2009 Mid West Region Leadership Conference Social Media: Meeting the Potential of Meeting Spaces Don Blake, NEA

Agenda Overview: Web 2.0 and Social Media Step-by-Step… What is a: --Blog --Social Network --Wiki --Tweet Examples Is Social Media for You? Discussion/Q&A

Move people to action Move people to action Create power Create power Appeal to self-interests Appeal to self-interests Are both a science and an art Are both a science and an art Build organizational capacity Build organizational capacity What Organizing and Technology have in common: “With some candidates in the 2008 Presidential election embracing every facet of Web 2.0 to get their message out…your next president may be no further than a friend-add on Facebook.” – Time Magazine

The growing accessibility of information technologies puts the tools required to: Collaborate Create Value Compete …at everybody’s fingertips Peer Production “glocalization” What Organizing and Technology have in common: “Organizing is a fancy word for relationship building.” Ernesto Cortes

Social Media is…

Well… Sort of…

Social Media Really is…

That is powered by…

It is a conversation between…

People “Facebook is becoming the social operating system of the Internet, poised to support a whole new generation of Businesses ‘Even TV does not have the same level of engagement. Right now, Facebook is unique.’” – Forbes

Social media: A chance to revitalize collective action for the 21 st Century Concentrate on the relationships NOT the technology! “I AM THE NEA:” New Tools, New Culture

Web 2.0 and Social Media Web 2.0 is a term often applied to a perceived ongoing transition of the World Wide Web from a collection of websites to a full-fledged computing platform serving Web applications to end users… Social Networks Wikis Folksonomies

Social Media Toolbox RSS Blogs/Photoblogs Podcasts Vodcasts/Youtube Wikis Twitter Social Networks

Social Media: Three Basic Elements, Three Dynamic Changes (1)Everybody can be a publisher (2)There are no gatekeepers (content or comments) (3)Finally, social media is about the tools themselves (1)the way that technologies are designed, (2)the way that participation spreads, (3)the way that people behave. Elements: Dynamic Changes:

Opportunities in Social Media Establishing a simple Web presence Promoting specific actions or petitions Consolidating existing, unofficial social media related to your organization Informal outreach that blends the personal and professional Researching potential partners, employees, etc. Strengthening relationships between people who already know each other Encourage and respond to constituent feedback quickly

What is Social Networking? Any online technology or practice that people or groups of people use to share content, opinions, insights, experiences, perspectives and media.

Web-based services that allow individuals to: (1)construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2)articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, (3)view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. Social Networking Sites Social network sites are unique not because they allow individuals to meet strangers, but rather that they enable users to articulate and make visible their social networks.

Breaking it down No one telling you what to do Facebook MySpace Ning CollectiveX Social Networks: “Organizing is a fancy word for relationship building.” Ernesto Cortes

Identity production Profiles are digital bodies, public displays of identity where people can explore impression management. Because the digital world requires people to write themselves into being, profiles provide an opportunity to craft the intended expression through language, imagery and media. Explicit reactions to their online presence offers valuable feedback. Social Networking: Three Basic Elements

Hanging Out MySpace is both the location of hanging out and the cultural glue itself. MySpace and IM have become critical tools for members to maintain "full- time always-on intimate communities" where they keep their friends close even when they're physically separated. Such ongoing intimacy and shared cultural context allows members to solidify their social groups. Social Networking: Three Basic Elements

Digital Publics By going virtual, digital technologies allow one to (re)create private and public space while physically in controlled spaces. Social Networking: Three Basic Elements

Social Media Toolbox RSS Blogs/Photoblogs Podcasts Vodcasts/Youtube Wikis Twitter Social Networks

Examples Social Networks: NEA on Facebook NEA Student Program on NING SDEA Membership Recruitment Program SDEA Site for BODs SDEA Presidents Network NDEA GFESPA Blogs: SDEA Wikis: GFEA NEA UniServ Academy Youtube: NEA

Is Social Media For You? You’re still trying to get a handle on your association’s basic technology infrastructure Your target audiences aren’t using social networking tools You don’t have time to experiment with something that might not work You’re not willing to work with technologies that don’t work as well as they could You’re not willing to invest in gaining a real understanding of the medium You want clear editorial control over your brand and message Six signs that Social Media Isn’t for You: