have to the organization.

Why?

Social Media has become a bridge between your marketing and pr groups. The basic difference? Marketing costs money and PR is looking for  free exposure. (I am sure I will get flack for over-simplifying but the purpose of this article is to keep to the basics.) Often times, these two groups have a hard time communicating and finding the common ground for the good of a brand. Marketing wants to sell a product and PR wants to praise it. See… direct vs. indirect. Social media accomplishes both their goals. This is the place to do both. BUT… social media also adds additional purposes that neither Marketing nor PR consistently accomplish. 2 way conversations and PROPULSION! Keep reading. You’ll see.

Fine. How do I start? Slowly, please.

Short Answer | Just 3 Social Networks

Social media serves the same basic purpose, communication but can have vastly different personalities. For the most part, a business or organization can start out by layering in just 3 social networks into their mix; Linked In, Twitter and Facebook. Choosing the networks is the EASY part; it’s finding the integrative tool that suits you for efficiency that is mind-boggling! Let’s begin.

Linked In:

Linked In is not just for connected to business associates of past and present. It can also lead to beneficial connections for the future; vendors, partnerships, project collaboration, employees, employers. For the business though, think of Linked In as your platform to show off your expertise by participating in on-going conversations, making relevant suggestions in discussion boards, becoming a resource for an audience you may otherwise NEVER had connected. Linked In can be used to gather info about best practices by posting questions and receiving answers from an enormous community of industry experts. You can grow your network by connecting with groups on Linked In such as alumni, industries, interests, etcetera. You may link to articles and newsletter archives that may be valuable to your audience.  There are so many ways to utilize Linked in. It is well worth the time to explore.

Twitter:

Tweets are the buzz word you keep hearing all about with the little birdy symbol EVERYWHERE. Right? Why the heck would anyone find this relevant? Really… what CAN you say in 140 characters? PLENTY!!!

Do not be fooled by the limitations of your previous understanding of clear communication (which still translates to some marketers as copy laden advertisement and power point presentations which never see a bullet point). Twitter has opened up an entire written language to be modifed as one pleases, causing much confusion to newbies. It is a skill that is acquired quickly with practice. 140 characters is enough to make a statement, observations, make a suggestion, point out the obvious, or even link to an important online resource such as your newwest blog post.

Twitter is focused on a mobile population. Time is short so info in a quick exchange is very attractive. Many today are constantly going from place to place, waiting in lines, sitting in meetings. Smart phones have brought our desktop tools to our fingertips in an abbreviated way directly to us no matter our locations. This means we can keep in constant contact with the flow of information on the web. Wanna find out what bloggers or customers are saying about your company? Search Twitter. Want your customers to have easy access to updates and info about your products? Use Twitter. Want to publicize the implementation of a new social responsibility focus in your business? Tell the world on Twitter. The thing about Twitter is, everyone is listening : your customers, your potential partners, the bloggers, your local and national media, your competitors, your champions. Why would you let them out of your sights?

Facebook:

Facebook for your business? Yes! You may have heard about Facebook’s Pages for businesses, organizations, groups, etcetera as opposed to the Profiles which are generally for personal stuff. Pages gives a storefront to a business, a forum for promotion, resources and conversation but don’t be fooled. Profiles can also be utilized for business purposes. Privacy settings allow for you to segment your “friends” so that you aren’t sharing TOO much information to potential business connections. So now for the added benefits of Mark Zuckerberg’s billion dollar dream machine.

Push your company’s position as a thought leader. Community Pages is a gathering of people with similar interests. This is a great place to contribute expertise for an audience who may not have otherwise have known about your company or organization. Facebook gives another opportunity for branding, offer deals, give dimension to a company personality.

FBML, Facebook Markup Language, is sorta like html on the FB platform. It allows pages to brand and create specialized content that your audience could crave. Learn it. Use IT! Draw people into the company sphere and keep them close. Once you receive 25 fans, get your personalized username.

What Next?

Remember, this is ONLY a sliver of information regarding social networks. There is so much you CAN do with social media. You may want to start out slowly and that is okay. But BE CONSISTENT and RELEVANT! Know your audience and your goals. If you cannot commit to this mindset, then STAY AWAY FROM SOCIAL MEDIA.

Feel free to comment and leave your thoughts on the subject matter. Until next time…

Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg announced the new “can’t live without it” addition to our online social worlds, a new modern messaging account. This is going to revolutionize my life! Think about it. Now I get to change my email from the one I have had for years to one that will incorporate my WHOLE online life history between several integrative applications, my Facebook, messages and emails into one giant mega-history; a chronological, organized and bundled box of my online life.

NO THANK YOU!

There are a few reasons for my response to FB’s new offering. First of all, this last year Facebook has had so many agitating changes that I can barely keep up with where to update my status. I have been growing ever-increasingly less fond of being connected to so many “friends” and that trend among my connections seems to be spot on. Editing apparently is the theme; edit down the friends and

keep a little privacy for the inner circle. Don’t get me wrong. I am not a Facebook hater. I am still all in favor for the businesspages in the public arena and the personal profiles. I have just noticed a trend for a little more privacy and intimacy on our networks. The addition of connecting my email now to all these social dashboards is feeling a little like big-brother. To the extreme… one Facebook hacker could splash my entire private life, including confidential emails, our photos, comments, instant messages, cell phone texts, everything all over the net and/or to all my previous and current personal and business connections.