Thanks for linking to this, Katya.  It’s got some really good information that I can already imagine myself mentioning to people who are hesitant to pull the trigger on social media projects. 

I’m curious about your experience.  Do you find people are more open to the idea of these kinds of things now than they were, say, a year ago?  I’m starting to see it, and it seems like we’re moving faster and faster toward mainstream acceptance. (I’m getting far fewer blank stares when I talk about this stuff.)

Thanks, frolleague! Will have to start using this term, although it conjures the image of frogs, leaping. Hmmm.

@ David - I’m glad you’re finding the deck to be useful. Your question got me thinking about the fact, as more folks want to understand/embrace social media, our jobs become ever more critical. Especially as trust in traditional social media declines and trust in word of mouth gains momentum.

The other day this video of a water balloon hitting a guy in the face (slow motion, of course) made me realize that we (you, me, Katya, other social media lovers) act as bouncers/buffers for our employers/clients. http://evangelisting.blogspot.com/2007/08/social-media-is-slow-motion-water.html

But maybe that’s not true. We’re not meant to protect anyone from conversational marketing - we’re matchmakers who help people engage in the right conversations at the right time.

Off my soapbox, back to work! (Because clearly, we have a lot to do!)

Hi David, what a great blog you have there.  As a former journalist and present marketer, I share your belief there are intriguing ties between the two. 

My advice to nonprofits on social media projects - especially for their frolleagues who might be reticient - is to do some low-effort, low-risk yet potentially high-yield experimentation that they can then share with said frolleagues.  Start a relationship with bloggers who talk to your prospective audiences before you start a blog.  Comment on their blogs, engage with them on your issue.  Go to sixdegrees.org or chipin.com, set up a fundraising widget and give it to some friends to see what happens when they use it on their social networks.  Then you have some real examples and data to share with those frolleagues whose eyes are glazing over every time you say blog.  If you have some early success, they may even have the glint of enthusiasm in their eye!

Great presentation and thanks for highlighting it!  I love the to blog or not to blog,—and hacked this cartoon once for a nonprofit blogging presentation
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cambodia4kidsorg/267060150/

I’d love to hear them do a slidecast with this - that is record their narrative.

PS I hope Qui will send this to the nptech group in slideshare.  There’s a great collection of slides in there already and nice to get this added.  If I remember after hitting submit on this comment, I’ll go do it.

Qui,  I think you’re right that we aren’t protecting anyone.  I think of this online space as a party where conversations are going on all over the room.  We (you, me, Katya) just happen to be the people in the room who’ve been at the party for a while.  We know more of the people in the room.  We know where the snacks are.  And when one of our friends comes in, we naturally want to introduce them around, show them the punchbowl and the food, and help them feel comfortable.  And happily, that very natural act of helping newcomers get comfortable is what helps us be successful in our jobs.

Katya, great advice to get them participating in the blogosphere without blogging themselves (at first). And by the way, I’ve stopped using the word “blog” altogether, unless the person on the other side of the table brings it up with obvious enthusiasm.  The word just has too many negative connotations in everyday usage.

Beth - thanks for adding the deck to the nptech group, of which I am now a proud member on slideshare.

David - if we could only spike the punch somehow . . . get people to loosen up, be bold, shake up those inhibitions. 

(Heck, HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt is now blogging about pandemic flu on a personal blog. And we had nothing to do with that. If the Secretary can and wants to blog on his own accord, then all of us have much to be proud of!)*

Katya - I also share with folks that another great “baby step” into the web 2.0 frontier is via social networks. Create a profile on a social network that is relevant to your life. Just one. Connect with existing friends, make some new friends, and build from there. The idea is to get ones feet wet with a personal online presence first.

*I’m with Ogilvy PR and we coordinated the HHS Pandemic Flu Leadership Blog. My opinions are mine, and don’t necessarily reflect those of HHS or the Secretary =)

Great blog - thanks for posting this powerpoint. I hope to blog on it in the future.

Jeremy Gregg, Editor
The Raiser’s Razor
http://theraiser.blogspot.com

Hi Katya,

This is definitely an informative and to-the-point slideshow with a lot of good advice. It strikes me as odd, though, that it’s called “To Blog or Not To Blog,” since it doesn’t really seem to leave room for the possibility that “Not To Blog” may be the right answer.

I attended your Robin Hood Marketing session (for Maryland Nonprofits) this week. I remember you advised us to spend some time (months) figuring out who was already blogging about our cause and following their blogs… and then to ask ourselves if the world REALLY needed another blog about that. Also, that we should be sure we were ready to make the time commitment that would be necessary to keep it thriving. After all, it probably looks worse to have an unused blog than not to have one at all.

So perhaps the slideshow, if keeping this title, could use another slide or two?

Or, do you think that the correct answer is always “To Blog”?

Thanks Margaux - great points.  Yes, I agree with you that I’d add a slide that says “when not to blog.”  I always recommend reading lots and lots of blogs in your topic area before starting one, and I think getting to know those bloggers and commenting on their blogs is essential.  The answer is not always yes.  For more great thoughts on blogging I recommend visiting Beth Kanter’s wiki at http://bethkanter.wikispaces.com/  Sear.ch under blog.

This was just what I was looking for, great resource. Bookmarked.   Vistaprint Coupon Thanks.