Lisa Meyers Brown responded to my question to her about her observations of the state of blogging by nonprofits.
I'll try to be focused here by simply saying that the nonprofit world is seemingly in a place of exploration, as are many for profits. We're not sure how to use blogs most effectively, the ROI, how to strategically integrate ourselves into the medium given the "rules" of blogging, and even more, how to genuinely integrate ourselves into the conversations about cancer that are already going on without us, etc. There are still far many more questions than answers at this point.
Recently, Susan Getgood, marketing consultant , posted a comment in this thread:
When I talk to my for-profit clients about blogs, one of the main ways I tell them that a blog might help their marketing efforts is to build on an existing community of users or interests. Non-profits typically have such a community going into the game, so the question becomes how can the blog enhance the effort, and who should blog. What I will be talking about at BlogHer is the idea of getting your customers to do the talking on the blog. The same might work extremely well for a non-profit.
And, Lisa has added another mini-case study post on nonprofit blogging that describes the March of Dimes blog and the community interaction taking place:
They are clearly blazing a trail -- providing general posting guidelines and a much-needed disclaimer. This disclaimer is so key to nonprofits as most fear being accountable for information and opinions posted on the site that may not mesh with organizational guidelines/policies and/or science-based research, etc. Understandable as most are in the business of saving lives, preventing illness, educating the masses about prevention, detection, treatment, etc. See the disclaimer below:
"Disclaimer: We are pleased to provide a forum for sharing, and remind everyone that the viewpoints, opinions and actions expressed here are those of the individuals themselves, and may not reflect March of Dimes policies or positions. Information on this site does not take the place of guidance from your health care provider. Always verify information with your health care provider before taking action. Any messages or stories shared on this site may be used in other March of Dimes marketing activities."
In my mind, I was making a connection to online communities and codes of conduct and the many articles on Full Circle's web site on this topic. And, then I saw this in my reader from Nancy White's Full Circle Interaction Blog.
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