I just added a Google Voice widget to my web site (on the Contact page). When a caller clicks the icon s/he is prompted to enter a name and phone number. Google Voice calls that number, then connects the caller to me as a free VOIP call. Very cool. The hardest part was figuring … [Read more...]
Archives for November 2009
Online Alumni Communities in the Age of Social Media
I received the following email from a listerve. The topic of closed alumni communities versus social media is on the minds of a lot of university staff, so I'm posting this along with my response. I'd like to hear from anyone who is using the social networking function of Blackbaud Net … [Read more...]
Schools using social media but not for fundraising
I spent the last 3 days at the CASE District VII conference, for schools in AZ, CA, Guam, HI, NV, and UT. Social Media was a big topic this year, with workshop titles like "Maximizing Social Networks and Online Resources in Alumni Relations", "Now That Facebook and Twitter … [Read more...]
Social Media for Revenue or Volunteers? Maybe Not
The results of two new surveys paint a bleak picture of the effectiveness of social media for fundraising and volunteer recruitment. The first from Philanthropy Action, has the depressing title, "Social Networking and Mid-Size Nonprofits: What's the Use?" The survey is based on responses from about … [Read more...]
LinkedIn Discussions Are Spam Magnets
I'm a member of several LinkedIn discussion groups, but my participation is lukewarm at best. One of the biggest problems is spam--the noise is drowning out the signal. There doesn't seem to be a way for moderators to review messages before they're posted or for participants to flag spam … [Read more...]
Clueless Charity PR
I got a press release today from a PR firm promoting its client's plans to raise $1,000 for Thanksgiving meals and $5,000 for families in need at Christmas. While these are certainly laudable goals, I had a strong negative reaction. First, the message is spam. I have no connection to, … [Read more...]