Tag Archive for 'chat'

January #4Change Chat Topic: Campaigning

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The January #4Change Twitter Chat will focus on the use of Twitter and other social media tools in campaigning.

About the Topic

Campaigning can mean many different things and we want to keep the definition of the topic fairly open for this chat, in order to keep insights, resources and conversation in the Q/A format as open to valuable input as possible.  Here are some ways that campaigning can be framed for the purpose of this chat:

  • moving canvassing door to door to online networks
  • political action
  • local community building
  • tying communications, partners, and actions together via social media
  • social change projects or programs locally or globally

The way we examine the use of social media in campaigning can be further framed in some of these ways:

  1. change campaigns (internal vs external), also organization type variations
  2. social media change campaigns (specific nuances)
  3. change campaigns vs political campaigns (similarities vs differences)
  4. educational campaigns (organizational / institutional / internet) riffing off of last month’s topic
  5. building campaign coalitions & recruiting campaign champions

How to Participate

Share your ideas now:

You can share your ideas about the topic as well as any resources, case studies, examples, research etc. by leaving a comment on this blog post.  Or, you can tag your resources or posts using Delicious with the tag “4change” and we’ll pick it up for you.

Join the Twitter chat:

  1. If you want to contribute to the conversation, you’ll need to have a twitter account (it’s free).
  2. To follow the conversation (whether you are planning to contribute or not), use http://search.twitter.com or another application to search on Twitter for #4Change
  3. Jump in to the conversation by adding #4Change to your Twitter message
  4. Feeling brave? Check out TweetChat – it’s a great application that integrates with your Twitter account and makes chats more fun! You can turn it off after the chat.

Rules for #4Change Chat

  1. #4Change will be structured around a series of questions which all participants can respond to. Send your questions to @memeshift to have them considered.
  2. Introduce yourself in 1 tweet at the start or when you join.
  3. Stay on topic!
  4. Be cool.

Details

  • Date: January, 14th 2010
  • When: 2 – 4 pm US Pacific Time, 5 – 7 pm US Eastern Time, 10pm – 12am London, UK (Late!)
  • Where: Twitter (search for #4Change)
  • Topic: Campaigning: How is social/new media affecting the the way we build and conduct campaigns? and more!

We’ll update this post with specific questions to be asked during the chat and will capture resources and conversations from the chat, too.  Send us your ideas!

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Published on January 3, 2010 by Amy Sample Ward. 2 Comments

Next #4Change Chat Topic: Volunteering

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Originally posted on the #4Change blog by Tash Judd.

Social media and new technology are changing the way we recruit and manage volunteers.  They’re also changing how we define the concept of volunteering.  New forms of participation such as micro-volunteering, and web-generated events such as Twestival, are changing the way people are coming together to raise funds, donate their time and make a difference in their local and global community.

Our next #4change chat, on Thursday 12 November, will look at how the volunteering landscape is changing.  Join us for a global conversation, sharing ideas, best practice, links and resources.

How to join the chat

1. If you want to contribute to the conversation, you’ll need to have a Twitter account (it’s free).
2. To follow the conversation (whether you are planning to contribute or not), use  http://search.twitter.com/ or another application to search on Twitter for “#4Change”
3. Jump in to the conversation by adding “#4Change” (without the “”) to your Twitter message
4. Feeling brave? Check out TweetChat – it’s a great application that integrates with your Twitter account and makes chats more fun! You can turn it off after the chat.

Rules for #4Change chat

1. #4Change will be structured around a series of questions which all participants can respond to. Send your questions to @tashjudd or post them below to have them considered.
2. Introduce yourself in 1 tweet at the start or when you join.
3. Stay on topic!
4. Be cool.

A few links

How social media’s changing volunteering
Blog: Brave New World for Volunteering
Blog: Sacrifice, optional and about other people (defining volunteering)
Blog: The Extraordinaries: Will micro-volunteering work?
Article: NetSquared and the new wave of online volunteering

Recruiting volunteers online
Volunteer Match
Do-it
All for Good

A few interesting volunteering and participation initiatives
The Extraordinaries
Virtual volunteering
Junction49
Urbantastic
Twestival

Please visit the #4Change blog to contribute other interesting links, case studies and questions you’d like to see raised during the chat.  Looking forward to seeing you all online on the 12th.

