Tim Fullerton

While Facebook seems to have taken over MySpace as the preferred social network of choice amongst college kids, there are still some hurdles to overcome to become the big guy on the block. The excellent blog TechPresident announced that Facebook might be coming around to one of them.

As of right now, NGO’s and politicians are allowed to create groups in Facebook. However, they can only message the first 1,000 supporters in the group. So if a group has 50,000 supporters, you’re leaving out 49,000 every time you send a message. TechPresident is reporting that they are rethinking this strategy. I for one say it’s about time! This move will be another step for Facebook to catch up with MySpace. With the recent opening of the platform and now this, it might only be a matter of time before Facebook moves to #1 in social networking.

Apologies for the lack of posts over the last week or so. I moved apartments which cut down a lot on the time I could spend on this site. Tomorrow I head to the eCampaigning Forum in Oxford, UK, but I hope to update with what I learn there.

Just a little self-promotion. NTEN just released the top ten speaker ratings at the recent Nonprofit Technology Conference. Guess who made the top ten? You’ll have to click here to find out.

The wonderful blogger Beth Kanter recently posted this comment and I thought I would respond.

I wonder how much care and feeding it takes to get an ROI? What has been your experience? Do you think the choice of myspace might also be directed by the audience segment you want to reach?

The reason I picked MySpace as the social network for nonprofits to start with, was that it was the most accessible and easiest to start. It also relatively easy to measure ROI (or return on investment). By starting a MySpace page, you are giving your supporters a way of showing their friends that they support you. In most cases, your supporters friends will be like-minded. So it’s a cheap and easy way to reach out to new supporters. Also, the bulletin tool is extremely important. By putting a source code and the end of any action alert links, you can tell who has signed up for your email list from MySpace. Some groups are finding that these people are becoming good activists for their causes. Plus, people will forward your bulletins to their friends.

However a downside is that most groups seem to be having trouble fundraising through MySpace. It is strongly suggested to look at the site as an advocacy tool and not for fundraising at this time.

I received this response to my NTC review the other day and I thought I’d write a whole post about it.

tim,
I attended some of the same sessions you did - heard you on 2 panels. If you were to give advice to a web 1.0 np about advancing into the 2.0 world, what would you pick as the starting point? blogs, videos, rss, tags … Or should they just start on their e-Newsletters and use social networking to “create their community.” Am excited about the tools but don’t know where to start.

I actually don’t think there is a right answer to this question. However, if it were my decision I would start a MySpace page first. This is probably the one that takes the least amount of time to set up and maintain. To have a successful page, make sure you have strong action alerts. MySpace users seem more compelled to action than anything else, and this is a great way to get people to forward your alerts (in the form of a MySpace bulletin), and get them to join your friends list. Your MySpace page can also serve as the main part of your social networking strategy as it can host your blog, pictures, videos and action alerts in one place. Some groups have found MySpace users will join your email list, and some will even donate.

This is a simple first step to test the waters and see how things work. You’ll find you become more brave with Web 2.0 after trying one or two things.

Of course the other thing you could do is hire me:)

Now that I’ve been back from DC for a couple of days, I thought I’d post a quick review of the Nonprofit Technology Conference. This was my first year at the conference, but it was pretty much what I expected. A pretty interesting mix of experts in communications, web development, bloggers and technology providers coming together to discuss how nonprofits use technology to further their message.

Day 1

The first session I attended was one on eNewsletters. This is always a tough topic, but one that is vitally important to all nonprofits. It was interesting to hear the panelists all say the same thing. Make the newsletter fun an interesting to read. This is always tough for nonprofits, as we all want to make every supporter know everything about what we do. While it might be against our nature to make things fun, it will go a long way in increasing the readership of eNewsletters. They also stressed the need for dynamic content. Overall the session was pretty interesting and told me that most nonprofits have a ways to go before we see compelling eNewsletters. For some good examples, check out the link here.

Up next was a panel I participating in on how nonprofits are using YouTube to broaden their audiences. My favorite (other than the Oxfam one) was one done by Amnesty International. If anyone says you can’t make an amusing and engaging video about a serious situation, this video proves that wrong.

