Try it and fix it as we go (Part 4 of 11 NetNon series)

"Try it and fix it as we go" Hmmm. That is one idea. Or we could make sure we have the right strategy, do a deep risk analysis, get the right staff, run an RFP process for a consultant, build some "must follow" processes, have a committee write a plan and vet all decisions through senior management. We should wait until we are ready.
I know many of you are thinking, yeah, you are so right Steve. "Try it and fix it as we go" isn't a good idea, we should think this through. We should make sure we are ready.  Wrong, ok well mostly wrong.

We tend to use phrases like:
"Go big or go home"
"Failing to plan is planning to fail"
"A consultant knows best."
"There is no try, only do or do not."
"The risk outweighs the benefit."
"Always be prepared."
"We've always done it that way."
"My experience tells me..."

OK, I think you get the point with the quotes. Sorry I got carried away there. But do you see how our old way of planning, strategy and decision making has to shift in order to use social media well?

Yes, "Try it and fix it as we go," is a good way to think about creating a social culture. And here is another favorite quote from the book. "Failing Fast." OK, seriously we don't want to fail, let alone fail fast.

Does this mean we don't plan or think this through, we just start? NO. Rather we plan and think through a methodology to allow for experimentation and ongoing changes tied to a set of goals that are measured with agreed upon metrics of success.  We also clearly state expectations of appropriate behavior in a social media policy for all staff. We help clarify the role of the individual vs org, public vs private, personal vs professional. We spend time crafting what we want the voice of the organization to be. We think through how we will react to and learn from failure, because it will happen. We come up with ways to encourage staff to grow and share in a positive way.

The plan isn't about the steps, tools and getting it right the first time. It is all about how you manage the culture, experiment and keep moving forward.

This chapter spends some time thinking about a social media policy, which is a great opportunity for conversation about social media across your full organization.  But a social media policy shouldn't be a list of do's and dont's. It needs to set the tone of your social culture. It needs to provide the framework to encourage you to "try it and fix it as we go" and "fail fast". (and here I thought the words try and fail should never be in our policy.)

I am going to share my thoughts about the book "The Networked Nonprofit" by Beth Kanter and Allison Fine over 11 posts, this was part 4 (one for each chapter).  But rather than just tell you what the chapter is about, I am going to share what I learned from it, any reactions and extra thoughts that I would add.  However the big caution I have with this, is that I am just not as smart and experienced as Beth and Allison, so you should probably just buy the book.

Understanding Social Networks (Part 3 of 11 NetNon series)

"Traditionally, organizations have viewed themselves through an organization centric lens. Envisioning oneself and one's organization as the center of the universe with other people and organizations circling around it---providing it with funds, attention and volunteers as needed---is at odds with a world energized by social media and connectedness. Other organizations and individuals are not waiting for instructions for what to do; they're talking, doing and connecting based on their own needs and interests. Networked Nonprofits know this and are reorienting themselves to engage with individual free agents and organizations in their networks."

"How can I use social media to do fundraising, get attention for my organization, promote my event?" Those are the questions that I hear a lot. But if you are still working from an organization centric lens, which the questions above suggest, then you misunderstand the structure of social networks. The real question may be, "how do we incorporate social networks to be ready for people to get involved in the way they want to?"

Taking time to understand how a social network works, what it is used for and by who will greatly enhance your success but may also shift your goals and plans.  Chapter 3 does a great job of explaining the structure of social network. A network basically consists of two things; nodes (people\orgs) and ties (connections between them). The book goes on to describe how people connect, share and form groups.

Slight detour below.

"I've got some loose ends to tie up." We have a tendency to want control. We have a tendency to want to hang out with those we are closest to. We have a tendency to want order. We may have to rethink this.

Loose ties is what it is all about.  Within your organization's social network map you will have some strong ties to key supporters, which you have always been able to tap. But with social networks you can directly tap the LOOSE TIES. "Loose ties are lighter connections that friendly acquaintances have with one another."

"Tell your friends about..." Isn't that what we always add to the end of any pep talk? Now with social networks we have a more direct route to tell their friends or arm our friends with an easier way to tell their friends.

Detour was meant to have a point, not sure if I made it though. So like a fairy tale book, I will just say it. The point is, It is important to know who your strongest ties are, but don't loose focus on those loose ties. In order to do this, you may have to loosen control, hang out with your friends' friends and allow a little disorder.

Back on the road.

Social Capital. At the end of the chapter the focus turns to social capital. Here are some ways to social media builds social capital:

• People are easy to find online and on many channels
• Talk is cheap
• Serendipity is enhanced online
• Reciprocity is incredibly easy 

 Reciprocity is incredibly easy. That point struck me hard! It is so true. And reciprocity isn't just easy in social media, it is so powerful. A public thank you, compliment or positive interaction that people can over hear is incredible!

Anyway, my thoughts were really scrambled and random on this chapter. But in the end, understanding the structure of social networks, knowing your role\network, leveraging your ties and building social capital is how it starts (not asking how do I promote my cause.)

