Tag Archive for 'conversation'

New on SSIR: Effects of Joining the Conversation

Published in issues, otherblogs and socialmedia. 1 Comment Tags: , , , , , .

My latest post is up on the Stanford Social Innovation Review opinion blog. You can read the post and join the conversation over there – it’s also copied below.

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It’s not a surprise to any of us that social media is changing the way our organizations work, not just communicate. The lessons in social media are especially important for organizations working with the public, whether it’s public service or opinion. The Hatcher Group, a Maryland-based public affairs and communications firm, released a great report this past Fall called New Media & Social Change: How Nonprofits are Using Web-based Technologies to Reach Their Goals (PDF). Despite the generic title, this is a report chock full of examples, best practices and data about the effects of joining the conversation online.

The 30 participating organizations in the report are members of the State Fiscal Analysis Initiative, a group of independent, nonprofits with a shared commitment to responsible budget and tax policies. As such, it’s easy to identify some of the goals these organizations have for using social media, including: engaging with and even influencing the general [voting] public, influencing news, engaging with and influencing politicians and legislation, and sharing data, information or viewpoints. Social media is a prominent social gathering place where these goals can definitely be met. Joining the conversation is incredibly important if these organizations expect to change policy and change minds.

Joining the conversation really means conversations.

It’s not just a phrase or some insider lingo, when I recommend organizations join the conversation, I mean just that! People are talking online and the best way to influence what they are saying or how they are thinking about issues is to talk with them. The survey found that blogging and blog outreach was the most popular social media choice.

  • 83 percent currently reach out to bloggers and the remaining 17 percent plan to in the future
  • more than 93 percent now monitor citations of their organization in the blogosphere

Many groups included in the report maintained blogs (either on their own site or elsewhere), but what the numbers above (and the effects listed below) indicate is that you don’t necessarily have to create your own blog to join the conversation. It’s already happening, so go there!

Being an active member of the conversation pays off.

  • 88 per-cent of the organizations said they had been cited in blogs as a result of their outreach efforts
  • 64 percent felt that they had successfully affected blog coverage of an issue.
  • 16 percent of the organizations were subsequently invited to submit guest-posts

Real-time is just as important.

Over half of the organizations surveyed reported that they do not use Twitter and do not intend to, with only 24% reporting use of the tool. This is a huge missed opportunity to influence public opinion, participate in the conversation, attract attention from journalists and policy makers, and more. Twitter is part of the real-time Web, meaning it enables people to communicate, share information, spread news, and distribute links in “real-time” as it happens. As more and more people join the micro-blogging platform Twitter, it becomes an even more relevant tool for organizations working on impacting legislation and connecting with voters. It’s true that with blogs, there’s a bit more time for responses to be prepared (and even approved internally) before posting. But, that should not stop organizations joining Twitter and empowering staff to leverage organizational talking points, resources and research to better information the conversations there.

One organization had particular success using Twitter to facilitate its state policy work. As the legislative session in the group’s state was winding down, things began moving at such a rapid pace that daily newspaper updates were not sufficient to inform and pro- mote its advocacy efforts.The organization found that following Twitter updates posted by reporters and advocates from the state- house was the fastest and easiest way to track legislative develop- ments.The group’s representatives were also able to update their Twitter profile to provide rapid-response statements.These short and timely statements sent out on Twitter caught the attention of local reporters, who then contacted the organization to solicit quotes for stories.

What do you think?

How has your organization joined the conversation online? Are there any tools or techniques in particular that have helped you find or contribute to the conversations taking place across the web?

(Download the full report in PDF: New Media & Social Change: How Nonprofits are Using Web-based Technologies to Reach Their Goals)

Published on February 4, 2010 by Amy Sample Ward. 1 Comment

Messages, Stories, and Conversations: Creating a Strategy for your organization and your supporters

Published in resources and strategy. 5 Comments Tags: , , , , .

I have said it many, many times and so have lots of others—you’re probably tired of hearing about how social media is supposed to be “a conversation.”  And that’s okay!  Because it isn’t JUST a conversation!  There’s calls to action, story telling, questions and requests, and much more.  And, more importantly, some of the messages, the stories and the campaigns don’t even come from you!  They come from your supporters. 

How can you create a strategy for your messages and campaigns in social media that respect this fact?  Here’s how!

This process is great to do as a team or as an organization.  If you have a room where everyone can sit, and an hour or two to bring everyone together, I really recommend you use this topic as an opportunity to hear what each department identifies and shares when working through the process below as the conversations that come up can be another chance to break down silos inside your organization!

On a flip chart or whiteboard (or if you are working through this by yourself, just use a piece of paper or a spread sheet on your computer) draw 4 vertical lines, creating 5 columns.  You may want to turn the flip chart sideways or use separate sheets for each column.

#1: Who are “They”

This column is for identifying all of your audiences.  Be sure to really consider this as there are probably many different groups, supporters, collaborators, or other audiences that you may not list right away!  It’s a great opportunity to bring different departments together to create a complete view of the organization’s audiences.

#2: What we Want

This is where you can list actions, knowledge, messages or anything else you want to give to your audience or have them do.  List these next to each audience group from the first column.  Remember that there could be more than one What we Want item per audience.

#3: How it Happens

In column 3, list how you deliver these messages or requests.  Are they online: in email, website, social media platforms (which ones?), etc.  Are they offline: at events, in your office, elsewhere?

#4: What they Want

Now it’s time to list what your different audience groups want from you!  Do they want information, support, value or recognition; maybe they want to be included, give feedback, share their stories or campaign on your behalf.  Again, there can be more than one What they Want per audience group.

#5: How it Happens

Just like in column 3, this column lists how these requests or exchanges can happen.

Stand back!

You’ve just created a map of all your audiences and how you and all of them can be sharing, conversing and campaigning in an aligned way!  The two “How it Happens” columns are great opportunities for evaluating which social media tools you are using for different audiences, something I’ve talked about on this blog before.  You can also easily see which messages and audiences naturally go together and which are separate.  And, if you did it as a team or full organization you can feel like you are all on the same page (or at least closer to it) by working through the process together!

What do you think?

How have you mapped your conversations and messages at your organization? Do you have any tips or suggestions you can share?  I’d love to hear how you’ve done it!

Published on November 24, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 5 Comments

We Need to Talk: Up for a Weekly Date?

Published in community. 8 Comments Tags: , , , .

So, I’ve been feeling this coming for a while now and have either put off saying something or just changed the subject.  I think we need to talk about our relationship.  And no, I’m not breaking up with you! :)   Instead, I want to take this relationship to the next level!

Here’s what I’m thinking:

1. I love comments on this blog. Why? Because every single one of them took thought, asks questions or adds to the conversation, and provides an opportunity for me to connect directly with all the smart people who read this blog.  I always (okay, 99.9% of the time) respond to comments via email and really value the exchanges that follow (whether they are on the blog or just in email).  I love this touch and go conversation so much that I want to take it to the next level!

2. I know you are smarter than I am. Why? Because I’m in a position by blogging away as I do to start conversations or serve as a convener for people looking to share ideas via the comments after blog posts but I’m not the one with all the answers or examples or tips.  We get all the good stuff when we come together and share.  So I want to do even more to create opportunities for that sharing and smartness to shine!

3. I’m ready to commit to this relationship. How? I’ve been blogging, facilitating, training, and collaborating with other amazing people in this space – technology and social change – for a while now and it’s no secret that this is my thing.  I’m not going anywhere.  I’m excited at the prospect of dedicating some consistent time to creating better dialogue for my readers and all of our colleagues!

Here the proposal:

Live weekly discussions hosted on this blog.

Who: You, me, and anyone else interested in listening or joining in.

Date: I am thinking Wednesdays because it is the day of the week I almost always am available without meetings or anything else.  I could be swayed by good argument for another day though.

Time: In order to get as many people as possible participating from the West Coast of the US all the way to Australia, well, I’m just not sure.  If it is 7 am in Australia, it’s 10 pm in London, and 2 pm in US Pacific.  That means we could all be awake, but 10 pm for me is not ideal for a mentally stimulating conversation!  What do others think?

Topic: I am open to just hosting, seeing who shows up, and having conversations as they develop organically.  Or, equally, having topics or even doing short presentations and then having conversation.  Or a mix.  What would you prefer? What would be most valuable to you?

We can start in September and give it a go for a while, evaluate together and continue iterating to co-create a valuable weekly conversation for all of us – that’s what community is all about, right?!

Can’t wait to hear your thoughts, ideas, and answers to the above questions to get some shape to the weekly discussion plan!

Published on August 27, 2009 by Amy Sample Ward. 8 Comments