"If you look at nonprofits, I think the successful ones have a passionate core that want to hear what's going on, that want to see what's going on with video, that want to get regular updates, that want to comment, engage, and participate. Social media very much facilitates that in an easy and, as I said, affordable way, so it's a natural fit for what nonprofits are looking for." --Eric Mattson

Before the holidays, I interviewed Eric Mattson, the co-author of the recent study, Blogging for the Hearts of Donors, about social media usage by the 200 largest charities in the United States. You can listen to the interview on the NetSquared Podcast, or read the edited transcript below.

Eric Mattson: Hello, my name is Eric Mattson. I am a Marketing Consultant and social media scholar based in Seattle, Washington. Over the last 12 to 18 months I've been doing a series of research projects with my partner, Prof. Nora Barnes of the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth looking at social media adoption in various industries. For example, corporate adoption by looking at the Inc. 500, university adoption by looking at college admissions departments, and most recently, and part of the focus of this podcast, looking at adoption by some of the largest US charities and nonprofits to see: how familiar are they with social media, are they using social media, are they monitoring social media? Some of these fundamental, foundational questions that seems to still be out there, despite the fact that social media has become a fairly well known space with the advent of MySpace and Facebook and blogs and what not. That's a little bit about me and that's a little bit about the high level view of our research.

BB: Before you did the study, what did you expect to find, and then, what surprised you the most about what you did find?

Yesterday at the MediaPost Online Media, Marketing, and Advertising Video conference analysts declared that the starting point for campaign design must be research and testing. This is because the window has grown shorter in getting attention, developing commitment, and converting on your call-to-action. Themes, storylines, and next steps have to be quick, easy, urgent, and readily acceptable. So sort out the highest value concepts and propositions in a closed survey before you jump, so that you can proceed with confidence.

Google, as the internet search leader, is given the lowest "black mark" and placed on the botton of the heap of the worlds major internet companies, with a "hostile to privacy rating"  by Privacy International.

Ethics and Corporate accountability procedures seem to be ineffective, in the publics mind space. Silicon Valley companies must deal with "Privacy" issues. As the number one concern of citizens, tech corporations need to get out ahead of the issue, and regulations. The creation of a clear code of conduct and practise would be a good start. Otherwize they will loose the trust and good will they need to continue to thrive.

A recent article on the Financial Times about a lack of skills and experience within the web advertsiment sector got me thinking about how the challenge is part of a wider picture in 2.0.

In a nutshell there seems to be a gap between 2.0 "real-time" and the sources of information that are meant to provide relevant players with the needed information and insights, if these are delayed then ultimately so is the development of skills and experience. I have been tracking data for a while, and noticed a widening gap as the information deepens. I believe the trend is integral to the very nature of the source and "information providers":

Hi All: I just wanted to let you know about a new online resource for nonprofits. A couple of us here in Chicago who have been working with nonprofits for years recently launched an initiative called IssueLab http://www.issuelab.com an easily searchable archive of nonprofit research. After seeing the organizations we worked with over the years produce engaging and valuable research, only to have it end up tucked away on their web sites (sound familiar?), we decided it was time to launch a free service for nonprofits to bring both their current and historical work to a broader audience. Right now we are focusing on getting as many nonprofits as possible to list their research with IssueLab.

While recommending a new study on blogging from the University of Massachusetts, my most recent post at studio 501c also discusses some of the limitations of the research, and cautions nonprofit bloggers to beware of absolute "truths."

 

Robin Good is an independent online publisher who works out of Rome, Italy. He is the editor of MasterNewMedia.org (on new media generally) MasterViews.com (visual presentation for international audiences) and Kolabora.com (online collaboration). He also publishes the Communication Agents Journal and is the producer-director behind the first open-source movie about blogs, TheWeblogProject.com.

Robin has worked for the UN, World Bank, FAO, CGIAR and the Arab Planning Institute in developing complex online information systems and multi/language web sites. His work today focuses on empowering individuals to sustain themselves ethically through creative use of new media.

nonprofit    charity    philanthropy    donate   

Stuart Weibel is a Consulting Research Scientist at the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC). OCLC is a worldwide library co-operative and the providers of the WorldCat (world catalog) service. In addition to working at OCLC for 20 years, Stuart spent 10 years leading the Dublin Core Metadata Initiative.  Stuart is on sabbatical for calendar year 2006 at the iSchool at the University of Washington.

Stuart is especially interested in social software models, the Web 2.0 movement and its implications for so-called Library 2.0 thinking.

Lisa Williams is a prolific multi-media content creator, a key player in the emerging OPML community and the founder of H2otown, a thriving community blog covering news and events in Watertown, Massachusetts.

In the following interview Lisa and I talked about how she set up a successful community blog, her cutting edge research methods and her hope to make the H2otown site even more inclusive of area residents.