Prometheus Unbound

BUILDING COMMUNITIES ON THE WEB

A Growing Shift 

 

There is a growing shift of nonprofit organisations around the world gavitating towards Social Media. Its fire is catching on here in New Zealand as well. But there are pitfalls. Professionally, I advise our clients not to get too focused on any specific technology. Why? Because technologies will continually evolve, change and in some cases disappear.

 

Consider some of the important attributes of Social Media and how it builds communities using the Web:

 

·   It is not a revolution in communications. It is an evolution that involves how one shares information and interact with others;

 

·   It is not an additional computer-related program. Instead, it enhances how we are already communicating;

 

·   Social Media is distributing information that can be easily commented upon and shared;

 

·   It increases search engine optimisation. It allows the right people to find you;

 

·   It enables measurement of the impact that communications programmes have on your organisation;

 

·   It is modular and scalable and always starts with the basics.

 

Nonprofit organisations will need fluidity in their thought processes and approaches. They will need to adapt community-based principles if they want to be successful in building their own constituencies and communities using the Web.

 

The Future of Social Media

 

We are often asked what the future of Social Media will look like but forecasting the future seems to be dangerous ground. But we would like to step outside the box a little and provide more insights. So here we go.

 

The future of Social Media will be dictated by the community’s rapid adoption of new media forms. Change occurs dynamically and even more so in online communities as new applications develop. Today is gone. Communities’ behavior will change but relationships must be maintained. It depends on what the community wants.

 

Community-Based Principles

 

If communications is about building relationships with a community as a whole and their individual members, then nonprofit organisations need to adapt community-based principles if they want to be successful in building their persona on the Web.

 

Here are a few principles that can help get them there sooner.

 

1) Forget About Controlling The Message. Command and control is dead. Social media experts have been touting this for years now, but it still seems to be relevant issue. Two-way communications are the heart of any relationship. Controlled relationships are considered dysfunctional on an individual basis, and from a large community standpoint, authoritative or dictatorial. Because social media is inherently two-way, a controlling entity that enters the community will be met with anger, distrust, and either rebellion or deaf ears.

 

2) The Transparency + Honesty + Ethics Rule. How can you have a relationship with one person or many if you don’t behave well? This isn’t about baring trade secrets or intellectual property. It’s about basic human relations, and creating a strong foundation for long-term, two-way mutually beneficial relationship.

 

3) Participation Can Mean Savvy Marketing. Creating content is not enough because it’s still a one-way mindset. Listen to what others have to say. Get out there into their realm. Comment and contribute to larger community groups and social networks and interact with the writers. In short, your organisation cannot become respected by the community unless it is actually part of the community. Actively engage the community on its turf.

 

4) The Internet Now Rivals Television. Communication to audiences is an out-dated 20th century approach to mass communications — TV, radio broadcasts, movies, speeches, etc. Thanks to Social Media the audience today talks back, forcing organisations to address them in a conversational, two-way manner. The long-term results should be self-evident with a much more engaging, community-based active discussion.

 

5) Getting To Know All About You. As a strategic principle, build value for the community. When looking to “promote” your organisation, get to know your community first. It is only by listening, reading and understanding that you can serve them with valuable information, develop relationships and build influence.

 

6) With A Little Help From My Friends. Inspire your community with real, exciting information, not corporate propaganda about your organisation’s mission statements. You need to appreciate that your community has problems and that you might have some answers. Creating content for them does not mean giving them a press release. It means delivering great content that talks to them and their concerns.

 

7) Keeping It Fresh, Always. Intelligently manage your media forms to build a stronger, loyal community. Intelligently creating content to build a community through the Web means making it easy for community members to come back. Keep your content fresh and update them regularly. Manage your RSS feeds intelligently. Make them obvious and accessible on your organisation’s website. And don’t let any of them lie fallow. Create content on a schedule so readers’ expectations of regular updates are met. When the time comes for a call to action to muster the troops, they will saddle up and many of them will ride with you.

 

Learn more about what the author of this blog and Convergent Digital Solutions Ltd. do for nonprofits.

Author’s Note: The list of nonprofit organisations that Karl Quirino & Associates and Convergent Digital Solutions Ltd. provide service to in New Zealand include: Animal rescue and welfare organisations, Blood Banks, Children’s Clubs, Clothing Distribution Centres, Community Learning Centres, Community Volunteer Fire Departments, Community Volunteer Search/Rescue Groups, Community Volunteer EMS Departments, Community Counseling Centres, Community Support Groups, Cultural Organisations, Crisis Support Organisations, Disaster Relief Organisations, Educational and Literacy Organisations, Food Banks, Food Distribution Organisations, Legal Services for Charities, Health and Medical Support Groups, Homeowners’ Associations and Groups, Humane/Animal Groups, Maori Organisations, Non-Profit Schools, Organ Donation Organisations, Pacific Islands and Other Ethnic Organisations, Parent/Teacher Associations or Organisations, School Extracurricular Groups and Fundraisers, Scouting Organisations and Groups, Shelters For Homeless and the Disadvantaged, Social Service Charity Organisations, Teachers’ Organisations, Treatment Centres or Support, Victims’ Support Groups, Volunteer Fire and EMS Services and Youth Sports Organisations.