Published on November 2, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 2 Comments

Next #4Change Twitter Chat: Social Media & the Climate Change Movement

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Originally posted by Joe Solomon on the #4Change blog.

Every month, a group called #4Change organizes open & lively conversations about how web-connected communities and our use of social media tools are helping to create change in the world. #4Change Chats are hosted on Twitter – Read “Join the Conversation” below for ways to jump into the discussion.

The next #4change chat is this Thursday – we hope you can join us!

Details:

  • Date: Oct, 8th
  • Where: Twitter (search for #4Change
  • When: 2 – 4 pm US Pacific Time, 5 – 7 pm US Eastern Time, 10pm – 12am London, UK (Late!)
  • Topic: How does the web & social media change the way we address climate change?


(Image from Blog Action Day - their topic this year is also climate change!)

We are at a crucial moment in time for the climate movement (and all of humanity). World leaders are meeting in Copenhagen in December to draft the next major global climate treaty – and organizations, communities, and people from every corner of the planet are stepping up to make sure this treaty gets our planet back on a sustainable path. Copenhagen is a galvanizing force that’s driving a lot of innovations and experiments – which means there’s going to be lots to discuss! Many of the questions we explore will likely also be applicable to other movements.

Starting the Conversations:

Here are some questions to consider:

  • How does online discussion and networking connect with and support offline action?
  • How does the web change the way we organize for climate action? What are the key ways the game gets changed?
  • What role does new media & storytelling play in this space?
  • What are the impact of online petitions and how can they be most effective?
  • How can we help connect & empower the climate movement together using online tools? What technologies are both available & needed?
  • How can the web facilitate culture shifts? As network weavers, how can we faciitate culture shifts?
  • What are the top actions the social media community can take to join and support the climate movement?

And here are some examples to consider:

  • TckTckTck, 350.org, Avaaz, 1Sky, Energy Action Coalition, many others – All wired organizations working to catalyze and inspire people and communities to come together and take action for the climate.
  • Project Survival – Seven new media teams, one for each continent, will report on the most compelling climate stories from around the world.
  • WiserEarth & WiserEarth API – Open database of over 100,000 environmental & social justice organizations anyone can search and webby folk can integrate into their site.

Join the Conversation!

  1. If you want to contribute to the conversation, you’ll need to have a twitter account (it’s free).
  2. To follow the conversation (whether you are planning to contribute or not), use http://search.twitter.com or another application to search on Twitter for “#4Change”
  3. Jump in to the conversation by adding “#4Change” (without the “”) to your Twitter message
  4. Feeling brave? Check out TweetChat – it’s a great application that integrates with your Twitter account and makes chats more fun! You can turn it off after the chat.

Rules for #4Change Chat

  1. #4Change will be structured around a series of questions which all participants can respond to. Send your questions to @engagejoe to have them considered.
  2. Introduce yourself in 1 tweet at the start or when you join.
  3. Stay on topic!
  4. Be cool.

Join us for the chat this Thursday – looking forward to discussing the role social media can play in creating a safe climate future!

Published on October 7, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 0 Comments

Join me for a chat with The Feast

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Join us for a chat!  NetSquared is the guest host of The Feast’s next Twitter chat about the power of social media for social good. We’ll be tweeting questions such as “how can we better leverage social media for less talk and more action?” and we’re looking for remarkable people like you to help answer them!

We may be the host, but we need all of you to join us to make the conversation interesting!

Join NetSquared & The Feast

We want to hear from you to, so leave your questions in the comments section below, or send them via twitter to @alldaybuffet.  Look forward to a Feast on twitter!
How to Join the Conversation:

  1. Follow @alldaybuffet on twitter
  2. Follow the #feastongood hashtag
  3. Join the conversation by using #feastongood in your related tweets on Monday, September 21st from 3 PM – 4 PM EST
  4. View the previous Twitter Chat on Design with William Drenttel of Winterhouse & Twitter Chat on Social Entrepreneurship with Echoing Green

Feast on Twitter Details:

Hosts include Net Squared (@NetSquared) and Amy Sample Ward from NetSquared (@amyrsward), All Day Buffet Team (@alldaybuffet), and ADB co-founders Michael Karnjanaprakorn (@mikekarnj) and Jerri Chou (@jchou).
Feast Conference Details:
The most creative conference on social innovation is right around the corner. A gathering of the world’s greatest innovators from across industries and society to empower, inspire and engage each other in creating world-shaking change, The Feast is sure to get you full on good.

  • Date: Thursday, October 1, 2009
  • Time: 9 AM – 5 PM
  • Location: The Times Center, New York City
  • REGISTER TODAY!
Published on September 17, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 0 Comments

August #4Change Chat: Opportunities for Collaboration

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The next #4change chat is this Thursday – I hope you can join us!

Details:

Starting the Conversations

Unfortunately for me, I will unable to join the chat this Thursday; so, I’d like to offer some conversation starters now to get you thinking of questions, ideas, and stories you want to share!

Here are some questions to consider:

  • has your organization found new collaborators (other organizations, companies, networks, etc.) for your work via social media use/presence?
  • have you reached out, either as an individual or an organization, with opportunities to collaborate to others you only connected with via social media? why?
  • what issues are unique to collaborations of this type?
  • what kind of reassurances (and what are the mechanisms for providing them) are unique to parties entering collaborations via social media?
  • how could collaborations enabled or maintained via social media be more or less sustainable than traditional tools/outlets?

And here are some examples to consider:

  • SocialActions – a great example of social media powering the sharing and aggregation (and thus the collaboration and partnership) of social action opportunity portals all over the world
  • Amnesty International, Red Cross, and others – organizers working globally/locally have changed the way they campaign or operate now that they are really in the same space (online)
  • Journalism – writers are now using their social media platforms (whether it’s Twitter or Facebook, or even the newspaper’s comment-enabled websites) to collaborate with witnesses, locals, and experts for their contributions to the story

Join the Conversation

  1. If you want to contribute to the conversation, you’ll need to have a twitter account (it’s free).
  2. To follow the conversation (whether you are planning to contribute or not), use http://search.twitter.com or another application to search on Twitter for “#4Change”
  3. Jump in to the conversation by adding “#4Change” (without the “”) to your Twitter message

Rules for #Change Chats

  1. #4Change will be structured around a series of questions which all participants can respond to. Send your questions to @tomjd without the hash tag (to keep them out of the stream) to have them considered.
  2. Introduce yourself in 1 tweet at the start or when you join.
  3. Stay on topic!
  4. Stay cool.

Join us for the chat this Thursday – looking forward to discussing the role social media play in collaboration!

Published on August 10, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 0 Comments

Using Twitter for a Global Conversation

Published in community and events. 4 Comments Tags: , , , .

Over the last few months, we have seen Twitter serve the global community by playing an important role in communications – whether it’s finding new friends (#FollowFriday), or telling the world about your government/election/political state (#IranElection), whether it’s having a conversation together (#4Change), or non-linearly replacing your RSS feed.  What do those # mean? That’s part of the key to success when using Twitter for a Global conversation. Using hashtags lets you mark your message as pertaining to a certain topic, then automatically include that message in a stream with everyone else’s that include the same hashtag.  Using Twitter search or other tools, you can watch news and updates about the election in Iran by using #IranElection; or, find interesting people to follow and connect with using #FollowFriday to peruse the recommendations that pile up on Fridays.

There are many opportunities to see hashtags in action!  There are also more and more opportunities emerging for people to coordinate global conversations that happen at the same time, instead of disconnected over time (still tied together via hashtag).  I am part of the planning team working on the monthly chat series behind #4Change.  There is also a Twitter-based chat starting up for consultants who work with social benefit organizations.

I wanted to share some of the lessons I’ve learned from my involvement with organizing Twitter chats.  I’m looking forward to your ideas, too!

1. Build a landing pad

It is helpful to have some place where you can send people interested in your topic or chat that haven’t participated before – whether it’s a website, a blog, or just a separate Twitter account.  If you have a landing pad somewhere online where you can refer people and provide information about your chats, your group, or your purpose in more than 140 characters, it will save you a lot of extra tweeting!  Plus, it will provide a natural and obviously place to aggregate your content, thoughts, updates, and promotion of the chats.

