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Gary Hayes’ Social Media Counter shared through Creative Commons license.
I admit it. I’m an information junkie.
["Hi, Jeff," the Information Junkie Anonymous crowd says in unison.]
I’m a life-long learner that loves to devour new information from a variety of resources. I guess that’s why education was one of my degrees in college. [Yes, one of them.]
I read a lot. I mean a whole lot. I read stuff about things that help me grow in my profession. And I read stuff that has nothing to do with my profession. That’s often how I get some of my best ideas is reading outside of my field of interests.
I'm an information junkie.
Before the Internet and before blogs, I had lots of magazines and publications in my home. If I was going to a bookstore, half of my purchases were magazines. I would scour bookstores and news stands for unusual or unknown magazines. I would purchase catalogs of magazines just to feed my voracious appetite.
I was known at work for tearing out magazine articles, copying them and sharing them with anyone that would listen. I would mail articles to friends and family. I kept three ring notebooks of favorite articles. Now, don’t think I’m like your neighbor that keeps a lot of clutter and never throws anything away. My parents taught me better than that. I’m actually just the opposite, slightly OCD when it comes to everything has a place and a place for everything.
All of my magazines and articles were organized and I could find specific articles quickly. I have a fairly sharp memory too. (Just ask my parents, co-workers and spouse. They’ll tell you it’s one of my assets but also gets me in trouble when I remind people of what they forgot.)
Then the Internet arrived. I subscribed to eNews and read magazines online. My email box filed incoming news into appropriate folders. I filled RSS feeds with favorite blogs and read online books when they first started appearing in the early 1990’s.
Today, I don’t purchase many magazines yet I keep my learning needs fulfilled by reading blogs. And, I read a lot of blogs too from a variety of sources. I read them on my laptop, my desktop and my iPhone. I tweet articles and email them to family and friends. I star them, put them in folders and favor them in Twitter.
I often get asked what are some of my favorite blogs so here they are: My.Alltop.Com/JeffHurt
My.Alltop.com/JeffHurt
This is just a handful of my favorites from one of my favorite websites: Alltop.
Check out my mix of association, elearning, event and meeting planning, nonprofit, and social media blogs. If your blog is not in MyAlltop, perhaps it’s because you haven’t registered your blog for Alltop yet.
And, you can create your own My.Alltop too.
Have you read the latest rants about nonprofits using social media?
Seth Godin started the current debate with his post “The Problem With Non”. (Non as in “non-profit.”)
Seth states that most people join nonprofits because they want to make change. “The way the world is just isn’t right or good enough for you… there’s an emergency or an injustice or an opportunity and you want to make change” he says.
He continues and says that most nonprofits are afraid of change and that many are lacking in social media adoption. Many nonprofit social media specialists took issue with Seth’s reasoning and approach. They cried foul and rightfully so because Seth used some broad strokes to paint all nonprofits. Yet, interestingly enough, the people that cried foul are those that are using social media. What about the rest of the nonprofits?
What’s missing from the debate are the facts about nonprofits. Let’s look at the cold, hard facts about the nonprofit world:
The Facts About Nonprofits
- There are more than 1.8 million nonprofit associations in the U.S.A.
- There are more than 70,000 registered associations in Canada.
- More than 26 million people serve on nonprofit boards in America.
- Associations have more than 260,000 full time employees and more than 35,000 part time employees.
- More than 157,000 nonprofits have a designation of 501(c)(6) as business leagues.
- Of the 157,000, 150,000 are associations and 7,000 are chambers of commerce.
- More than 100,000 associations form each year. About three a day.
(Facts from U.S. IRS, Nonprofit Center, American Society of Association Executives, Canadian Society of Association Executives)
The Types Of Nonprofits
There are different types of associations or nonprofits:
- 501(c)(3) – charitable, educational, literary, religious, scientific organizations (member-driven or public benefit organizations)
- 501(c)(6) – business league, trade association, chamber of commerce (also member-driven)
- 501(c)(5) – agricultural organizations
Many people confuse the words nonprofit, association and charity and think that associations and nonprofits are two different things. They are the same thing and the words are used interchangeably. The word charity defines a specific type of association or nonprofit. The US IRS clarifies what can and can’t be called a charity and receive tax exemption status.
The Largest Nonprofits & Their Use Of Social Media
- AAA – 50 million members – Facebook Fan Page, Linkedin Account, two official Twitter accounts, YouTube
- AARP – 40 million members – Videos on their website, Webletter, no Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter account
- YMCA – 20.9 million members – separate chapter accounts, no national presence
- National Geographic Society – About 40 million members - has an active social media presence including Facebook Fan Page, Linkedin, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr and Widgets
- National PTA - More than 6.5 million members, 54 state congresses and more than 26,000 local units -has a Twitter account for the editor of their magazine, a Facebook Fan page, YouTube site
The Tough Questions
Did you read the first fact? There are more than 1.8 million nonprofit associations in the USA alone. Those are some big numbers.
Are the majority of those associations using social media? Are the majority of those 26 million board members using social media for their nonprofit? Are the majority of those associations on Twitter? Facebook? Blogging? Linkedin?
If they were using social media, wouldn’t many of the social media sites user numbers be higher.
Are the bloggers listed in this post talking about all nonprofits or charities only? I don’t know and perhaps the next step in this discussion is to clarify who we are actually talking about.
Back To The Debate: Views From Bloggers
Beth Kanter, one of my favorite nonprofit social media bloggers, recaps the debate in her post: “Seth Godin’s Non Post About Nonprofits: Deers in the Headlights?” There is a lot of anecdotal information in her post and comments. Many of the early nonprofit social media adopters commented that they are offended by Seth’s post.
Peter Panepento swings right back at Seth with his post “Followers and Friends Not the Only Measure of Nonprofit Success Online” on The Chronicle Of Philanthropy. Peter sites a study by The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research. That study only focuses on the 200 largest charities. That’s about 0.1% of all the nonprofits. And, let’s remember, those were “charities.”
Tom Watson writes “Why Seth Godin is Wrong” on CausedWire Communications. The comments there are worth the read and I applaud those that left comments. I especially like Seth’s and Hildy Gottleib’s comments.
Geoff Livingston writes “Why Seth Godin Needs to Do Field Work” on The Buzz Bin and takes Seth to task for not doing research before writing that post. I agree and think Geoff’s point applies to all nonprofit bloggers.
Steve MacLaughlin writes “Seth Godin And The Problems With Nonprofits” on Blackbaud and sums it ups with “Seth Godin did nothing more than shout “fire” in a crowded nonprofit chat room. Those taking most offense to his comments probably aren’t the ones he’s concerned about.”
Frank Barry, at Nitwit’s Think Tank wrties on “Nonprofits and Social Media: Seth Godin, Beth Kanter and The Chronicle of Philanthropy All Chime In”: “People are talking and reacting on either side of the argument. This is the type of behavior that has the potential to lead to real evaluation and change – That’s the point of it all if you ask me. Some nonprofits are doing it right. Others need to embrace change, get online and start learning how to leverage the web to affect change in our world.”
Kevin Gilnack responds at (Nonprofits+Politics)2.0 with “More Reasons Seth Godin is Wrong”. He writes “However, the Society for New Communications Research recently determined that nonprofits are leading the way in social media! For example, ‘their latest research shows the Fortune 500 with the least amount of corporate blogs (16%), the Inc. 500 with 39%, colleges and universities blogging at 41%, and charities now reporting 57% with blogs.’” 57% of charities are blogging but charities only represent a fraction of nonprofits.
My Thoughts
Here’s an interesting observation. How many of the bloggers that I listed above are full time employees for a nonprofit? Kevin is the only one that is actually a full time employee in an association. The rest of them are consultants to nonprofits on using social media. So naturally, they are upset with Seth because he’s talking about their business.
I’d like to see these nonprofit bloggers in action in Kevin’s or my shoes where we deal with low budgets, low tech, small staffs, big visions, and several layers of leadership. We juggle a lot to try to serve the public and our members. Serving on a Board of Directors for a nonprofit is very different than being an employee of a nonprofit. Then add social media to the mix and you’ll see the struggles we face. Right Kevin?
To Peter and those that commented on his blog I say, “Bravo that 89% of those 200 largest charities are using social media. I would expect them to because they have large staffs and can allocate resources and time to marketing, networking, community building and fundraising.”
To all those that commented on one of the blogs and are enraged by Seth’s comments because your nonprofit is using social media, kudos to you and your team. Thank you for leading the rest of us.
To all the nonprofit social media consultants, we need you. You will still be needed for second wave of nonprofit social media adopters. Please be patient with us as we try to educate Executive Directors, Board Members, Committee Chairs, Volunteer Leaders and staff on how social media can help us reach our strategic goals.
To Seth Godin, thank you for stirring the pot. Even if you made some people mad. People are talking about the issue!
Let’s move beyond Seth’s poor choice of metrics and his broad strokes of all nonprofits. Let’s look at his intentions as a call to nonprofits.
Let’s face it. The nonprofit sector has a long way to go before social media is fully accepted and adopted as part of the practice by all nonprofits. Yes there are those that are having success using social media and many have been listed on some of these blogs. While we applaud them, let’s not forget that there are thousands more that have not even started. Seth is right that fear is one of the motivating factors for not integrating social media at a nonprofit.
Change is hard. In the nonprofit arena, change requires leadership of the board, executive director, staff and volunteers. Securing buy in from each of those levels of leadership often can be a barrier for change and adoption of new practices, especially social media. I applaud Seth for challenging all nonprofits to step into the social space. I don’t agree with his metrics or logic, but I agree with his intentions.
From a 15+ year nonprofit employee that has seen many nonprofits move very slowly with new ideas, technology and social media.
I originally wrote this as a response to “Blogging Is The Ultimate Team Sport” on Grow, Mark Schaefer’s blog. While typing my comments, I realized it was too long for the comment section. And, his post became the springboard for my thoughts that went in a different direction. So, I decided to share my reflections here.
Mark wrote, “Blogging is the ultimate team sport.”
Blogging, The Ultimate Team Sport says Mark Schaefer
Is blogging a team sport? I love the image and the allegory that blogging is a team sport. It’s rich with meaning.
There are the spectators, the crowd that cheer and boo from the stands in the privacy of their own skybox (home). They arm chair quarterback the entire blogosphere from the comfort of their own desk chair. They talk out loud to their computers and never stroke the keyboard. They are engaged but as a follower, a fan or a frienemy (friend-enemy).
There are the players that sit on the bench, watch the action, wish they could play, and pat other active players on the back when they are doing it successfully. These self-benched players have the skills and stamina to play but lack self-confidence. Their minds paralyze their bodies with the “What Ifs Syndrome.” What if I write the wrong thing? What if my comments are misread? What if I make a typo? What if my customers read this? What if it backfires? What if… Paralyzed, sitting on the bench, unable to participate actively. They prefer to be passive. It’s comfortable. It’s safe. It’s easier. What if became the stopping place for failure.
There are the active players that choose to engage with each other and leave a comment. They read and guffaw, laugh aloud, pound their keyboard with force as their words come alive with passion. Some ponder their next move like a chess match thinking through each step in the process. They craft their reply starting down one path and maybe changing directions midcourse, leading the reader down a trail of words that eventually come to a crescendo. These are the real active players of the game.
Then there are those ego-laden players that scream “look at me because I’ve got your answer.” They cloak their actions as team playing activities. Yet their actions are naked before all and as people snicker and whisper about their ineffective ego-driven steps. They think they are VIP material when actually they are obnoxious self-promoters.
Some sell concessions and hock their wares from the sidelines. Luring you in with the smell of popcorn and drinks, acting as the carnie vendors to come spend your money. Asking you to buy logoed products and get the next nifty tool to increase your game strategy.
Some act as the cheer squad. Some play instruments adding musical scores to the words. Some are the videographers capturing their actions and others with sound and image. And some keep score.
For me, I’m looking forward to the half-time entertainment. What’s scheduled? 
So, I guess that makes the blogger the coach. And would the audience/spectators also serve as referees crying foul or you’re out?
But now that I think about it. Team sports means there are winners and losers. Are their winners and losers in blogging?
Perhaps blogging is actually similar to the “New Games” movement that appeared in the 1970s. Yes, I’m showing my age. (I was a teen camp counsler in the late ’70s that taught New Games!) These games were set against a backdrop of climate change concerns, a controversial war, political upheaval and complex gender issues. The “New Games Movement” had a different philosophy where everyone that played the game was a winner or everyone lost together. It was a shared experience of meaningful play, with shared contexts.
Stewart Brand, author of the “Whole Earth Catalog” and “The Clock of the Long Now” theorized “You can’t change a game by winning it, goes the formula, or losing it or refereeing it or spectating it. You can change a game by leaving it, going somewhere else and starting a new game. If it works, it will in time alter or replace the old game.”
H-m-m, is blogging a team sport or the digital arrival of the “New Games Movement?” Or is it some other form of game, sports or play analogy? I’ll have to explore that concept more in future posts.
What say you?
I recently stumbled across Mark’s blog and find his posts to be extremely engaging and inspiring. He’s a gifted writer and has a knack for luring people into his thoughts and reflections. He makes you want to leave a comment! His ponderings are usually open-ended, with just enough information to engage you and then get you to respond. He doesn’t claim to know it all yet. He asks provocative questions and I see him as one who is willing to ask the tough questions on the jouney. Check him out!
Do you use Twitter? Facebook? Blogs? LinkedIn? The Internet?
If you do, why? Seriously, what’s your intention of going online?
Now, why do you use social media? For fun, to sell, to learn, to socialize, to find your community…
Ruder Finn, one of the world’s largest public relations agencies, released the RF Intent Index, July 2009, an online tool that provides a new view on why people go online. (Go play with their cool RF Intent Index widget.) According to Rudder Finn, it redefines how we look at demographics.
RF Intent Index
The RF Intent Index is an ongoing online research study, updated quarterly, that provides an analysis of the underlying motivations or reasons people go online—their intent. It is divided into seven major intent categories with 295 specific activities people perform online.
It shows that a person’s intent may be a better indicator for how to develop a communications campaign than demographic formulas. It also underscores how critical those using web communications need to gain deep insight into user intent, and how the right message, at the right place, at the right time is more important than ever.
RF Intent Index Chart
Here are some of the highlights that may interest you:
100% of people go online to have fun and pass the time.
96% of people go online to learn.
92% of people go online to connect; 86% to share; 76% to discuss; 72% to be part of a community.
More than 4 in 5 people (80%) go online to socialize, which is twice as many as those who go online to shop or do business.
More men (42%) than women (36%) go online to do business.
Women comment, men read: 55% of women go online to find venues for personal expression compared to only 43% of men.
The age of blogs: 44% of people go online to create or update blogs and 42% of people go online to read other people’s blogs.
What does this have to say for advocacy groups, businesses, charities, event organizers, government, nonprofit associations, and other organizations? Seems there’s some good research here on why your organization may want be online in the social arena.
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