Geeking For Good http://geekingforgood.com Most recent posts at Geeking For Good posterous.com Mon, 13 Dec 2010 03:10:00 -0800 A Fundraising Story: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Dance to Justin Bieber http://geekingforgood.com/a-fundraising-story-or-how-i-learned-to-stop http://geekingforgood.com/a-fundraising-story-or-how-i-learned-to-stop

Dear reader, what better way to kick-off the new look Geeking For Good (now on Posterous) than by recounting a story about a girl who had a dream. A dream to get to Liverpool, and to raise some money for two awesome charities at the same time.

Yes, it's about my Your Big Year campaign. Now that the rush of the last few weeks appears to be over, it's time to sit back and review how I got to Liverpool in the first place.

Primary Goal: Achieve a Top 6 position in Fundraising table to ensure place at the Your Big Year finals.

I started fundraising back in late July. On that first evening, I tweeted the call for 5 people to spend less than 5 minutes donating $5 to the campaign by midnight. Starting late on a Friday evening (admittedly a bad time for rattling the virtual tin), I actually received 4 donations for a total of $116AUD - almost 5 times more than what I was asking for. I believe that asking for small donations lowered the barrier to entry for these initial donors - particularly given that it was a party night when Twitter stream is relatively quiet.

The real story in my campaign though can be seen in the last 48 hours. A throw-away comment at the TEDxCanberra organisers meeting became an in-joke that snowballed into success! At the organisers meeting, I'd flippantly announced that if I raised £1000, I would YouTube a video of me dancing to Justin Bieber. Others at the meeting latched on to the idea, egging me on. So I went home, recorded some video on my iPhone, and the donations just started rolling in. More than half of my donations (17, totalling just over $1000AUD, average of $60AUD) were received during this time.

  • 31 donations, totalling £1000 ($1600AUD), averaging around £33 ($50AUD) per contribution.
  • 260 clicks on http://bit.ly/YBYlozz short URL (launched donation widget for the campaign), worth £3.80 per click
  • Generated around 400 video views on YouTube during the last 2 days of competition.
  • During this period I had approximately 1100-1200 Twitter followers.

So what was the key to my success? Engaging content and a strong, supportive social network. Surprisingly, there were a few donations from people I'd never spoken to on Twitter (or even knew), so Retweets from my followers to a second-level network definitely played a role there.

If I did it again, I'd set up a ridiculous dare earlier and push it harder - but only for a short period, like a week or two. Message saturation occurs extremely quickly on Twitter, particularly amongst heavy users. There is the potential that too much frequency can actually make people annoyed rather than make them take action.

One last thing. That Primary Goal? Blew it out of the water - I was the top fundraiser by over £150. Thanks to Twitter, of course!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:10:00 -0800 Profiled on digitalbusiness.gov.au http://geekingforgood.com/profiled-on-digitalbusinessgovau http://geekingforgood.com/profiled-on-digitalbusinessgovau

The RSPCA has been featured in a case study for digitalbusiness.gov.au, for the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Sun, 05 Dec 2010 23:42:00 -0800 SaveasWWF: an inspired initiative? http://geekingforgood.com/saveaswwf-an-inspired-initiative http://geekingforgood.com/saveaswwf-an-inspired-initiative

When I first heard about SaveasWWF the other day, I thought it was a brilliant piece of inspired thinking. From the SaveasWWF website:

The WWF format is a PDF that cannot be printed out. It’s a simple way to avoid unnecessary printing. So here’s your chance to save trees and help the environment. Decide for yourself which documents don't need printing out – then simply save them as WWF.

There are many negative comments being posted on the WWF's news article. Some I agree with, particularly from a technical standpoint, such as this one from Chris:

As others have pointed out, any new technology must overcome considerable barriers before it gains the acceptance of the general public. This process can take years.

While SaveasWWF may not gain widespread acceptance, it will at least help steer conversations towards whether people need to print out documents. In today's society, where we have ever-increasing harddrive space, iPads and Kindles, we are no closer to a "paperless office" as when the idea was first floated in 1975.

Jung von Matt, the advertising agency behind SaveasWWF, should be commended for the way they have brought WWF's message to life.