2. Brainstorm lots of questions but pick a few

It seems obvious that people using a communication tool like Twitter, and then electing to participate in a large-scale public chat would not require much prodding to keep conversation going.  But, it is actually just this reason that it’s more important to pre-select your questions.  Twitter chats are slower moving than you’d expect because everyone is waiting on the Twitter search to refresh with new posts.  It works best to have 3-5 questions selected ahead of time and shared with a core group of chat leaders or guides.  This way, there is a group of people helping keep the conversation on track, focused on one question at a time.  Otherwise, the group can quickly and easily splinter off to other topics using other hashtags, after all, that’s what Twitter enables all day, every day.

3. Consider your time

If you really want to pull in participants from all over the world, it’s important to consider what time you are holding the chat.  It’s also important to consider how long you want the chat to be.  Knowing that Twitter based chats are slower in development and pace than something like a live web chat, you don’t want it to be too narrow of a window, but you can only hold people’s attention for so long as well.

4. Narrow your focus

#4Change or #NPCons (nonprofit consultants) seem like pretty obvious topics. But coordinating a conversation would be far too difficult without a specific topic for that chat because the possibilities for questions or specific ideas within those two general topics are endless.  For example, recent 4Change topics have included using competitions for social change and Twitter as a political/revolutionary tool.  This also means people can identify ahead of time any resources they want to share during the chat and if they are interested in the specific topic of the month or not.

5. Invite your audience

If you have your topic for the month picked out, you may have some experts, prominent thinkers, or maybe organizations/companies/ groups that are known for working in or with that topic that you want to explicitly invite to participate.  Ensuring that fresh voices participate is important – we could all talk to the same group of people without organizing a public conversation.  Promoting the chat widely via Twitter and other social networks is a great way to find more participants, too.

6. Never underestimate the technology

I already mentioned that Twitter-based chats aren’t as fast-paced as live web chats or some other technologies.  But, you also have to remember that Twitter isn’t in your control!  If the server has a glitch, if there’s scheduled maintenance, or if search tools lag, then your Twitter chat will dramatically suffer.  This happened during the July #4Change chat and caused us to call the chat off half-way through as search was 15 minutes behind and many participants’ messages weren’t showing up at all.

7. Participate!

#4Change:
If you want to learn more about the #4Change monthly chat series, visit http://4change.memeshift.com  The next chat topic will be announced there and on Twitter using #4Change.

#NPCons:
Join the first #NPCons chat this coming Tuesday, 21 July, at 1pm US Pacific time.  These chats will be monthly, on the 3rd Tuesdays, at 1 pm Pacific.

Published on July 16, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 4 Comments

4Change Chat focused on Competitions for Social Change

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Last Thursday night (well, at least in my time zone) was the June #4Change chat.  These monthly online discussions take place via Twitter – participants add to the conversation by tweeting messages and using the tag #4change; this lets people follow the conversation, whether they have a Twitter account or not, by following the tag #4change on search.twitter.com. This month’s topic was Challenges and Competitions for Social Innovation.

You can see the recap of the chat here.

The main 3 questions for this chat were:

  1. How can challenges/competitions be used to discover, support, and accelerate social change projects and solutions?
  2. What are the different types of competitions and which work best in driving change?
  3. How can challenges support collaboration btw projects?

We are pulling together some of the key takeaways and would love to hear from you if you watched or participated, or even if you didn’t (you can read the transcript from the chat and add your thoughts, too!).

Two key takeaways from Morgan and two from me include:

  • the potential for future collaboration with other projects should be put into the judging criteria
  • competitions can surface stories and causes that might not otherwise get any attention
  • when creating a competition or challenge, it is incredibly important to be clear about the context (who is involved, who is targeted, what the ideas will be directed towards, etc.)
  • there is a real interest in creating a compendium of competitions and their characteristics (I’ll be helping us wrangle this one and providing more details and opportunities for the community to start creating the compendium soon!)

Share your takeaways, read the transcript, and more!

Read more about #4Change, the Why, How and Who behind the monthly conversation series.

Published on June 17, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 0 Comments