Storify: Tips for Growing Your Community #Commbuild Tweet Chat
Starting a community can be daunting, and growing it can be even harder. How do you build your group so that it isn’t just you talking to an empty room?
The commbuild community came together on May 7 to share tips for marketing a new community (be authentic!) and leveraging the power of your network (be promiscuous!) More importantly they questioned whether control is desirable or even possible.
Enjoy this summary of the tweet chat.
[#Commbuild Tweet Chat] Growing Your Community: Hacks for Finding Your Tribe
I’m gonna host a #commbuild chat on May 7. You should join us!
TOPIC: Growing your community: hacks for finding your tribe
DATE: Tuesday, May 7, 2013
TIME: 1–2 PM ET/ 10–11 AM PT
Starting a community can be daunting, and growing it can be even harder. How do you grow your group so that it isn’t just you talking to an empty room? Because THAT is demoralizing! :-p
There are tricks and hacks (AKA “best practices”) that you can use to accelerate your community growth. Join the #CommBuild-ers to learn from grizzled experts and share your secrets to community growth and success.
Join the tweet chat and follow the hashtag #commbuild.
YOUR FACILITATOR
Elijah van der Giessen must be 100 years old, because he started doing Community Building back when “online social networks” consisted of email. Eli is the NetSquared Local Community Curator supporting a global volunteer network of 50 groups that each year hold over 450 events for the nonprofit technology sector. He’s also been the volunteer coordinator for outdoor festivals, environmental NGOs and Canadian Idol.
ABOUT #COMMBUILD
These conversations are focused on issues and topics relevant to those working on community building or in community management roles. They are open to anyone interested in learning and sharing about building community, on and offline, with the use of social media or other technology tools.
[#Commbuild Tweet Chat] Growing Your Community: Hacks for Finding Your Tribe
I’m gonna host a #commbuild chat on May 7. You should join us!
TOPIC: Growing your community: hacks for finding your tribe
DATE: Tuesday, May 7, 2013
TIME: 1–2 PM ET/ 10–11 AM PT
Starting a community can be daunting, and growing it can be even harder. How do you grow your group so that it isn’t just you talking to an empty room? Because THAT is demoralizing! :-p
There are tricks and hacks (AKA “best practices”) that you can use to accelerate your community growth. Join the #CommBuild-ers to learn from grizzled experts and share your secrets to community growth and success.
We’ll be talking about:
- Event formats that promote group growth
- How you can hack meetup.com to find venues and speakers
- Levaging the power of other people’s networks to grow your community
- Setting up your community to grow by giving up control
- The sexiest #nptech topics of 2013
Join the tweet chat and follow the hashtag #commbuild.
YOUR FACILITATOR
Elijah van der Giessen must be 100 years old, because he started doing Community Building back when “online social networks” consisted of email. Eli is the NetSquared Local Community Curator supporting a global volunteer network of 50 groups that each year hold over 450 events for the nonprofit technology sector. He’s also been the volunteer coordinator for outdoor festivals, environmental NGOs and Canadian Idol.
ABOUT #COMMBUILD
These conversations are focused on issues and topics relevant to those working on community building or in community management roles. They are open to anyone interested in learning and sharing about building community, on and offline, with the use of social media or other technology tools.
Last Chance for Early Bird Tickets to NetSquared Camp
There is just one more day left to get a NetSquared Camp ticket at the early bird price.
If you buy on Tuesday tickets are a cheap $25. On May 1 the price increases to a (slightly less cheap) $30.
Be thrifty! Get your ticket today!
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Hi there!
As though our monthly Net Tuesday meetups aren’t awesome enough, we’re organizing a full day unconference.
Join us on Saturday, June 1, 2013 for NetSquared Camp 2013!
We’ll be jamming at The HiVE from 9:30 am to 4:00 pm.
Tickets are available now.
If you’ve been looking for a place to collaborate with and learn from other non-profits, web innovators and social change makers, then THIS is the place for you! You’ll come away with insightful conversations, explorations, stories, and new relationships that will take your work to the next level.
Best of all, the content and structure of the unconference is decided by you!
To purchase a ticket, or find out more information check out our Eventbrite page.
Questions? Give Eli a shout at eli@nettuesday.ca or tweet me at @elijah
Upcoming Webinar: Steward Your Donors for Retention!
