Farra Trompeter @farra * [email protected]
Using social media to engage alumni
9th Annual Fogarty International Administrators Meeting October 22, 2010
www.bigducknyc.com
What is social media?
It’s about reaching and connecting people
traditional media social media
Encyclopedia Brittanica Wikipedia
New York Times TechCrunch
Print newsletter eNewsletter, Twitter, Facebook
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZ0z5Fm-Ng
Why should we use social media?
Maybe you shouldn’t…
Social media is not… • Free • An opportunity to control your message • An opportunity to tell everyone what you think • Inherently appealing and cool to millenials • An alternative to clear messaging/mission
Social media is… • Pretty low cost • Growing by leaps and bounds, nationally and
internationally • An opportunity for conversation • A great way to reach certain audiences • A complement to the messages you’re sharing
through other channels
That said…
http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/02/16/study-ages-of-social-network-users/
Average social network user = 37 Feb 2010
http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
http://www.alexa.com
How do people participate?
http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2010/09/social-growth-takes-a-breather.html
• Helping alumni find jobs and connect • Training alumni to use social media • Meeting alumni where they’re at • Providing tools to spread information • Sparking alumni-generated content • Promoting alumni networks • Mobile reunions
Ways universities use social media to engage alumni
Source: Mashable http://mashable.com/2009/07/23/alumni-social-media/
Great! So now what do I do?
Start by listening
© robertcarlsen
Listening Online
Set up Google alerts, Technorati search, Twitter search, etc. http://socialmedia-listening.wikispaces.com/Tools
• Your name and people connected to your organization • Your institution’s name • Program or event names • Peer/competitor names and program/event names • Your tagline or other key phrases • URL for any web properties (main website, blog) • Related issues/topics • Common misspellings
Source: Beth’s Blog, Beth Kanter
Dive in and learn the lingo
• Encourage top-level staff to join Facebook, Twitter, etc. • http://www.webdoctus.com/2010/01/complete-guide-to-twitter-etiquette/ • http://www.pcworld.com/article/169120/facebook_etiquette_10_rules_for_better_socializing.html
Find out where your Fellows are online.
Jeffrey Beall
Send a survey or questionnaire
Select the right tools based on goals and audience.
© BoomeraATV
Source: Mashable http://mashable.com/2009/07/23/alumni-social-media/
http://hidefweb.com/blog/how-your-organization-can-leverage-new-groups-facebook
Key features of Facebook Groups
• Create a group and add users to it without opt-in • Automatic notifications • Email address to post to the group on the fly • Group chat • Collaboration on documents • Discussions & link-sharing • Can be open, closed, or secret
http://groups.yahoo.com/
Other social media options
• Yahoo groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/ • Google groups: http://groups.google.com/ • www.rrripple.com • Grouply.com • www.bigtent.com • www.edmodo.com • www.zonkk.com
• www.teamlab.com • www.elgg.com • www.mixxt.net • http://grou.ps • www.wiserearth.org/article/WiserEarthGroups • Schoolology • Saywire • Moodle.com • www.groupsites.com
Create a social media policy
• Scan sample policies from other orgs • http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php
• Agree on contents • Write them in a way that addresses concerns,
but feels friendly and easy to follow • Try http://socialmedia.policytool.net/
• Rollout through staff trainings/meetings • Update 2x/year
Consider the resources you have available.
Photograph: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images
http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2010/02/reflections-social-media-and-ngo-workshop-in-india.html
Managing a community takes time
• Social media ≈ conversation
• Social media usage is growing • Look before you tweet! Listen and plan
before diving in
• Choose the tools that are right for you, and be flexible and open
In sum…
Resources
Resources • NTEN: We Are Media http://www.wearemedia.org • Social Technographics http://blogs.forrester.com/groundswell/ • Beth’s Blog: Social Media and NGO/CSR Workshop in India http://bit.ly/aHcpbV • Frog Loop: Build Your Own Listening Dashboard http://bit.ly/3JIwZ • Using Social Media To Meet Nonprofit Goals http://www.idealware.org/sm_survey/download.php • Nonprofit Social Media Benchmark Study http://www.e-benchmarksstudy.com/socialmedia/
Let’s stay in touch
facebook.com/bigduck facebook.com/farratrompeter
bigducknyc.com/blog bigducknyc.com/blog/?author=6
twitter.com/bigduck twitter.com/farra
linkedin.com/in/farra
slideshare.net/farra
Thanks!
© Jeremy Crow
Want a copy of these slides? http://slideshare.net/farra
© supercutekittens.blogspot.com
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