I am going to share my thoughts about the book "The Networked Nonprofit" by Beth Kanter and Allison Fine over 11 posts, this was part 3 (one for each chapter).  But rather than just tell you what the chapter is about, I am going to share what I learned from it, any reactions and extra thoughts that I would add.  However the big caution I have with this, is that I am just not as smart and experienced as Beth and Allison, so you should probably just buy the book.

Challenges & Trends of a Networked Nonprofit (Part 2 of 11 NetNon series)

Free Agents. When you dont know who else can you turn too? Your team is almost complete, but you need to bring in that one player from the outside who will push you over the top. You need a Free Agent. They know they are good, they know they are in demand, they want to help.  Free agents is a great term and I love how it plays out in Chapter Two of the Networked Nonprofit.

Paraphrased from chapter:

We are facing a leadership crisis arises from:

1. Rise of professional staff, replacing volunteers
2. Funders focused on professionally staff org, not volunteer staffed
3. Orgs looked to budget and staff growth as indicators of success

Things rings so true to me. Resources were abundant, growth was everywhere. Training and leveraging volunteers was not as effective as just hiring the staff.  I have actually said those words so many times. But in the midst of this, you lose involvement of your supporters, you lose connection to the community and so much more.  We built structures, policies and big budgets: we were building empires to serve a cause.

Revolutions are often started by a single person with a simple idea and they use their influence to build a movement, they are Free Agents. (I hope that doesn't go too far from the books definition).

Free agents are those that take it upon themselves to make a difference, take action or start a movement because they care. They have some sort of connection, passion or personal reason driving them, so they act. But they don't always want to join forces with some org that will just slow them down.

Free agents today have a secret weapon in social media. A single person can spark the hearts and imaginations of hundreds, thousands or millions of people. However, our organizations are not always ready to work with that Free Agent, we just want to hire them. But many of these Free Agents will come and go, a cause will attract their attention only until they are satisfied and then they move on.

Many orgs are scared of this type of relationship.  How can I trust, work with and equip a Free Agent when I cant control them and I have no idea how long they will stay involved? How can this one person or group of people do anything better than our org that has the best staff and years of experience? We are so busy how can we possibly focus our time on Free Agents?

I think I need to go back to the point from Chapter 1 where we talked about that we have already lost control. We don't want to control the Free Agent. They have something we need, influence within the community.

Maybe the next time we have a need, require fresh energy or look to hire more staff we will turn to a Free Agent to save the day.

I am going to share my thoughts about the book "The Networked Nonprofit" by Beth Kanter and Allison Fine over 11 posts, this was part 2 (one for each chapter).  But rather than just tell you what the chapter is about, I am going to share what I learned from it, any reactions and extra thoughts that I would add.  However the big caution I have with this, is that I am just not as smart and experienced as Beth and Allison, so you should probably just buy the book.

Say hello to Networked Nonprofits - (Part 1 of 11 NetNon series)

I am going to share my thoughts about the book "The Networked Nonprofit" by Beth Kanter and Allison Fine over 11 posts (one for each chapter).  But rather than just tell you what the chapter is about, I am going to share what I learned from it, any reactions and extra thoughts that I would add.  However the big caution I have with this, is that I am just not as smart and experienced as Beth and Allison, so you should probably just buy the book.

First, what is a Networked Nonprofit? Here is a bit from the book about that. But it is hard to get the real picture from these words.  Reading the examples of how this plays out in the real world is awesome in the book.

"Networked Nonprofits are simple and transparent organizations. They are easy for outsiders to get in and insiders to get out."

"Networked Nonprofits don't work harder or longer than other organizations, they work differently. They engage in conversations with people beyond their walls - lots of conversations- to build relationships that spread their work through the network." 

So what were my thoughts from the chapter? - I am glad that I asked myself.

Our staff and organization are too overworked. We dont have the resources, time or staff to do it all. However we are unwilling to give up any control. We use excuses like Brand Management and Quality Control to hide behind, saying that we need to control the message and only our staff can do the work right. We are very official in everything we do and proud of it. In case you dont pick up on my sarcasm, I would question how this needs to change.

Making the changes is not an easy task for many organizations though. Large organizations can have long histories and deeply rooted cultures, couple with org charts that reinforce silos within the organization. If an organization cant effectively communicate, network and share within its own structure, how can it ever be transparent and open to others.  If I had the answer on how to fix this, I would share it, but I dont have a silver bullet here.  Maybe the book will have these answers.

"Networked Nonprofits are not afraid to lose control of their programs and services, their logos and branding, messages and messengers because they know that in return they will receive the goodwill and passion of many people working on their behalf."

OK, now those are just fighting words. We are afraid of this. We see the brand challenges that others have faced because of corrupt leadership, misused funds, staff behavior, and so many other reputation disasters. Many of us have seen or heard a message on behalf of a nonprofit that is off course, inappropriate or misinformed. So we must fight to keep control and own all of this, right? Right? Hello, arent you listening? We need control. --- No actually we only think we have control.

Thinking that you have control of your brand and message is like thinking you can hold jello in your hands forever, eventually it is oozing out of control.  People are shaping, impacting and changing your brand everyday, whether you give them the control or not. So why not embrace those that "get it", give them information and get them involved?

This is not an easy change to get started. Nuff said.

The chapter continues by "busting" some social media myths:

• Our constituents aren't online. Busted.
• Face-to-face isn't important anymore. Busted. (IRL FTW!)
• Social media isn't core to our work. Busted.
• Using social media is hard. Busted.
• Using social media is time-consuming. SPOILER ALERT - Confirmed to a point.

 I love the thoughts that went into this part. Try to address the resistance upfront.

"Conversations activate the natural creativity and passion that people bring to causes they care about."

 So lets stop talking to ourselves or at our constituents and really engage and empower them.

The metrics of fishing

How much did you catch? That is the first question people ask when you go fishing. And they expect you to have counted. But you cant just say how many you caught, you also are expected to know their weight, length, type and what bait you used. That is all so obvious and straight forward, but let me tell you a short story.

I am in my late 30's, ok fine really close to 40. And my two oldest sons are 17 and 18. These are years of big change for them. I dont seem to get enough time with them. All I have enough time to do is talk to them about being responsible, making the right choices and what did they do now...  I talked to Grandpa and we arranged to stay out fishing with just the older boys. We had the gear, the weather was great (a lot dark though, which doesn't mix well with sharp hooks), we had our bait and we had a fishing plan.  When the fishing trip was all over, everyone asked the obvious questions stated above.

Now if you hadnt heard that very short synopsis of my story, you would think that the measure of success is how many fish we caught, right? But I hope you see that my measurement of success in this scenario was me spending time with my sons and whether we connected. Did they see that I am more than a mean face that says "no" and pushes them to be who they could be?

Dont you think we should be measuring our social media activity with this type of lens? Yes, you need to be able to report on where you fished, number caught, size, type and what bait you used. However, maybe it is time to stop focusing on the fish and look at what made the trip special and the connections you made while fishing?

I dont care what you want to hear!

Sometimes when I look at a website, read a status or check out an article and I think to myself wow, they have a lot to say but the really dont care about what we want to hear or what we care about.

For example, my blog was started for me to have a voice, think through some thoughts and just share some of my ideas.  I am not looking to build up a huge following, become famous or tailor to what my audience wants (of course that assumes I have an audience at all). I write my blog posts so that I can process a thought from start to finish. By putting my thoughts into words online and publishing them publicly I am forcing myself to make a statement and allow people to react (whether that is bad or good reactions). Some of my posts people have actually enjoyed and shared.  Others I enjoyed a lot and no one seemed to care.

The danger that I see here though is when this attitude or thought process crosses over to an organization, company or any other website that is driving toward a goal.

This blog is for fun and sharing, there is no mission to be met or sales to be made.

But when you are planning your website, social media, emails or whatever communication you are working on, is your thought process too focused on what you want to say? Well you might just be telling your audience that you dont care what they want to hear.

I'm just sayin.....

Facebook Comments Again

I was excited that John Hayden shared our YMCA's comment escalation flow chart on his blog! It seems that many people can identify with it.

Here is John's post:

http://www.johnhaydon.com/2010/08/org-facebook-page-decision-flowchart/

Here is a quote that I liked the most from his post:

Five reasons why a decision flow-chart makes sense

1. Scalability – Staff can be brought into the social media workflow quicker with simple directions.

2. Consistency - A simple response policy means that you’ll more likely respond as one voice, instead of many disjointed voices.

3. Alignment - You can ensure that tactical responses on social media aligns with your over-arching business goals.

4. Speed - The quicker foot-soldiers understand protocol, the quicker comments get responded to.

5. Smarts - Granting the ability for staff to make decision on how to respond means that legal council can spend time on genuine legal issues.

I will be running a training this week for about 45 Facebook authors for the 20 or so pages that we will be launching on Aug 23. John Haydon's points really made me think through how I was going to convey the importance of replying to comments to our authors. I need to be more deliberate about explaining that there is no silver bullet to replying, but you need to have a plan. You cant just wing it, especially when there are multiple authors and you are replying on behalf of the organization.

"We already know what some of the comments are going to be from some of our members. We already see them in comment cards, email, phone calls, conversations, etc. So how can we be ready to reply to those?" That remark came up during a recent planning meeting. And it is true, we will get some of the same comments. My thought is, you would respond in the same way as when you received the comments in the other means, except maybe look for some brevity and give a way to follow up.

One of the biggest push backs we get from our staff is that they are already so busy that how are they going to fit in yet another task to reply to comments.  That is why we really need this structure to help them respond quickly, professionally and confidently.

Thanks for the mention John and for the extra inspiration to keep thinking this through.