Is your non-profit losing donors? It’s a problem many non-profits face year after year. What’s more frustrating is that it often leads to spending more money on acquisition year after year, decreasing fundraising ROI. But you don’t have to be stuck in this cycle. What’s the solution to this problem? Stewardship!
On Thursday, May 9th, Vanessa Chase of www.philanthropyforall.ca will be presenting Steward Your Donors For Success – a webinar to equip non-profits with tools they need to provide their donors will amazing stewardship that retains donors and leads to increased giving.
During this one hour webinar you’ll learn:
- The basics of all-star stewardship and why it’s an absolutely necessary component of your fundraising work
- 3 things your donors expect your charity to do after they’ve made a gift
- How to integrate stewardship into your work plans year-round
Link to register: http://pfa-blog.com/
Video: SANKASET – Getting Engaged & Citizen Stereotypes
On March 12 I had the pleasure of joining Kristina Lemieux and Trevor Loke to talk about all things citizen engagement. FUN!
Check out Sankaset for more.
[vimeo 61769065 w=400 h=300]
Event Report: Digital Storytelling Panel
Net Tuesday Vancouver celebrated TechSoup Global’s Digital Storytelling Month on April 2 by holding a panel event bringing together film makers, designers, web developers and writers.
The panel discussion showcased some digital storytelling tools with examples of them at work, providing attendees with new mediums and skills in conveying their organization’s message.
Storify by David Gloyn-Cox.
April 2013 – Digital storytelling
Digital storytelling is "using the tools of digital media to craft, record, share and value the stories of individuals and communities, in ways that improve our lives" (Center for Digital Storytelling). Non-profit organizations can now leverage an ever growing number of tools…
Storified by Net Tuesday· Wed, Apr 03 2013 22:31:13
Digital storytellingLive video on youtube: click here. Digital storytelling is "using the tools of digital media to craft, record, share and value the s…
Our Panel
Meetupstatic
Vanessa Chase – Philanthropy for All –@vanessaechase – Vanessa is a writer, non-profit collaborator and philanthropy advocate. Her interest in storytelling and donor relations drives her work. She has worked for several non-profits in Vancouver, Canada as a fundraiser and communications specialist. Vanessa utilizes stories to emotionally connect donors to the organization’s mission in a way that inspires their involvement.
Meetupstatic
Jason Toal – http://www.jasontoal.ca – @draggin– By day, Jason works in an educational support unit that delivers e-learning solutions to the teaching community. By night, he participates (and DJs) in an open Digital Storytelling course (DS 106) out of the University of Mary Washington. DS 106 explores the web as a culture, as a media source, and as a place to publish in the open.
Meetupstatic
Andrew Nguyen – Lemongrass Films –@andrew_director – Andrew has worked with numerous organizations to make films that move people and influence thinking. He focuses on projects that contribute to social value and affect positive social change. Working closely with clients, he develops story ideas that respond to a client’s communications objectives and resonate with the intended audience.
Meetupstatic
Phillip Djwa – Agentic Digital Media – @phillipdjwa– Phillip is a certified Internet Marketing specialist and strategist with more than 18 years experience in the high-technology industry. During this time, Phillip has worked on a wide range of technology and web-integrated communications projects for Fortune 500 companies, high-tech start-ups, and not-for-profit organizations.
The quick and fast presentations…
Vanessa, led the charge…
Vanessa Chase on Digital Storytelling at Net Tuesday VancouverWhy Storytelling?