 

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Wed, 10 Nov 2010 17:21:00 -0800 Google launches special search results http://geekingforgood.com/google-launches-special-search-results http://geekingforgood.com/google-launches-special-search-results

From today, certain searches relating to poisons or suicide on Google.com.au will deliver special results, giving life-saving information top priority over search results.

Google launched these special search results in the US last year, and were expanded to Australia after positive feedback from users.

The partner hotlines in Australia are Lifelife and Poisons Information Centre.

Searches for certain poisoning-related terms will show a large red phone icon and the words "For a poison emergency in Australia call 13 11 26." Suicide-related terms will show a similar result: "Need help? In Australia, call 13 11 14."

More from Lifelife.org.au

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Fri, 08 Oct 2010 14:36:00 -0700 Your Big Year http://geekingforgood.com/your-big-year http://geekingforgood.com/your-big-year

If you've been living under a rock (or not looking at Twitter) recently, you may not be aware that I'm competing in Your Big Year, a global competition.  If I win I will experience life in all five continents, meet with World Leaders, celebrities and inspirational people. I will also gain a global perspective of the difficult issues faced by communities around the world, from creating irrigation solutions in Africa to reaching disenfranchised young people in urban America. I’ll also learn new skills from real people and have the opportunity of sharing these with the world via the global media.

I need your help to raise funds and qualify for the final event in November. Fundraising closes at 1700 GMT on October 10, and the competition is heating up!

Donate to help out  and then head over to the Lozz's Big Year blog to get updates of my progress.

 

 

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Wed, 21 Apr 2010 10:43:19 -0700 StreetSmart Australia http://geekingforgood.com/2010/04/streetsmart-australia http://geekingforgood.com/2010/04/streetsmart-australia
Media_httpwwwstreetsm_abwnc
StreetSmart Australia announced their 2009-2010 results on Monday - an impressive $351,400 now funding 84 grassroots projects to help the homeless. I'm really impressed with how open and transparent StreetSmart are about where the money goes. In addition to providing details of recipients by year, state and amount, StreetSmart are ahead of the curve when it comes to nonprofit mapping in Australia - see their map demonstrating where StreetSmart grants have been distributed.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Tue, 20 Apr 2010 09:11:21 -0700 A new direction for Geeking for Good http://geekingforgood.com/2010/04/a-new-direction-for-geeking-for-good http://geekingforgood.com/2010/04/a-new-direction-for-geeking-for-good When I started this blog, the idea was to create a resource for Australian nonprofit workers just getting their feet wet with social media and wider nptech. However, there's so many nptech bloggers that cover this, quite frequently and in-depth every time. Why reinvent the wheel? Over the last few weeks I've been thinking about the next iteration of Geeking For Good, which takes the podcast idea I floated late last year and twists it into blog form. Would you, dear reader, be interested in reading all about campaigns and other initiatives happening in the Australian social media for social good space? I imagine I'd still throw in a how-to from time to time, but  the focus would be on the great things our Australian nptech community is doing. So, is  this a good idea? Would you read the blog if I took this direction? Let me know in the comments.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:17:38 -0800 NTC 2010 and a plea for help http://geekingforgood.com/2010/02/ntc-2010-and-a-plea-for-help http://geekingforgood.com/2010/02/ntc-2010-and-a-plea-for-help ***UPDATE*** Unfortunately, a personal issue has arisen that has upset my plans to attend 10NTC. The wonderful people who were so generous in helping me have received full refunds, an explanatory email and my eternal gratitude! Today, thanks to the generosity of the NTEN community, 57 lucky people (including me - woohoo!) have been granted scholarships to the 2010 Nonprofit Technology Conference to be held in Atlanta on April 8-10. The scholarship covers the cost of our individual conference tickets.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Tue, 19 Jan 2010 10:01:56 -0800 Foursquare in practise for nonprofits http://geekingforgood.com/2010/01/foursquare-in-practise-for-nonprofits http://geekingforgood.com/2010/01/foursquare-in-practise-for-nonprofits In the interest of practising what I preach, I'd like to share with you a project I've implemented at work involving Foursquare. RSPCA Australia has a scheme called Choose Wisely:
Choose Wisely businesses serve humanely produced eggs, chicken or pork (or all three) at a Gold, Silver or Bronze level, depending on whether they use them in all or some of their products.
As the participating businesses are restaurants and cafes, I thought it was a perfect way we could experiment with location-based services. If you're in Australia, you can search for "rspca choose wisely" in Foursquare and find the nearest businesses near you that participate. I've put in a request with Foursquare to see if we can have a special badge for venue check-ins, but I haven't heard back yet. So - community feedback time - what do you think?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Thu, 14 Jan 2010 09:00:39 -0800 3 Homegrown fundraising campaigns you should know about http://geekingforgood.com/2010/01/3-homegrown-fundraising-campaigns-you-should-know-about http://geekingforgood.com/2010/01/3-homegrown-fundraising-campaigns-you-should-know-about Today I’d like to highlight a few projects created by some social changemakers doing good for the Australian community.