Day 2

On Friday morning I attended a fundraising session, which showed that email is still the best way to raise money (something I highly agree with). The session showed that creating different and unique appeals can help raise money. It also showed that using segments of your list is a much more effective way to raise money than to blast your entire list. While I didn’t learn much new in this session, it helped to solidy a lot of what I already thought, which is useful in itself.

Finally in the afternoon I added a session on social networks and how they can help nonprofits. They did something in this session I have never seen at a conference before: they brought beer. Since it was 3:30 on a Friday afternoon, this seemed to make sense and brought a laugh out of the attendees. Again, nothing earth shattering here except if you’re not on social networks, you are missing out as an organization.

Overall I really enjoyed the conference. If I had one negative to say, it is that there were too many consultants speaking and not enough people with real-world examples of how they had used certain tools to further their message. That being said, I hope to be at next years NTC in New Orleans!

As reported by Tech Crunch and e.Politics, John McCain’s MySpace page was hacked today. On the page was a statement that basically said John McCain was now in favor of gay marriage. What struck me more than a pretty humorous hack, was how his page seems to want to scare people. Look at it here. It is not very inviting to say the least. And then there is this video. Someone needs a lesson in using online videos to help your campaign, not scare people to death. Take a look for yourself.
Stand Up

Add to My Profile | More Videos

Now back to the hack. Campaigns are going to have the be extremely careful in using MySpace. The high profile candidates can expect to have this happen to them. MySpace is not known as the most secure site on earth, so it is a prime target for hackers. That being said, it is certainly still worth each having their own page.

Former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani completely revamped his website this week, so I thought I would update my comments. It is certainly an improvement over what he had before (see my grade several posts ago), there still leaves something to be desired (for a much more negative review, check out what one of the guys at TechPresident had to say). There is a lot of unused space on his page, and a massive video front and center. I still don’t understand why these videos are not embedded from YouTube. That way you have a better chance of reaching a broader audience than just people who are coming to your site. The other thing that confuses me is why the email signup doesn’t also ask for the zip code. Presidential races at this point are all about where you live, so one would think that should be a cructial bit of info. There is no blog, but there are some links to social networking sites, which is cool. The one thing that caught my eye is the “call talk radio” feature. But then I went to see what it was all about and it said “coming soon.” If you’re going to release a new feature, it better be live.

it is certainly much better than what he had before, but for a frontrunner, I was expecting more.

Overall Grade: B-

I promised a more detailed report on the MySpace presidential section they released on Monday. MySpace Impact is designed to give MySpace users an easy way to learn more about the presidential contenders. The format is clear and easy to read, but my biggest question is why not all the campaigns are listed. Where is Bill Richardson? He has an official MySpace page and isn’t on here? MySpace boasts over 160 million accounts - this is a perfect opportunity to introduce yourself to a huge audience. Most of the major contenders are here, but many second-tier ones are missing. Impact might not be a revolution, but it is clearly something worth being involved with at the moment.

The message is simple. If MySpace wants to give you free publicity TAKE IT.

If one thing is different between the presidential race in 2004 and 2008, it clearly is going to be the battle on the internet. Three years ago, an online video would have had little to no impact. Today, it’s a great way to reach thousands, if not millions of potential voters.

Barack Obama’s team just sent out an email to his supporters with the embeded video below. It’s a powerful reminder of Obama’s consistent opposition to the Iraq war. More importantly, it highlights the differences between some of his Democratic rivals who originally voted for the war and are now against (Edwards and Clinton most specifically). YouTube has allowed for easier access to what cadidates have said in the past. Maybe it won’t be on the same level as television ads in ‘08, but clearly YouTube is going to play a vital role in the next election.

They guys over at TechPresident are reporting that MySpace will launch a presidential platform today. So far, 5 Democrats and 5 Republicans have signed up. Right now it is not live, but it will be real interesting to see what it looks like. I’ll be writing more about this when there is something to look at.

There has been a lot of chatter recently about a new site called Twitter. Basically what it does is to allow people to send short messages to the site that people can read. At first I was at a complete loss as to why we need such a technology. I mean, do I really need to know you’re currently watching The Daily Show? But after some thinking on this issue it hit me. This is the perfect tool in times of a natural disaster. In developing countries, cell phones are the mode of communication, where not many people have access to the internet. This would be a perfect way to upload short bits of information on what happening on the ground. This is something humanitarian organizations are always in dire need of - updates from the ground. This makes the people affected also the newsmakers. Imagine if the people caught in Hurricane Katrina had this kind of info, or the people affected by the tsunami. This could take user generated content to a whole new level

A lot of non-profits are still struggling with how best to dive into the “Web 2.0″ world. As crazy as it sounds to some of us, most are still not doing much outside of emailing their constituents. Non-profits are notoriously understaffed, so this should not come as a surprise. So how should a non-profit start out in this world? As simple as it sounds, it’s as easy as this: start a MySpace page.

A MySpace page will allow you to test several areas in one spot and it will be an excellent testing ground as a first step. It also has the lowest threshold. For one, it is free, and two, most groups will have the content already generated that you can put up online (unlike YouTube or even Flickr to some extent). This can take as little as two hours per week to maintain. Here are some simple steps you can take to start your MySpace page.

These might sound simple, but it is the easiest way to build up a presence on MySpace, and will let you see how much more your staff can handle.

Tonight’s installment features former Congressman, UN Ambassador, Energy Secretary and now Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM). Clearly he is one of the more experienced candidates in the race, but how does he measure up on the web?

Quite well actually. The Governor’s site is clean, to the point and easy to navigate. It is very easy to sign up for email alerts and he has links to his social networking sites directly on the homepage. That being said, he has a long way to go as he only has 1250 friends on his MySpace page, compared to the tens of thousands for some of his competitors. And how come his interests are not filled out on his profile? People like to vote for candidates whom they like. What better way to start that process than to show some of your likes and interests?

There is also a campaign blog, but I would use that term loosely. No comments, trackbacks or diggs on this blog. It’s more like a short diary than anything interactive. People want to be able to share their opinion. Even if the comments were moderated, at least it would give some flexibility to people who want to participate.

So the campaign has done a decent job of getting a site up that is engaging and one that people might come back to. They are not in the top-tier of websites, but a decent job.

Overal Grade: B

Up tomorrow will be former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani

We switch it up a little tonight and talk about a favorite of the far right, Senator Sam Brownback. This is your standard political site. Not a MySpace or a YouTube to be found. There is a simple, easy to find sign up box for emails and his announcement video is on the site (though not on YouTube). Brownback does has a blog and it is updated every day. However, take a look at the number of comments. Most posts do not have any comments, while others have 1,2 or maybe 3 (for an example of the opposit, check out Obama’s site).

Brownback is clearly one of the lesser known candidates, which makes you think it would be very important for him to take the Edwards approach of signing up for every social networking site out there. Every supporter counts and he needs a lot to catch up to the more well known Republicans running.

Overall Grade: C

Up tomorrow: Governor Bill Richardson (D-NM)

John Edwards was the first top-tier Democratic candidate to announce his run for President in 2008. So far, he has led an impressive effort online. Edwards website is filled with engaging content. All videos are posted on YouTube, pictures on Flickr, and his MySpace and Facebook profiles are prominently linked on most pages (he even has RSS set up on the site). What is interesting about Edwards social networking strategy is that he has a profile on virtually every site on the net. Little known sites like 43 Things, Ning and 20 (20!) other little know sites get a lot of attention on this site. Clearly they are taking the “lets throw everything against the wall and see if it sticks” approach. Since legitimate presidential campaigns have legions of volunteers and interns, this approach should be used by EVERY campaign. John Edwards is clearly one of the few candidates that get the web as it’s used in 2007.

Another impressive thing about Edwards online strategy is his aptly named “One Corps.” Created as a way to get people more involved, this group allows people to take action in their communities not just to help get Edwards elected, but to make a difference (though let’s be clear, this was done to help get Edwards elected). From collecting food for a local pantry to pushing for energy independence, the One Corps is connecting Edwards supporters across the country. This is going to be extremely useful in the coming months.

The one negative I will say is that I have not seen an Edwards email for quite some time. With the focus so early on in this presidential race, I would have expected Edwards to continue his aggressive email strategy (in January-February I was getting weekly emails it seemed). Where did these go? There have been studies done that show if you do not email your list for over a month, it has a negative impact on your future results.

Overall grade: A

Up tomorrow: US Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS)