[Chapter-delegates] Reminder: Chapters and Social Media

[Joly MacFie]

briefly, at ISOC-NY we are using the following:

Meetup.com - this costs $12/mth and the value of it has been the topic
of some debate on the board. However it serves a good purpose for
those enrolled in sending out reminders and serving as a route for
people interested to discover the chapter. We have a current roster of
83 group members.

Myspace.com - we don't use it.

Facebook - We have a FB Cause which has attracted a few members but no
donations (except a test one from Veni)  - it took a long time to come
thru and had a fee deducted  You have to be a 501c3 to register.
However it does have (optional) good visibility on member's pages.

On Facebook one has a choice between a groups and a page. A group
allows you to email all the users however updates are manual and
hidden in the notifications area. A page acts more like an individual
profile, status items are automatically added to "fan's" news feeds
(unless they switch you off).  We are currently running a page only.
The main function of either is to list events, which can then easily
be shared to friends by participants.

Twitter: we are using this pretty constantly and it is embedded in the
chapter home page. It serves two valuable functions; one - as a
bookmark service that allows us note important documents, articles, or
events without having to do a full entry on the site, and two, by
appropriate tagging to raise visibility of the chapter. We current
have 101 followers.

Ning: We don't use this as a chapter but participate in nings for
OneWebDay and the NCUC. It's a little kludgy but can and does serve as
an easy way for people to join in and gain visibility to each other.
The actual collaboration tools though are very limited - for instance
emails to other members of a group are restricted to 2k characters.
NCUC uses a stripped down version as a main website that integrates
their listserv for most internal discussion.

Media Wiki: We have a wiki and it serves a valuable function as a
place where resources and other info can be communally gathered.

WordPress: I just this last weekend attended WordCamp 09 in NYC and
there were several presentations on a social media style
implementations of this free software, which we currently use for our
site. There are many free themes & plugins  that allow the addition of
calendars, imported RSS, etc, with a relatively shallow learning
curve. A multiuser version (WPMU, which will be merged into the
regular version early next year) will allow various SIGs to maintain
there own blogs which can easily be integrated into a main site via
tags/categories. A set of plugins called BuddyPress gives full social
media functionality including groups with forums, email integration
etc.

The  basic WP theme that I constructed for ISOC-NY has already been
adopted by ISOC-DC and ISOC-CO. It is my expectation that this is the
way that we, and most chapters will go, building and sharing
implementations.

It is possible that one healthy WPMU install could actually serve all
the chapters as an integrated website/social platform. Domain mapping
is an incorporated feature.

Lastly I will mention a forthcoming book by a local writer: Share
This! How You Will Change the World with Social Networking by Deanna
Zandt - http://deannazandt.com/sharethischange - sure to be full of
good info.

joly

 ISOC-NY

On Mon, Nov 16, 2009 at 7:43 AM, Wendy Rickard <rickard at rickardgroup.com> wrote:
> Just a quick a reminder to those of you who haven't had a chance to respond
> to let us know if and how you are using social media tools. See below for
> complete query.
> Many thanks!
>
> Wendy
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: Wendy Rickard <rickard at rickardgroup.com>
> Date: November 11, 2009 7:44:16 AM EST
> To: chapter-delegates at elists.isoc.org
> Cc: ISOC Chapter Support <chapter-support at isoc.org>, Wendy Rickard
> <rickard at rickardgroup.com>
> Subject: Chapters and Social Media
> Folks,
>
> As part of my research for the Chapter Handbook, I am looking at ways in
> which Chapters use social media, such as Facebook, Linked-in, Twitter, and
> others. I have noticed that many of you are integrating social media into
> your Chapter work and I would like to know more about how you are using it.
> Do you think these tools are useful? If so, how?
>
> If your Chapter is using social media, please send me a note and let me know
> what works (and what does not seem to work) as well as if you have a
> specific social media strategy. More specifically, it would be helpful to
> know how you think social media can be used for best results in areas such
> as Chapter communications, attracting new members, discussing relevant
> topics in a timely fashion, and rallying members to participate in events,
> activities, and projects. Examples of how your Chapter uses social media is
> the best way for other Chapters to see how it is done, so please pass along
> lessons learned, tips, and insights.
>
> Your feedback by Monday, 16 November, would be most appreciated.
>
> Anne has also commented that your input will be useful for staff as they
> continue working on ways to support Chapters in areas of membership and
> communications.
>
> Many thanks!
>
> Wendy Rickard
>
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>
>
> _______________________________________________
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>
>



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