MySpace, Facebook, Hi5, Orkut, Friendster, YouTube, Yelp, Flickr, Tribe, Doostang, LinkedIn, oh my!
Are you overwhelmed by the enormity of social networking sites out there?
Are you asking yourself...is this really something my organization should be involved with?
Well...we have some answers.
First of all, if you are looking to increase web traffic on your org's site, are interested in having greater online exposure, and would like to see online donations increase...then YES...social networking sites are for you.
Social networking sites, such as the ones listed above, can act like satellite websites for your main site. You have the potential to reach a vastly different audience than through conventional online means.
Those who stumble on your social networking profiles are able to interact with your organization. Social networking pages allow for your organization to truly engage the public. Members of the network can post comments and stories, send you messages, watch videos, join your circle of friends, grab and post banners, tell-a-friend, receive postings and emails, and click on links which feed them onto your main website.
In addition to engaging those who befriend you, social networking sites also allow you exposure to friends of your friends. Once someone befriends you, you show up in their list of friends. This allows for a more personal connection to your organization. Your friend, even though they may know relatively little about your organization, suddenly becomes a referral as all of their friends see that they are a fan of your organization.
You can imagine, if you have a friend you look up to, and they have an org listed as one of their friends, and maybe even have one of their banner ads posted on their page too, you are likely to be curious as to why they are into the organization. Your curiosity is easily satisfied as you click onto the org's profile. And wala...they may become your favorite new charity too.
We'd love to hear about your experiences with social networking sites.
Social Networking For Non-Profits
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1 comment:
Hi! My organization Benefit Arts is just starting out online. We've made a great MySpace page and it is already getting lots of hits and friends. We're in the process of creating banners and a donate button.
We're thinking of making a Facebook page for the organization. I keep hearing about applications that work with Facebook geared towards non-profits. Does anyone have any information about those they could share. Thanks so much...this is a great resource Non-Profits Online!!!
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