using social media to engage professional alumni

Farra Trompeter @farra * farra@bigducknyc.com

Using social media to engage alumni

9th Annual Fogarty International Administrators Meeting October 22, 2010

www.bigducknyc.com

What is social media?

It’s about reaching and connecting people

traditional media social media

Encyclopedia Brittanica Wikipedia

New York Times TechCrunch

Print newsletter eNewsletter, Twitter, Facebook

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZ0z5Fm-Ng

Why should we use social media?

Maybe you shouldn’t…

Social media is not… •  Free •  An opportunity to control your message •  An opportunity to tell everyone what you think •  Inherently appealing and cool to millenials •  An alternative to clear messaging/mission

Social media is… •  Pretty low cost •  Growing by leaps and bounds, nationally and

internationally •  An opportunity for conversation •  A great way to reach certain audiences •  A complement to the messages you’re sharing

through other channels

That said…

http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/02/16/study-ages-of-social-network-users/

Average social network user = 37 Feb 2010

http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm

http://www.alexa.com

How do people participate?

http://forrester.typepad.com/groundswell/2010/09/social-growth-takes-a-breather.html

•  Helping alumni find jobs and connect •  Training alumni to use social media •  Meeting alumni where they’re at •  Providing tools to spread information •  Sparking alumni-generated content •  Promoting alumni networks •  Mobile reunions

Ways universities use social media to engage alumni

Source: Mashable http://mashable.com/2009/07/23/alumni-social-media/

Great! So now what do I do?

Start by listening

© robertcarlsen

Listening Online

Set up Google alerts, Technorati search, Twitter search, etc. http://socialmedia-listening.wikispaces.com/Tools

• Your name and people connected to your organization • Your institution’s name • Program or event names • Peer/competitor names and program/event names • Your tagline or other key phrases • URL for any web properties (main website, blog) • Related issues/topics • Common misspellings

Source: Beth’s Blog, Beth Kanter

Dive in and learn the lingo

• Encourage top-level staff to join Facebook, Twitter, etc. • http://www.webdoctus.com/2010/01/complete-guide-to-twitter-etiquette/ • http://www.pcworld.com/article/169120/facebook_etiquette_10_rules_for_better_socializing.html

Find out where your Fellows are online.

Jeffrey Beall

Send a survey or questionnaire

Select the right tools based on goals and audience.

© BoomeraATV

Source: Mashable http://mashable.com/2009/07/23/alumni-social-media/

http://hidefweb.com/blog/how-your-organization-can-leverage-new-groups-facebook

Key features of Facebook Groups

• Create a group and add users to it without opt-in • Automatic notifications • Email address to post to the group on the fly • Group chat • Collaboration on documents • Discussions & link-sharing • Can be open, closed, or secret

http://groups.yahoo.com/

Other social media options

•  Yahoo groups: http://groups.yahoo.com/ • Google groups: http://groups.google.com/ • www.rrripple.com • Grouply.com • www.bigtent.com • www.edmodo.com • www.zonkk.com

• www.teamlab.com • www.elgg.com • www.mixxt.net •  http://grou.ps • www.wiserearth.org/article/WiserEarthGroups •  Schoolology •  Saywire • Moodle.com • www.groupsites.com

Create a social media policy

•  Scan sample policies from other orgs •  http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php

•  Agree on contents •  Write them in a way that addresses concerns,

but feels friendly and easy to follow •  Try http://socialmedia.policytool.net/

•  Rollout through staff trainings/meetings •  Update 2x/year

Consider the resources you have available.

Photograph: Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2010/02/reflections-social-media-and-ngo-workshop-in-india.html

Managing a community takes time

•  Social media ≈ conversation

•  Social media usage is growing •  Look before you tweet! Listen and plan

before diving in

•  Choose the tools that are right for you, and be flexible and open

In sum…

Resources

Resources • NTEN: We Are Media http://www.wearemedia.org • Social Technographics http://blogs.forrester.com/groundswell/ • Beth’s Blog: Social Media and NGO/CSR Workshop in India http://bit.ly/aHcpbV • Frog Loop: Build Your Own Listening Dashboard http://bit.ly/3JIwZ • Using Social Media To Meet Nonprofit Goals http://www.idealware.org/sm_survey/download.php • Nonprofit Social Media Benchmark Study http://www.e-benchmarksstudy.com/socialmedia/

Let’s stay in touch

facebook.com/bigduck facebook.com/farratrompeter

farra@bigducknyc.com

bigducknyc.com/blog bigducknyc.com/blog/?author=6

twitter.com/bigduck twitter.com/farra

linkedin.com/in/farra

slideshare.net/farra

Thanks!

© Jeremy Crow

Want a copy of these slides? http://slideshare.net/farra

© supercutekittens.blogspot.com