Recap from Net Tuesday’s Digital Storytelling for Non-ProfitsApril 3, 2013 | Filed under: Ideas, Resources, Tips and tagged with: Net Tuesday Vancouver, Non-Profit Storytelling Wow, did I ever have …
Followed by Jason, who showed us the delights of audio and DS106
From cassette tape to pencil and paper, THESE are my best digital storytelling tools. Seriously. | jasontoal.caI’ve had a lot of time to consider what I would talk about at the Net Tuesday meetup today on Digital storytelling, but even this morning…
Welcome to ds106We worked with design this week. Safari Trip I had planned on going to the mall to complete this, but I don’t have any money for gas righ…
The Andrew
Andrew Nguyen lemongrass presentationDigital Storytelling event at Net Tuesday April 2 2013
Visualizing Climate ChangeLemongrass
And last but not least… Phillip
Agentic Digital Storytelling deck for Net TuesdayDigital Storytellingthrough Digital Media Agentic Communications, Inc. Phillip Djwa Suite 701 – 207 West Hastings P
The Video
Digital Storytelling – Net Tuesday Vancouverevdg
Before the Feed, here is a challenge…
There is a non-profit Digital Storytelling challenge #ntvan that you should participate in. ow.ly/jqYPV HT @techsoup #tsdigsNet Tuesday Meetup
TechSoup Digital StorytellingFirst Place Video Connect2give suite annual plan Notebook PC MobileBeacon hot spot and one year of unlimited 4G service GoToMeeting with …
The feed…
Crowd gathered for @nettuesday #ntvan pic.twitter.com/UCru4vOPupPhillip J Djwa
@NetTuesday learning all about digital storytelling! #ntvanGrowing Chefs
#ntvan Digital storytelling is getting ready to start… Join @phillipdjwa, @draggin, @vanessaechase and @andrew_director.Net Tuesday Meetup
#ntvan @NetTuesday standing room only! Looking forward to a conversation about digital storytellingJohn F. Gray
Couldn’t get to the the #ntvan "Digital Storytelling" talk so I’m following on twitter. If you’re there in the flesh, please tweet mightily.Hugh Stimson
Intros from the panel, digital marketing begins. #ntvanNet Tuesday Meetup
Super-excited for the #ntvan digital storytelling event presented by @NetTuesday! Ready to learn!shaena
Glad to be at Digital Storytelling @nettuesday #ntvanLaura Skosnik
Listen to our Digital Storytelling event on #ds106radio ds106rad.io/listen #ntvanChad Leaman
A guide to what kind of stories work.. #ntvanNet Tuesday Meetup
#ntvan @vanessaechase is up first… Why Storytelling?Net Tuesday Meetup
Why storytelling? Storytelling gets people from thinking to feeling #ntvanMelissa Nelson
#ntvan For nonprofits, stories help move people from thinking to feeling for your cause… and eventually acting. @vanessaechaseJhenifer Pabillano
#ntvan @vanessaechase through the gateway the audience can experience the delight of interactive world’s.Net Tuesday Meetup
#ntvan For email marketing, stories can provide the thread to hang a larger campaign on. @vanessaechaseJhenifer Pabillano
#ntvan @vanessaechase question from the floor… Any test results from this example? Use AB testing, see the ow.ly/1UvkRjNet Tuesday Meetup
#ntvan Story tips: Know what your audience wants to hear and feed it back to them. Make content shareable and interactive. @vanessaechaseJhenifer Pabillano
#ntvan @draggin Jason Toal takes the stage…Net Tuesday Meetup
#ntvan @draggin digital marketing is the bottle, the vessel used to carry the message.Net Tuesday Meetup
#ntvan Cassettes, pencils, stories. Full presentation from @draggin can be found here: jasontoal.ca/2013/04/02/a-c…Jhenifer Pabillano
#ntvan @draggin ds106 ow.ly/1UvnVSNet Tuesday Meetup
Digital storytelling, a free e-course: ds106.usGreat tool for anyone in #socialmedia #PR #digital #marketing Thanks #ntvanSamson Rhys Cheng
Msg in a bottle and digital mktg is the bottle via jasontoal.ca . Flashbacks to #CMNS110 @sfu – the medium is the message #mcluhan #ntvanJen
#ntvan #ds106 interactive online sharing and learning experience. Uses soundcloud.comNet Tuesday Meetup
#ntvan #ds106 augmented reality using #layer and your phone, leave audio for layer visitors. ow.ly/1UvrWq sfu history 451.Net Tuesday Meetup
@andrew_director tell his story of leaving Vietnam #ntvan "throw her down!" pic.twitter.com/8mZguGOTCkPhillip J Djwa
#ntvan @andrew_director Storytelling…Net Tuesday Meetup
#ntvan @andrew_director the power of stories, we all have stories inside us. Videos are effective to reach your audience.Net Tuesday Meetup
Humans process images better than words. A well-produced video should educate and entertain HT @andrew_producer #ntvanJen
"We appreciate our personal heroes more for trying than actually succeeding." – @andrew_director #ntvanSarah Clark
@andrew_director #ntvan in most stories there’s always a hero. Client, customer, concept. When telling your story ask, who’s your hero?Alexandra Nova Hearn
#ntvan @andrew_director we admire the hero for trying… Not necessarily for succeeding.Net Tuesday Meetup
#ntvan @andrew_director Hero needs strengths, but needs weaknesses too. Let the audience think of redeeming them.Net Tuesday Meetup
@andrew_director amazing personal story and great storyteller. Strength of family to escape from Vietnam in 1979. Harrowing journey #ntvanJohn F. Gray
Key points HT @andrew_director 1)Who’s your hero 2)Their strengths + weaknesses 3)What challenges do they face 4)Why should we care? #ntvanJen
#ntvan @phillipdjwa is now up… Phillip Djwa – Agentic Digital Media – ow.ly/1UvCLHNet Tuesday Meetup
#ntvan @phillipdjwa breakdown on the "theory of change"Net Tuesday Meetup
"Tell me a story but make it about me" that’s digital storytelling @phillipdjwa #ntvanAlexandra Nova Hearn
#ntvan Ladder of engagement: useful tool to capture process of engagement to action @phillipdjwaJhenifer Pabillano
Engagement is key to stickiness and memorability @phillipdjwa #ntvanAlexandra Nova Hearn
#ntvan Digital ecology: website is core online presence, plus adjacent presences. Storytelling is superstructure that works across bothJhenifer Pabillano
Engage audience -> Tangible results -> Build relationships -> Sharable content. – @phillipdjwa #easypeasy! #ntvanSarah Clark
Far too many orgs forget that "We" includes the donor. Once a donor gives to your cause, they become a part of it @phillipdjwa #ntvanJen
Thanks @phillipdjwa, @draggin, @vanessaechase, @andrew_director &@NetTuesday for the amazing digital storytelling sesh! #ntvanshaena
"Its often when ur beginning to get bored of the msg ur pushing, that it’s just beginning to be heard by your supporters." – @elijah #ntvanSarah Clark
#ntvan a great evening; now to relax…David Gloyn-Cox
Digital storytelling at its finest brought you by @NetTuesday #NTVan instagram.com/p/XoMIZYqB6d/Spencer Williams
Video: Digital Storytelling at Net Tuesday
Questions? Tweet @NetTuesday and use the hashtag #ntvan
Listening To Your Community With HootSuite
If you’ve been to a Net Tuesday social media workshop you’ve probably had some delightful social media kid tell you that you’re using social media “wrong.”
“Listen to your supporters – don’t yell at them!”
… is what they said. But how exactly do you “listen” on social media? How do you make sense from the noise? And isn’t that going to be time consuming? (You’ve got a real job to do – social media is just one of many things on your plate.)
Luckily tools like Hootsuite (who sponsor Net Tuesday!) make social media listening easy. All you need to do is identify your keywords or important supporters and then set up a dashboard.
You can listen in two ways:
- To specific people
- To hashtags or keywords
Specific People
Are your donors, volunteers or staff already on twitter? Add them to a list so that you can focus in on what they’re saying. See what they’re talking about and then join in.
Hashtags
Hashtags are basically topic markers that tweeters use to mark their posts so that others interested in the same issues can find them. They are indicated by a pound sign like “#”, followed by a short keyword. eg.) #JelloShooter.
How do you find the right hashtags to follow? You can start with this list for nonprofits or use a hashtag explorer like hashtagify.me to see what your community is already using.
Add your hashtags to a search and check in on it daily to see what captures your community’s interest. Or create a search for your organization’s name and see if people are gossiping about you!
Scheduling your tweets
Now that you’ve found the community you want to interact with it’s time to start talking with them! But what if you can’t spend all day on social media? HootSuite has got you covered ! You can schedule your tweets so that it looks like you’re online all day (even if you just popped in to check your social media for ten minutes at the beginning of the day.)
You can schedule your posts directly from HootSuite or you can use their browser extensions and automagically schedule any interesting links you run into throughout the day.
HootSuite
Net Tuesday is thrilled and honoured that HootSuite is our social media sponsor. HootSuite allows us to work as a team to monitor and respond to the Net Tuesday community on social media. Between the keyword dashboards and the ability to schedule tweets we’ve been able to tame the social media giant. HootSuite provides an invaluable tool and supports the social sector – check out their 20% nonprofit discount!
