Posts Tagged ‘facebook’
August 27th, 2010 by Elizabeth Ricca
- In these times of email overload, your nonprofit’s messages have to work hard to separate themselves from the pack. Check out these tips from Brian Clark on Copyblogger to help you write email subject lines so awesome, your recipients can’t help but click.
- Facebook makes my head ache sometimes (okay, most of the time), so it’s nice to be reminded of the ways it helps nonprofits do good in the world—like this interesting post from Inside Facebook, examining how the Red Cross uses Facebook to support disaster relief efforts.
- Does your nonprofit have an official Place on Facebook? Get ready for check-ins with these tips from Nonprofit Tech 2.0.
- Recent research from Pew Internet shows that millenials are eager online sharers, and they’re not likely to grow out of the habit anytime soon. What does this mean for your nonprofit, both in the workplace and as you reach out to younger donors?
- A little online eye candy to sweeten your Friday afternoon: TIME magazine’s 50 best websites of 2010. Commence oohing and aahing.
A weekly roundup of interesting reads from the online world of nonprofit communications. Follow me on Twitter @elizabethricca for more noteworthy links.
Tags: best websites of 2010, facebook, Facebook Places, millenials, nptech, roundup, subject lines
Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Leave a Comment
August 20th, 2010 by Elizabeth Ricca
- Facebook has jumped into the location game this week with the launch of Places, an application that lets users “check in” to venues and share their real-time location with Facebook friends.
What it means for nonprofits, and whether it will overtake, complement, or prove irrelevant to the success of similar popular applications like foursquare, remains to be seen. For now, a big initial concern is (surprise, surprise) privacy: check out this post from ReadWriteWeb for instructions on how to update your Facebook account privacy settings in light of the new features.
- Should that button say “Donate” or “Give”? When in doubt, look to the data. Elliot Harmon on TechSoup Blog has put together a great post about the ins and outs of A/B testing, and how your nonprofit can use it to improve your communications.
- Whether or not your nonprofit is active in social media, sooner or later, you’ll probably need to respond to a tough or touchy topic raised by a member of your community online. It can’t be avoided, but Chris Tuttle on NetWits Think Tank has put together some strategies and tips for how to approach sensitive situations when they arise.
- Given the speed at which the digital world is changing, the future of online communications is unpredictable at best. How can nonprofits make smart choices about where to invest time and energy online? Brett Meyer on NTEN’s blog reviews some recent prognostications about what’s to come on the Web, and breaks down what they mean for nonprofits.
- Does your web writing need a makeover? Kevin Cesarz offers some helpful tips for structuring your online copy to let the content truly shine.
A weekly roundup of interesting reads from the online world of nonprofit communications. Follow me on Twitter @elizabethricca for more noteworthy links.
Tags: A/B testing, facebook, nptech, privacy, roundup, social media, writing for the web
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Leave a Comment
May 28th, 2010 by Elizabeth Ricca
- Another week, another iteration of Facebook’s privacy settings. This post from All Facebook explains what you need to know about the changes. (And if you’re not yet sick of the topic, here’s a smart article from Bruce Nussbaum on Harvard Business Review about why Facebook’s actions are a problem for the company.)
- And in the spirit of privacy, Google has now made it pretty easy for individual users to opt out of being tracked by Analytics. Uh oh.
- It’s Friday…do you know who your volunteers are? This information visualization from the Pepsi Refresh campaign figuratively rifles through the pocketbook of a typical volunteer, sharing statistics and demographic information. Rebecca Leaman of Wild Apricot takes a closer look at what makes the graphic successful and suggests ways that your nonprofit can emulate those lessons in your communications.
- Two innovative uses of online tools in the service of nonprofit causes this week: Earthjustice uses foursquare checkins to raise money and awareness in its efforts to fight the oil industry, and DonorsChoose partners with Groupon (a group coupon site) to raise money in an interesting spin on the tried-and-true matching gift campaign.
- YouTube just got a bit more social with the integration of Google Moderator, a tool that allows YouTube channel owners to start conversations, ask questions, and solicit feedback from visitors. If you don’t have a channel yet, check out YouTube’s Nonprofit Program and set one up.
- We Ducks are hoping that you were all as distracted by the Google Pac-Man logo as we were, and so didn’t notice the precipitous decline in our productivity. Apparently, we’re in good company: one estimate puts the collective value of the productive time lost to the doodle at over 120 million dollars.
A weekly roundup of interesting reads from the online world of nonprofit communications. Follow me on Twitter @elizabethricca or check out my Delicious bookmarks for more noteworthy links.
Tags: facebook, foursquare, google analytics, groupon, information visualization, nptech, pac-man, privacy, roundup, volunteers, YouTube
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Leave a Comment
May 21st, 2010 by Elizabeth Ricca
- I’m tempted to just close my eyes and stick my fingers in my ears until all the madness over Facebook’s privacy policies calms down and we actually know what we’re dealing with. But if you’re more enterprising than I am and are determined to understand the tangled web of privacy settings, here’s a visualization from the New York Times that may help. Or not.
- As Bryan Miller discusses on Giving in a Digital World, a new service called Square now makes it possible for nonprofits (or anyone really) to process credit card transactions with nothing fancier than a smartphone and a little (free) card-scanning device. It’s hip to be square!
- It’s spring cleaning season: time to spruce up the old enewsletter. On Philanthropy Journal, Allison Van Diest poses some questions that can help you evaluate and improve the messages going out to your email list.
- While you’re in tidying mode, how about that website? Is it quick and easy for your site visitors to find the most important content? Lacey Kruger on Connection Café offers some tips for taking a step back to assess your site’s visual hierarchy and determine whether it’s helping you achieve your objectives.
- But before you start tweaking your website, consider these thoughts from 37signals on the art (and importance) of simplicity. It’s not easy to refrain from promoting every one of your awesome programs on the homepage, but it might just make for a more effective site.
A weekly roundup of interesting reads from the online world of nonprofit communications. Follow me on Twitter @elizabethricca or check out my Delicious bookmarks for more noteworthy links.
Tags: enewsletter, facebook, nptech, roundup, simplicity, square, website
Posted in Uncategorized | No Comments »
Leave a Comment