Riding4acause

Riding4acause is a project by to raise awareness for male depression by 3 guys riding motorcycles. Their goal is to raise male depression – which is suffered by 1 in 8 men worldwide. From their website:
They will embark on their first major ride in September 2010, from Sydney to Glen Helen Resort  (see Rides page), joining Steve Andrews from Black Dog Ride, in an Australian wide initiative to educate the community about Male Depression. One year later, in September 2011, the guys will ride across the USA,  from Disneyland to Disneyworld, (the happiest places on earth, full route details here) leaving LA on the 25th of September 2011, arriving at Florida just in time for Biketoberfest.

The Perfect Gift For A Man

The Perfect Gift For A Man is a book with 30 stories about reinventing manhood. The book includes some amazing stories by well-known Aussies in the social media space. While you can download the free e-book, you can also buy a physical copy, with profits going to the Inspire Foundation.

5CentTweet

5CentTweet is a project I only learnt about today, but it looks very promising. The brainchild of @Glebe2037, the project is asking participants to donate 5 cents for every tweet they send during 2010, starting February. At the moment, there is a call for charity nominations to determine which organisation will get the funds. I’d like to start profiling more campaigns like the one above, so if you are involved in any similar projects, please let me know.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Tue, 12 Jan 2010 10:04:54 -0800 Keeping it real http://geekingforgood.com/2010/01/keeping-it-real http://geekingforgood.com/2010/01/keeping-it-real

When adding online and social media into the traditional communications and marketing mix, it’s easy to be swept up in the technology. Because online can provide us with so many metrics, it’s easy to forget you’re dealing with people, not numbers on a spreadsheet or fancy graphs in an analytics package.

Numbers are nice. But connecting with people is better – and more important.

I think if we can start our work with the mindset of “What behaviour do we want to create that people will want and need?” rather than “How do we do this thing that we’ve always done, but do it better digitally?”, we could more easily be creating these analog interactions in a digital world.

- Nic Hodges, “Uneven Distribution”

If your mindset is to do the same old thing in a new medium, you are selling your organisation short. It’s time to flip your thinking.

  • Don’t just make people read your stories. Listen to your supporters stories.
  • Don’t just wait for people to come to you for help. Proactively seek out opportunities for you to help people.
  • Don’t just create communications. Create community.

Rather than isolating people, the use of social media and other online technologies increases how well-connected people feel to each other and to the causes they love.

- Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog, “2010 Predictions: Number 1 is I’ll Keep Referring You to Beth”

How are you using social media to learn more about your supporters as people, and the stories they have to tell? How are you building a better community?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Sun, 10 Jan 2010 07:45:26 -0800 Is Foursquare the next big thing for the Australian nonprofit space? http://geekingforgood.com/2010/01/is-foursquare-the-next-big-thing-for-the-australian-nonprofit-space http://geekingforgood.com/2010/01/is-foursquare-the-next-big-thing-for-the-australian-nonprofit-space

Without a doubt, Twitter was the service that had Australian nptechies really excited last year. I think this year, Foursquare may just be the “next big thing” as it has finally been made available everywhere. Here’s a few scenarios for how Foursquare could work for nonprofits:

  • Op Shops – Everyone loves picking up a bargain at Vinnies or the Salvos – perfect for the creation of an Op Shopper badge.
  • Retail Stores – Some charities like the Cancer Council and the RSPCA have retail outlets, so perhaps these organisations could offer a discount to the current Mayor as a loyalty bonus for return business.
  • Volunteers – If the nonprofit has a physical volunteering location (soup kitchen, animal shelter, etc), a Big Heart badge could be offered for people who check-in often.
  • Events – Big events with a charitable slant might be able to offer an event-specific badge.
  • Campaigns – Restaurant-based campaigns like StreetSmart or Choose Wisely could have badges for people who check-in to a certain number of participating businesses.

