2012 Nonprofit Social Networking Benchmark Report [Infographic]

April 9, 2012 By Angela Wilkinson 1 Comment

Sponsored by NTEN, Common Knowledge and Blackbaud, the 2012 Nonprofit Social Networking Benchmark Report came out last week. This 4th annual report on nonprofits & social networks is intended to provide insights for both nonprofits, foundations and those serving this sector about behaviour and trends relating to social networking as part of the nonprofits’ marketing, communications, fundraising, program and IT work.

Conducted between 24th January and 21st February this year, nonprofit professionals completed an online survey covering two main categories of questions:

Commercial Social Networks: Looking at the use of commercial social networks e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Google+, etc.
House Social Networks: Looking at the social networks built and managed by the nonprofits

The report summarises the 3,522 responses received and provides top insights for this year, top trends and future trends to watch, top factors for social network success as well as community size and monetary costs/gains through social network entities.

Visual.ly have designed this rather attractive and informative infographic to support the report’s findings, but of course the full Nonprofit Social Networking Benchmark Report can be downloaded for free if you want more detailed information.

It’s probably no surprise that Facebook is the most utilised network with 98% of nonprofits having a presence on Facebook in 2012 and an average community size a healthy 8,317. Twitter is the next most utilised at 72%, followed by Linkedin with 44%. It will be interesting come next year to see how Google+ and Pinterest perform for the nonprofits.

However engaging in social networks uses resource, which is one thing all nonprofits have in short supply. While 79% of nonprofits only have one person spending half or less of their time on this, and 74% allocate a budget of less than $10,000 it’s worth noting that staffing and budget levels for maintaining social networking activities is on the increase.

The main 2012 goals given for commercial social networking activity was “Grow our Base” at 76% and “Engage Members More” at 74%. Given the low cost of acquisition, it is understandable that nonprofits and supporting organisations are keen to maximise these channels.

by visually. Browse more Social Media infographics.

Filed Under: Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, social media, Social Networking, Twitter

Video introduction: Learn the basics of five social media channels

April 5, 2012 By Angela Wilkinson Leave a Comment

Updated Social Media and Video Channel Guides

We’ve had a productive time of it with our video guides recently, did some reorganising/refreshing not to mention uploading a few new versions. It’s not finished, (although I don’t think video guides are ever finished – there’s always an update somewhere), but it’s sufficiently updated to merit a short series of posts each focusing on a video or group of videos. Today’s post is looking at the social media guides.

In previous posts I’ve written about the value of learning by video and being able to watch over someone’s shoulder as they talk you through “how it works”, and I’m still a big fan of video walk/talk throughs even though this batch have me doing the talking. I’ve included the transcript in each video page for the speed readers out there.

Why would I want to learn about social media?

In December 2011, Forrester Consulting were commissioned by Facebook as part of their Social Business Blueprint to evaluate how businesses operate in a connected world. The conclusion was that “while most leaders recognise that social can enhance the customer experience, many organisations are not set up to capitalise on this opportunity”.

Excerpt from Organize For Success In The Connected World – A Social Business Blueprint by Facebook based on a commissioned study by Forrester Consulting

Social media is not about pushing out brand messages or hoping to publish a video that “goes viral” but about enabling a two way dialogue between the business organisation and those who have an interest in what that business is saying, or doing.

Even if you’re not using or involved in social media, (maybe you’re even deliberately avoiding the topic), it’s likely that you have an opinion on its value to you as an individual and perhaps to your organisation. In our office we’ve a wide mix of opinions, sometimes the same person rates one channel but wouldn’t ever consider joining another one.

The one thing we do have is an understanding of what social media is, knowledge of the main channels and how they operate. Social media is here to stay and at some point in the future you’ll come into contact with it, so it’s worthwhile at least gaining knowledge of the basics.

So what’s in the videos?

Under the heading Social Media and Video Channel Guides I’ve regrouped the Facebook series – which is on my list for shrinking down and updating, and introductions have been added for LinkedIn, Google+ and Twitter, along with an introduction to video optimisation.

Each of the new videos are between 3 to 5 minutes long and give you an introduction to the channel. I talk about the main terms, show you the main screens in each account and talk through how it can be used.

I’m an enthusiastic student about these topics so if you have any questions on these or other channels or have any feedback on the videos just use the comments to get in touch. As mentioned earlier, a transcript has been included in each page in case you want to scan it, are working without sound or just incase my Scottish accent gets a bit much!

Filed Under: Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, social media, Twitter, YouTube

Social Recruiting: Is it an Equal Opportunity Hazard?

October 17, 2011 By DG Leave a Comment

Here is a question for all recruiters and HR professionals: If your organization relies heavily on the use of social media, LinkedIn or search tools to fill your candidate pool – Is there not a risk that you are restricting the supply of talent your business needs by overlooking the potential of the broader market? Are you also risking a breach of Equal Opportunities legislation?

I am more interested in the spirit of Equal Opportunties legislation here than the exact wording or the nuances of the law in different countries. I believe the root of all this legislation is very simple and most people would agree that everyone, regardless of age, gender, race, physical ability, religious belief etc. deserves an equal chance of being employed by you determined by selection criteria based on the job to be done… simple!

Most organizations of any stature have equal opportunity policies (they may even have been legal counsel approved)…job done…? or is there something that has been overlooked? If your process only really kicks in once you have a candidate selection pool… how are you forming that pool in the first instance?

Let’s go fishing for talent

The sea is rich in life. There are species of sealife that can feed you, kill you or cure you. If I am a bit lazy and short of time it’s easy to stand on the banks of a local lake that has been stocked with trout for sportsmen just like me… Caught 7 today … All Trout! Even if I venture away from the local trout stocked lake and onto the high seas in a boat with only shrimp bait on board it’s a fair bet that we know what we will catch.

The pitfalls of candidate pre-selection

My argument is this. Everybody (even although we try to be aware of the danger) is prone to personal prejudice. If your organzation is overly reliant on Social media and LinkedIn style talent attraction then you run a risk of having a starting pool of talent (i.e. the talent pool that becomes subject to your Equal Opportunity selection policy and from which you select your shortlist for interview) that does not represent the wider market.

After all, not everyone is to be found on social or business network sites – indeed I wonder if there will be a growing split in the use of these sites with millions creating profiles but also those (especially senior candidates) pulling back from them on concerns over privacy etc. Add to this the potential personal bias of recruiters when they are searching for talented people and the concern is clear.

Social and Network recruiting – finding the right mix

There are plenty of arguments for using tailored search within Social and Specialist Network sites – the ability to identify candidates in these ways is exciting and been proven time and time again.

I run the risk here of taking the fishing analogy a little too far but remember that if you only ever fish with a few different types of bait you are potentially missing the very special, the unusual and the unknown.

Find ways to engage with those who don’t yet know you and those who simply have never signed up to the networks you are using … sometimes you need to trawl with a much bigger and different shaped net.

Filed Under: LinkedIn, SEM Jobs, social media, Social Networking, Web Analytics Jobs

Getting to the Nitty Gritty – What is LinkedIn Today?

August 29, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

So What is LinkedIn Today?

Think about the last time you read the newspaper or read the news online. There is no doubt you were flipping and clicking through the pages that do not interest you (just yesterday I witnessed my brother chant “boring” after each turn of the page until the sports section appeared). Fortunately, there is a new solution that allows LinkedIn users easy access to only the news that interests them. After all, one of the easiest ways a person can get ahead is by staying informed about the latest news in their field. This solution will get people the knowledge they need faster while using a social networking platform. Aside from allowing users to skip the news sections that do not interest them, LinkedIn Today works as a condensing tool when it comes to the many news outlets. By enacting LinkedIn Today, your job of finding good, quality articles that related to your career is more-or-less eliminated.

LinkedIn Today is a standalone website that pulls the latest business news articles that are most closely related to the information you have provided on LinkedIn. There are few different ways the website will pull news stories:

Even Less Flips and Clicks – How LinkedIn Today Works

1. Look at your connections
With LinkedIn Today it is possible to “share” specific articles. If you have a LinkedIn, you know that most of your connections are your co-workers or those who work within your field (unlike Facebook where your connections are mainly your friends and family). If any of your connections “share” an article LinkedIn Today will pull that article and highlight it as something that may interest you.

2. Look at the industries you follow
Chances are if you are actively using LinkedIn you are “following” specific industries. Whether it be the industry you work in or another industry that interests you (or you hope to work in once the job arises), LinkedIn today finds the top headlines across these industries and puts them on your Front Page for you to read. In other words, your days of going to that specific section in USA Today, The Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, and then your local paper, are over.

3. Connections between industries
Even if you are new to the LinkedIn world, you will still be able to start finding a variety of news articles if you “follow” just one industry. The way it works is this: LinkedIn Today highlights the top articles for your industry and then looks across all industries to see what is being said about that article. This feature will allow you to make connections about what is going on in the news across the board.

