Media

Social Media

Social media… social web…web 2.0…. What do these all mean?

A shift has happened in the way we communicate; the tools that companies, agencies, and governments used to use to talk to their constituents, clients, and customers are now available to more and more of us to talk back (and to each other). 

Below, you will find a list of the more popular social web sites (which you may already be more than familiar with), as well as some resources to help you navigate and make use of web 2.0 technology. For more information about any of this, contact the Violence Prevention Communications Coordinator via email, Facebook, or Twitter.

DISCLAIMER: Social networking sites can be tons of fun – they can also carry risks. Be aware that any information (or images) you put up online could potentially be viewed by those wishing to do you harm; avoid including too much personal information, or information that can be linked among various accounts to paint a more complete picture of your daily habits, places you frequent, or identifying information.

For a good article about some of the legal ramifications of using social media, see Legal Risks in Social Media Use by Nonprofits - by Kenneth E. Liu, Gammon & Grange, P.C. on Law For Change

WCASA Social Media Guide

an overview of social media usage and the most common sites; available in the following formats:

•  PDF version  [2.9 MB]
•  ePub compatible file [536 kb] (Sony, B&N Nook, iBooks)
•  MOBI compatible file [556 kb] (for Amazon Kindle )

Podcasts

The WCASA Social Media Podcast series:

• Episode 1 : Social Media & Facebook 
• A brief overview of social media and a look at Facebook pages. (14 min.)
• Episode 2 : Twitter 
  An overview of tweeting, hashtags, searches, linking and Twitter applications. (18 min.)

• Episode 3: RSS Feeds 
  Syndicated feeds are a quick and easy way to stay on top of news; what are they, and how do they work? (13 min.)
• Episode 4: Google+
  (pronounced Google “plus”), a hybrid between Facebook & Twitter, with additional bells and whistles (see Hangouts, free video conferencing for you and eight colleagues) (11 min.)

Select Social Media Networks

• Facebook– it wasn’t first to the social web space, but Facebook has swiftly grown to be the largest and most active site (900 million users as of Sept., 2012!)
• Facebook Safety - a joint project of Facebook and the National Association of Attorneys General
• How To: Set Up a Facebook Page – a good “how-to” page put together by the geeks at Mashable.com...
• Twitter– an exercise in brevity; you are limited to 140 characters, but you can communicate with vast audiences swiftly, share links, make connections
  • Hootsuite – browser-based app that allows you to track multiple Twitter and/or Facebook accounts; you can also use it to schedule tweets; basic usage free, there are paid pro-level accounts with other bells & whistles.
  • oneforty – a variety of tools and tips; your twitter feed on steroids
  • Hashtags – hashtags “#” denote keywords in tweets (and more and more in Facebook postings); these keywords can be searched, counted, tracked so that you can gauge trends or set up a stream for an event
• Google+ – (pronounced Google “plus”), a hybrid between Facebook & Twitter, with additional bells and whistles (see Hangouts, free video conferencing for you and eight colleagues)

• YouTube – so ubiquitous, it has now become the go-to place for video content online; now owned by Google, so you can access both through one login

• Flickr – photo sharing site

• Microblogging– sites that allow you to easily create a stream of links or text:
  • Tumblr
  • Posterous
• paper.li – create an online newspaper! this site allows you to create a custom collection of Facebook, Twitter streams, organized and presented visually as a newspaper which you can share. You can view our example - The WCASA View online.

Social Media Resources

• Wikipedia entry on social media: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media

• VAWNet (National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women) has an excellent, and thorough, “special collection” full of resources on safety considerations when dealing with data and moving about online: Special Collection: Safety & Privacy in a Digital World 

• PCAR/PCADV “Tech Top 10 Tips” worksheets 
• Social Media Use by Survivors 
• Social Media Use by Programs & Staff 
• Computer and Cell Phone Safety Tips for Domestic and Sexual Assault Survivors 

• TAASA (Texas Association Against Sexual Assault) Sexual Assault Awareness Month 2012 “Get Social” campaign packet  (some really good points and info)

• Socialbrite – “social tools for social change”

• FREE reports on Social Media – a series of white papers available as PDF’s covering a variety of topics related to social media, using social media for communicating and marketing, working with media, Twitter, and many others…
• digizen – safe, secure, and ethical use of the internet; resources related to social media use
• Health Communicator’s Social Media Toolkit –  (3 MB) CDC guide to integrating social media and using it to spread public health and prevention messaging

For Kids / Teens

• NNEDV - National Network to End Domestic Violence - SafetyNet Project : Tech Savvy Teens worksheet 

• NetSmartz – a project of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children; lots of useful resources, videos; content areas for Parents, Educators, Law Enforcement, Teens, Tweens, and Kids

Multimedia

• Social Good - The Chronicle of Philanthropy podcast series Tech Hive blog - Social network privacy settings compared (Jun 2012)

• mPreventViolence: Communication and Technology for Violence Prevention - workshop; This conference was held in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 8-9, 2011; many of the sessions are available as archived webcasts:
• http://events.tvworldwide.com/Events/IOM/IOM111208.aspx
• Nancy Lubin: Texting Saves Lives

Books

• The Networked Nonprofit: Connecting with Social Media to Drive Change by Beth Kanter and Allison H. Fine (Amazon link)