Obviously, these scenarios are all dependent on getting Foursquare involved in creating badges for nonprofits. If any of these examples have got you thinking, why not contact Foursquare direct.

Are there any other examples you can think of? Leave a comment below!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Fri, 08 Jan 2010 22:47:27 -0800 Leveraging 2010 Consumer Trends http://geekingforgood.com/2010/01/leveraging-2010-consumer-trend http://geekingforgood.com/2010/01/leveraging-2010-consumer-trend Reading Trendwatching.com's Top 10 Consumer Trends for 2010 got me thinking about how nonprofits could potentially be taking advantage of these  this year. The trend of Embedded Generosity, where  "consumers will continue to respond well to products and services which have a charitable component" is a trend that many nonprofit marketing departments are already aware and taking advantage of in aligning their brands with relevant corporate entities. But what of the other trends? Could your nonprofit take advantage of Mass Mingling and "facilitate real-world meetups from social networks in a way that promotes their brand"? Why not invite your Twitter followers to a tweetup? It's a great way to meet your supporters, and strengthen the relationships you've created online.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Fri, 08 Jan 2010 01:50:00 -0800 Secret women's business http://geekingforgood.com/secret-womens-business http://geekingforgood.com/secret-womens-business

If, like me, you have been rather perplexed at the proliferation of Facebook status updates from your female friends containing just a colour in the last few days, the mystery is solved.

My initial thought (before knowing the reason) was, “this has to be the lamest Facebook meme yet”. Now that I know it’s apparently some breast cancer awareness campaign, I’m still not quite sure of it’s effectiveness.

Firstly, ok, yes, I’m now aware of the campaign. But I had to Google it, and found details over at Yahoo Answers. However, is it actually a campaign or just a meme? I haven’t been able to work out which (if any) charities/foundations are behind this.

If it were a campaign, surely it would be better executed if people stated the reason behind making a cryptic Facebook status update, rather than just stating “black”.

If there is a charity behind it, what ROI are they are trying to achieve? Number of perplexed males? Number of people blogging about how confused/annoyed they are about the campaign?

Despite being female, I’m not really moved to action (well, apart from blogging about it). I’m not surprised at how fast the meme has spread, but I’m highly skeptical of how effective this campaign is in spreading breast cancer awareness. We’re exposed to more pink products that are directly connected to breast cancer awareness just walking through the supermarket than seeing our friends spread the “I’m so naughty posting my bra colour on Facebook for a laugh” meme.

The jury in my head is still out over this. What say you?

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:24:03 -0800 Initial thoughts on an Aussie Social Good Podcast http://geekingforgood.com/2009/11/initial-thoughts-on-an-aussie-social-good-podcast http://geekingforgood.com/2009/11/initial-thoughts-on-an-aussie-social-good-podcast I put the call out on Twitter the other night to see if anyone would be interested in an Australian social good podcast, and had some positive feedback, so I’ve been thinking about how such a podcast could be run. Here’s some initial thoughts to get some ideas flowing: Motivation – Why start a social good podcast? I’d like to see the nonprofit technology and social good types sharing ideas with the digital community at large. I’m seeing a trend where the lines between digital and social good are blending for the better – take #manweek and Perfect Gift For A Man as just one example. Audience – Who would listen? Anyone interested in the intersection of social good and digital. Material – What would we talk about? How to use technology and social media to advance social good; the theory, execution and promotion of nonprofit/social good campaigns; discussion of wider digital trends and their potential application in the social good space. Given the material, perhaps a 15-30 minute runtime would be ideal. What do you think? Is this something you would be interested in participating in or listening to? Would you be keen to volunteer your time and expertise to help get this off the ground? Leave your comments and ideas below!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Wed, 11 Nov 2009 06:42:13 -0800 Authenticity + Awesomeness = @MCHammer http://geekingforgood.com/2009/11/authenticity-awesomeness-mchammer http://geekingforgood.com/2009/11/authenticity-awesomeness-mchammer In case you missed it in my tweetstream, I went to Social Media Club Sydney last night to see MC Hammer. Hammer is an absolute class act. Charming, articulate, and really well-versed in social media. His talk was very engaging and peppered with anecdotes that demonstrated Hammer is actually a major geek. He truly gets social media and has much to teach celebrities, brands, agencies and nonprofits. Some of the parts talk that resonated with me:
Why would you embrace social media as a brand? … You should never let somebody else tell your story.
I completely agree with Hammer in that brands should be using social media to help control flow of information. That said, in the case of nonprofit organisations (and to some extent, brands), they need to be encouraging other people to tell their stories too – interweaving the stories of an organisation and their supporters can enrich the social media experience for all involved.
Don’t run – engage. The humanising of your product is actually an asset.
Another takeaway that’s perfect for non-profits. Don’t be a faceless organisation – be human, be social – we’re talking about social media after all.
… be disruptive and shake up the world.
While the comment was aimed at entrepreneurs, I think it’s relevant for all – if anyone is to make a difference in the world, you have to be disruptive. Upset the status quo and make things better. In addition, Hammer talked with us about citizen journalism, social media analytics and gadgets. His talk was such a positive experience, and it was great to hear about social media from someone who lives and breathes it, in a very authentic and awesome way. Kudos to Social Media Club Sydney for the great night, and thank you MC Hammer for your time!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:30:15 -0800 The week in NPTech, 7 November 2009 http://geekingforgood.com/2009/11/the-week-in-nptech-7-november-2009 http://geekingforgood.com/2009/11/the-week-in-nptech-7-november-2009 This week saw the wider public gain access to Twitter lists, and the posts have been rolling in about how nonprofits can incorporate Lists into their social media strategy: In other news, Causes on Myspace is shutting down due to lack of activity (HT @rootwork). Entries are open for AshokaTECH’s “Blog your way to Hyderabad” competition, for those interested in an all-expenses-paid way to get to the event. The winner will be the official blogger, and will be expected to tweet, maintain a live blog, and interview attendees. Earlybird registrations are now open for the 2010 Nonprofit Technology Conference in Atlanta.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:15:00 -0800 The Hayfever Effect http://geekingforgood.com/2009/11/the-hayfever-effect http://geekingforgood.com/2009/11/the-hayfever-effect

This post is inspired by that nasty little response to allergens that I’m currently suffering through in the Canberra springtime. As I walked home yesterday afternoon, sniffling, sneezing, and generally feeling miserable, I drew a parallel in my mind about the “allergen response” that people may get when visiting websites (I told you I was a geek!).

What on your homepage is causing your visitors to get irritated, and are these irritations so bad that they give up and leave in frustration?

Conducting an allergen test

How can you tell if people are getting irritated? First port of call is your website analytics software.

What is the bounce rate of your home page? How many people are turning up, and then leaving without visiting another page? A secondary check is for the length of time people are staying on the homepage. In combination, these two metrics will provide a good snapshot of whether your homepage is causing a problem.

Now, it’s time to find out where the problem lies. Open up your homepage, take a few steps back from your computer, then take a look. Is your homepage too cluttered, too busy – presenting option overload?

Taking a closer look, is the text or graphics causing the issue? Are the navigation options too long, or too vague for people to understand quickly? Are graphics detracting from the text?

Finding the solution

As with hay fever, there are many solutions that you could try to implement, and it may take a while to find the right one(s). If you’re going to make minor changes, or overhaul the homepage completely, give each new iteration a chance to work. Take the time to experiment, take user surveys, and review your analytics regularly.

Once the right solution is found, you can breathe easy again, knowing that you’ve solved the allergy problems on your homepage.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:12:00 -0800 NTC 2010: Can you meet me halfway? http://geekingforgood.com/2009/11/ntc-2010-can-you-meet-me-halfway http://geekingforgood.com/2009/11/ntc-2010-can-you-meet-me-halfway Early-bird registrations are now open for the 2010 Nonprofit Technology Conference to be held in Atlanta on April 8-10. I am really keen to go, however, there’s one problem. I need help getting there! The cheapest return flights to Atlanta cost $1970AUD, and the earlybird conference registration is $559USD. As the AUD-USD exchange rate is quite good at the moment (although that could change at any time), I need somewhere between $2500 and $2750AUD to get there and back, before accommodation and food is even considered. So I’ve been sitting here thinking how to make this possible. I know my budget will allow for me to get a ticket either there, or back, but not both. Likewise, if I don’t purchase an earlybird ticket and flights soon, I run the risk of missing out on the conference entirely. Why do I want to go? To me, NTC 2010 presents an opportunity to meet the world’s leading nonprofit techies and social good changemakers. The opportunity to find out from the field’s leading thinkers the best techniques that I can bring back home and apply to my own organisation, and to also share these with the Australian nonprofit community as well. What is a geek girl with a dream, a blog, and a handful of connections to do? The proposal If I can be met halfway, I promise to blog, vlog, phlog and tweet as much humanly possible during the conference. I will also take the time to meet and interview 10 nonprofit technology leaders at the conference, in order to discuss with them their views on where nonprofit technology is heading in the next 10 years – a 2010 Ten for 2020 Visions interview series. If these are not good enough reasons for you, I’m open to any other challenges you have in mind. Can you help me get to NTC 2010? Any money raised above the final 50% cost of my airfare and conference ticket will be donated to two organisations doing work I really admire – half to Social Actions and half to Epic Change. Update 5 November: Jasmin Tragas (@wonderwebby) made the great suggestion of approaching corporate sponsors. Do you know any companies that might be interested? I can be a walking, talking billboard during the conference, for the right company for the right price!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/284965/twitterProfilePhoto.jpg http://posterous.com/users/Q2MPm5Xi3n Lauren Cochrane lozz Lauren Cochrane Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:34:00 -0800 Exploring social media platforms http://geekingforgood.com/2009/11/exploring-social-media-platforms http://geekingforgood.com/2009/11/exploring-social-media-platforms

I’m presenting at Website Redesign: Managing and Working with Social Media next month, so I’m hurriedly trying to finish my presentation before the due date.

My topic is Exploring the different platforms – where I’ll be discussing the various social media platforms, how to maintain your presences there, and how social media can be incorporated in websites to make them more Web 2.0.

The audience will be mostly corporate types, and from the looks of the speaker list, I’m the only non-profit person presenting. Here’s what I’m hoping to impart:

Look (and listen) before you leap.

Find out where your audience are already. Using tools such as Forrester’s Social Technographics Tool, you can gauge the existing behaviour of your target audience in the social computing space.

Find out what people are already saying about your brand, products or services online. The tools are free and readily available, such as:

If you have the budget, sign up to social media monitoring services – two Australian-based services are dialogix and BuzzNumbers.

Be open. Engage.

Don’t lock your social presence down. Let people comment on your YouTube videos, write on your Facebook wall and leave comments on your MySpace. Opening your company up to positive comments and potential criticisms is a good thing. Respond. Interact. Be human. Put your name in your Twitter Bio, and sign off with your name on Facebook or MySpace posts.

You don’t need a huge budget to get social

Nor do you need to make a huge impact to get value from social media. My organisation has some pretty good follower numbers across various platforms, but we’re not after numbers. We’re after engagement. If we can inspire just a small group of followers to take action or make a comment on an issue, I’m happy.

Integrate social media into your website.

Your website is no longer the only touchpoint for your brand. That’s why it’s essential to reach out and connect on social networks. Be aware that people use social networks for different reasons, therefore adapt your strategy for each platform.

Conversely, people who do visit your website may not realise you’re on various social networks. Make your website visitors aware of this, and you can enhance their experience of the brand.

  • Put social network badges prominently on the homepage.
  • Create a “social media” page on your website.
  • Make your media release section interactive. Embed YouTube videos and Flickr galleries in your online press releases.
  • Embed Twitter Gadgets that automatically update with brand keywords on various pages.

What are you thoughts?

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