Tap Into LinkedIn Today—How Publishers Can Take Advantage
If you are a company looking to tap into this new content medium, there are many options. The most important thing to remember is the idea that users of LinkedIn Today get articles based on their popularity amongst their connections, industries, and connected industries. Knowing this, there are several things you can do to make sure your content gets involved—all of which deal with sharing your content as much as possible. A few ways to get your content’s popularity up include:
•   Post as an update — Share your articles by posting them as updates on your LinkedIn profile. This way, all of your connections will be able to view your articles and start spreading the word.
•   Share Button – As a publisher, you should add a share button on each of the articles you post. This button gives readers an easy way to share your article (instead of leaving all the work to you). This button can easily be added through WordPress.
•   Twitter – As a publisher, you should link your Twitter account to your LinkedIn account. Any user who tweets your article will count as a share on LinkedIn Today.
LinkedIn Today is convenient in what it offers as well as how it is used. Social media websites are clearly taking over the World Wide Web, and LinkedIn Today is slowly becoming one of the best in terms of news production. Suddenly the “boring, boring, boring” chant my brother sings will become “interesting, interesting, interesting,” and this is not only a benefit to users, but to publishers just the same. If you want to be part of the “interesting” news, LinkedIn Today is a great place to start.

Amanda DiSilvestro is a writer on topics ranging from social media to fleet tracking. She writes for an online resource that gives advice on topics including gps tracking devices to small businesses and entrepreneurs at Resource Nation.

Filed Under: LinkedIn

Twitter and LinkedIn Working Together

November 10, 2009 By Manoj Jasra Leave a Comment

Twitter and LinkedIn have announced a partnership in which both of their services will be integrated in their respected interfaces.

On Twitter
As a professional online and in the real world, you’ll often find articles or think of ideas that would be useful to share with your Twitter followers and your LinkedIn connections. It’s about sparking interesting conversations. Now you can share from anywhere. As part of the setup process, you can choose to either send all your tweets or select tweets from Twitter back to LinkedIn as a status update.

On LinkedIn
Want to share some interesting ideas about an industry-specific article you’ve just read with an even broader audience? Or how about letting people view your Twitter account name on your LinkedIn profile? Begin by joining your LinkedIn and Twitter accounts in just a few clicks. All you need to do is check the Twitter box under your Network Updates box on the homepage and follow a few simple steps.

Filed Under: LinkedIn, Twitter

LinkedIn Surpassing Facebook for Enterprise Use-Cases

January 16, 2009 By Manoj Jasra 3 Comments

While early 2008 found enterprises buzzing about Facebook and some firms even adopted it as their Intranet platform, 2009 is seeing LinkedIn moving more rapidly to address enterprise social computing needs, according to new research by independent analyst firm, CMS Watch.

Today CMS Watch released an update to its 510-page Enterprise Social Software & Collaboration Report 2009, which evaluates twenty-six social computing platforms against eleven potential enterprise use-cases. Vendors reviewed include IBM, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, Jive, Telligent, Awareness, Drupal, SocialText, Lithium, and Ning, as well as Facebook and LinkedIn.

“Both platforms are increasingly important to professionals worldwide, but LinkedIn is beginning to make more progress towards services that can support enterprise-oriented social computing,” explained CMS Watch analyst Jarrod Gingras.

LinkedIn outperformed Facebook in CMS Watch’s “Professional Networking” and “Community of Practice” use-cases. The report also found that from a functional standpoint, LinkedIn surpasses Facebook in Information Filtering and Discussion — although neither platform provides the broader Blog, Wiki, and Project Tracking services that support broader enterprise collaboration.

Of particular note:

- Enterprises can use LinkedIn groups as internal and external discussion boards and link-sharing areas. Unlike Facebook, LinkedIn participants can be pre-authorized by e-mail domain, they can keep track of discussions through notifications, and they can search group content.

- LinkedIn has chosen to slowly control the release of several “approved” applications for professional use, unlike Facebook, which allows any developer to post applications. Several official LinkedIn applications target enterprise users, such as a SlideShare application, as well as a Huddle application that provides lightweight file sharing and collaboration. There are no native document collaboration services in Facebook.

- LinkedIn is perceived as more professional by members. “Enterprises should not assume that their employees and business partners are comfortable mixing professional and personal personas on Facebook, especially beyond North America,” concludes CMS Watch analyst, Adriaan Bloem.

To be sure, Facebook is clearly the most popular public networking service, with a membership of 150 million that is expected to double in 2009. “There’s good reason for all that growth,” notes CMS Watch founder Tony Byrne, “and Facebook certainly has a better ‘fun factor,’ but I’m not as sanguine about the platform’s business potential as I was a year ago, whereas LinkedIn seems to be pursuing a measured plan to provide more value to the enterprise.”

Filed Under: CMS Watch, Facebook, LinkedIn