Beth's Blog: How Nonprofits Can Use Social Media

WeAreMedia Module 5: Online Community Engagement Strategy and Skills - Participate and Win A Free Book!

Photo by FourDoxn

This week we are discussing and building Module 5: Online Community Engagement Strategy and Skills as part of NTEN's We Are Media: Social Media Starter Kit for Nonprofits project.   Here's the description:

An online community is an interactive group of people who are joined together by a common interest. Whether your organization creates its own branded social networking site, connects with people on blogs or sets up a presence on a larger online social networking site like Facebook, Digg, or YouTube, a critical factor for success is having an online community engagement strategy. An engaged online community can help your organization attract more traffic, loyal supporters, more content, more links, and other values. But it requires investing the time to build relationships with members (yes, even one-on-one interaction) or what we call "network weaving skills." This module covers the key touch points for developing an online community strategy and a look at network weaving skills.

Some of the inspiration for this module comes from Alexandra Samuel and her Bringing Your Community To Life workshop.  Alexandra suggests that you offer incentives for participation.  So, thanks to NTEN, we are offering prizes for participation - six lucky wiki contributors to Module 5 between now and August 3rd will have an opportunity to get a free copy of either Media Rules and Mobilizing Generation 2.0.

So, what do you have to do to get a free book?  Between now and Sunday, August 3rd, answer one of the key discussion questions at the wiki.   

• What questions do you need to ask to guide your online community building strategy?
• How do you encourage community participation?
• What are the best practices for network weaving (one-on-one interaction with your community members)?

It is super easy to participate.  Share a couple sentences about your experience from your nonprofit organization, or point to an excellent resource and add a sentence to describe it. Be sure to include your name with a link to your email or web site next to your contribution.   We'll pick six contributors randomly to receive a copy of Ben or Brian's awesome books.

What are you waiting for?

Google Apps Book Giveaway

Okay, I admit I'm reading tech books at the beach.  Earlier last month, the good folks at O'Reilly offered me some books for my summer reading list.  I requested a second copy so I could do a book giveaway for you all! 

Here's the first one.

I'm like many of you accidental techies out there  ... I've developed a method of trying to figure things out through a little trial and error, asking other people, or searching the FAQs or online user forums.   But that only goes so far.    And, if I had to support other people or was teaching a workshop on Google Apps, I'd sure want to have a book for the reference.

The book gives you the basic how-to's for Google's Productivity Suite (docs, spreadsheets, slide shows, gmail, google talk, and calendar).  It also covers Igoogle and google apps.  It's written in an entertaining way (what else would you expect given that David Pogue started the missing manual series.)

Here's how my blog book giveaways that I've been running over the past few months work:

• Leave a comment to this post about why you want the book
• I'll use random.org to select a random number and then the winner
• You have until July 11th

Congrats To Maureen Mayer, Feeding Broward County

 

Last week Ben Rigby of Mobile Voter, and the folks from Rock the Vote gave me a copy of their a new book Mobilizing Generation 2.0: A Practical Guide to Using Web 2.0 Technologies to Recruit, Organize and Engage Youth for a book giveaway on my blog.

Nineteen nonprofit folks left comments and the lucky winner is Maureen Mayer selected by random.

Why would we want a free book? 1. We are so cheap that more than half our budget is in-kind (we're the largest food pantry and community kitchen in the county plus about a million other things)so free is just about right, 2. We are so slammed, (numbers on meals and food are up 30-60% depending on the demographic) there is no way anyone would be allowed to go to the book store, in fact I hear them looking for me to come do who knows what, and 3. I had to define the term blog in a board meeting...3 months in a row. Has any of them read it, no. Has any staff or mgmt read it.....I shall comment no further, but I need some help! I shall use it to dominate the Web 2.0 for poverty, hunger and homeless advocacy and change. The bludgeoning idea is brilliant too....

Maureen Mayer is the Finance, Information and Technology staff person at The Cooperative Feeding Program in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.   It's the county’s largest food pantry and community kitchen, and they do so much more than just hand out turkeys on Thanksgiving to the homeless.  You've no doubt noticed that food prices are soaring and this has kept Maureen and other staff members who work at the agency very busy. 

If you are so inclined, you might to dedicate a little of your economic stimulus check to a hunger organization.  Maureen's program has a wonderful virtual food pantry donation campaign.   Of course, you may also consider a donation to the United Nations World Food Program and America’s Second Harvest.

I haven't received my copy yet, so no review (yet).   Here's the table of contents if you want to learn more about what's inside.    (Disclosure: I contributed a big picture essay in one of the chapters)

Congrats to Browyn Stuckey, Winner of Jesse Stay's Facebook Book!

About a month ago, I presented at O'Reilly's Graphing Social Patterns West where I met Jesse Stay co-author of the excellent guide about Facebook. He graciously offered to give me a copy of his book about to be published book, "I'm on Facebook, Now What?" as a book away for the blog.

So I announced it on my blog and on Facebook.   Twenty-two people left comments.   I used a random selection process (detailed here).  The lucky winner was Browyn Stuckey

For those of you who have entered these giveaways and haven't won anything, please hang in there.  I have some other books that I will be giving away and if you really want a copy of the Jesse's Book - click through to amazon and order it. 

 

I'm on Facebook, Now What? Book Giveaway (Give it to your Executive Director)

About a month ago, I presented at O'Reilly's Graphing Social Patterns West where I met Jesse Stay co-author of the excellent guide about Facebook. He graciously offered to give me a copy of his book about to be published book, "I'm on Facebook, Now What?" as a book away for the blog.

It isn't a thick book, it's a quick read, but not fluff.   The book gives you a great over and introduction to Facebook, followed by introductory getting started.  The chapter on privacy explained a lot about what you can and can't control.   Chapter 6 - Your Facebook Strategy that talks about how much time is needed before you see results and some time savers is a gem.   There is also a chapter that explains Facebook No's No's - like what does or does not violate the terms of service or etiquette.

So, I thought I'd read it on my return plane ride, jot down a few notes, and give the book way. Well, it was so filled with practical and useful information that selfishly I wanted to keep it for myself.  So,  I emailed him and told him I was going to come clean with my readers and let them - oh no, not giving this one away.  But Jesse generously offered a second book for a reader giveaway.

So, here's the deal.  Leave a comment on why you want this book and how you plan to change the world with Facebook - or whatever - and I'll use a random number generator to pick someone.  You have to agree to write a review on Amazon.  You have until next Friday, April 18th, Noon EST.