friends of friends

Friends of Friends: Friends of Friends: Social Networking 101Social Networking 101

By Sharon Clapp, Web Resources LibrarianConnecticut State Librarysclapp@cslib.org

Connecticut State Library’s Facebook page:http://www.facebook.com/CtStateLibraryConnecticut State Library’s Twitter stream:http://www.twitter.com/LibraryofCt

Social networking definedSocial networking defined

The interaction between a group of people who share a common interest; Using social contacts to network; Using internet's network groups (such as Facebook and Twitter) to network and communicate between consumers and businesses

- en.wiktionary.org/wiki/social_networking

“…social networking is causing the most fundamental shift in social behaviour seen since the invention of email. They have moved from being places to meet friends and stay in contact to multi-faceted platforms capable of delivering a wide variety of social needs…”

- From UM Wave 5 report on social media, 2010

Even for Friends of the Even for Friends of the Library Groups…Library Groups…

“If you're not, you're missing out on a whole new demographic. It's a must nowdays.”

- Valerie Jensen, Texas via FOLUSA listserv

Examples of social Examples of social networking sitesnetworking sites

All of these have social aspects:•Blogs (Wordpress, Blogger)•Photo-sharing (Flickr, Picasa)•Video-sharing (Vimeo, Youtube)•Bookmarking (Del.icio.us, StumbleUpon)•Instant Messaging (Yahoo, Google Talk, MSN)•Sharing News (Digg, Evri)•Microblogging (Twitter)•Books!!! (LibraryThing)•Presentations (Slideshare.net)•Friend-ing, socializing (Facebook, MySpace, FriendFeed, LinkedIn (for more professional relationships))

Example of the State Example of the State Library’s Flickr Library’s Flickr “Photostream”“Photostream”

Example of the Connecticut State Library’s Twitter Stream

What does this have to do with What does this have to do with us? Organizational goals social us? Organizational goals social media can help with…media can help with…Boots on the Ground

◦Recruiting members & volunteers◦New opportunities for members to pitch in

(online, anytime)Building communityAwareness of eventsSharing photos, newsletters, blog feedsGetting donationsMaking your website/page more valuableGoing Mobile

Many channels of Many channels of communicationcommunicationF2F (face to face)PhoneMailEmail Instant MessagingOnline Message BoardsWebsites (1-way only, in most cases)Blogs (with commenting enabled)Social networking sites:

◦ Facebook (& the like… e.g., MySpace…)◦ Microblogging: Twitter◦ Multimedia sites that are social: Flickr,

YouTube, Scribd, SlideshareToday, we’ll focus on Facebook

Rise of a new channel in Rise of a new channel in technology doesn’t = death technology doesn’t = death of anotherof another

E.g., radio, tvJust a new way

of using the technology

What differentiates is the context – which tool helps the user satisfy a want/need determines which tool they use at that time

Users’ ContextUsers’ ContextWhat do people do on social media?What do they expect? Why & how

do people engage with social media?◦Greater interaction, conversation

expected, more personal than the traditional interaction with a website

◦Organizations & web links, photos, articles that they “like” help form their online identity

So what is that context?So what is that context? It’s all about them – the user

you want to connect with (have empathy)

Empowerment Interact on their termsMeet them where they are

(both virtually & physically) – this means mobile! (social networking sites are mobile-friendly)

It demonstrates your interest in them

Social networking sites are spaces in which you can build relationships … they just happen to be online

Have conversations

Think about it: Why Social Think about it: Why Social Networking is So PopularNetworking is So Popular

Friends GroupsFriends Groups

Let’s Focus… Let’s Focus…

Why Facebook...Why Facebook...

January 2009 = Just over 42 million users (US)

January 2010 = 103 million users (US)

Overall Growth in US 2009-2010 = 145%

Who’s Using Facebook?Who’s Using Facebook?Users by Age GroupUsers by Age Group

Who’s Using Facebook: Who’s Using Facebook: Growth by Age Group in Growth by Age Group in 20102010

Source: Peter Corbett, iStrategyLabs Statistics compiled from Facebook’s Social Ads Platform

Anatomy of a Facebook PageAnatomy of a Facebook Page

Success StoriesSuccess Stories

More success stories…More success stories…

How to Build a Facebook How to Build a Facebook PagePageIt’s actually not very hard! Lower barrier to entry than building a

websiteMembers may already be

comfortable on Facebook, have their own accounts

In fact, offers another volunteer role for Friends groups (for those who can best volunteer online / odd hours)

Build a Facebook page for your organization (there used to be a group option, page was always a better choice…)

How to Build a Facebook How to Build a Facebook PagePage

Yes, you need a Facebook accountThe account has to be a real person’s

accountCreator will start out as the

Administrator of the page, other Facebook accounts can be added

You should have at least 2 Admins (just in case!)

Login to your regular Facebook account, then go to “Ads and Pages” in left-hand navigation section (choose “more….” if it doesn’t show up in your top choices)

Creating a Facebook PageCreating a Facebook Page

How to Build a Facebook How to Build a Facebook PagePage

Don’t create a so-called “Community Page”, you want an “Official Page” (once known as “Facebook Fan Pages”*

Choose a page “Name” ahead of time [Preview what’s available using:http://namechk.com/ - Also works for Twitter, other social networking sites]

Have an image/logo ready to go – will be small in appearance once uploaded & will appear on walls next to your page’s “status updates” (179x179px on head of pg, 50x50px on the “Wall” next to status updates)

Choose a page categoryWhen you get over 25 fans, claim your “vanity

url” – a more meaningful web address for your page – e.g., http://www.facebook.com/CTStateLibrary

* Per http://nonprofitorgs.wordpress.com/2010/04/13/any-nonprofits-out-there-experimenting-with-facebook-community-pages/

Creating a Facebook PageCreating a Facebook Page

““But we already have a But we already have a website…” website…” Why you still need a Why you still need a Facebook pageFacebook pageDecrease in visits to official

brand websitesIncrease in visits to official brand

Facebook pagesFindability (being present in the

FB universe)Improving your website’s search

results ranking

What about the website?What about the website?

Embed or link from your website/page to Facebook & remember to link from Facebook back to your website/page

Easy embed code provided by Facebook when you make your page. Just “Copy” and “Paste”

Facebook / WebsiteFacebook / WebsiteIf you do not have a website for

your group, but the library maintains a page for you, give them the information so they can link it to your Facebook page

Should you have a separate Facebook page for friends vs. the library?Yes! (some nonprofits skip website… not recommended yet)

FAQsFAQsHow do we control the input of

others on our page?[Don’t panic! People are almost universely positive…]

It doesn’t go “live” until you’re ready

Should we have a closed “group” since some people haven’t paid to be part of our group?[No! the point is outreach & reciprocity… ]

Your questions, your Your questions, your stories…stories…

Thank you for all of your work helping Connecticut’s libraries!

Email: sclapp@cslib.org The slideshow will be added to

http://focl.cslib.org

Additional Links / Additional Links / ResourcesResources

Where to begin setting up your Facebook page (you will eventually have to login as a Facebook user, but you can start here): http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php

A video tutorial on how to setup a Facebook page (from summer 2010, so it describes the current process) - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f1iZkazGs0 from www.marketingtwins.com

How you can create a blog for your friends’ group (= a free website!). You can use several sites, the 2 most popular = Blogger & Wordpress

See this posting about how to create a blog for nonprofits - http://www.rosettathurman.com/2010/09/how-to-start-a-blog-and-build-your-personal-brand-in-the-nonprofit-sector-part-one/

Don’t forget to take advantage of TechSoup. They offer free, online webinars / tutorials about using social media for your nonprofit - http://home.techsoup.org/search/pages/results.aspx?k=social%20media