The trend of fundraising through social media has been evident within the last couple of months, with ordinary people the world over sharing the fundraising message within thousands of networks on the online community. Of course, the most  impressive effort to-date was the ‘Helping Haiti’ response, but it seems to be  happening all over again with the likes of Sport Relief. Using the simple combination of Facebook applications, celebrity Tweets, throw in a few funny you-tube teasers videos and even the simplest of blogs and you’re well on your way to a winning formula for a fundraising campaign.

Using social media is helping to fundraise in ways that traditional media has previously  been less effective at doing, by skipping the ‘middle man’ and adopting a more engaging approach. Social media proves that anyone who is willing to – even a seven year old with a bike who raised £55k in three days - can campaign to raise funds on a level that hasn’t been possible before –without rattling a single bucket.

One thing’s for certain - it’s fast becoming clear that the importance of social media in 2010 could overtake traditional media within almost any successful campaign – and not just in times of fundraising. It’s changed the way we think so it’s now expected by many that there will be a social media source for all campaigns, and all brands for that matter.

Posted by Claire Pace

The Manchester Evening News reports that players for Manchester United and City have been advised against using Twitter, on the basis that 1) content posted by players could be taken out of context by the media and 2) since there are so many fake twitter profiles around, if none of the players are allowed to tweet, fans be certain that any player they come across on twitter is bogus.

The risk of staff twittering off brand is obviously an issue for employers, whatever their business may be.  If you happen to earn your living as an actor in a high profile film franchise for example, there isn’t much in your working life you’ll be allowed to tweet about.  Tom Felton, who plays Malfoy in the Harry Potter franchise is limited to tweeting the Potter related news that he’s getting his hair dyed blonde (again) and talking about crisps and the weather in case he gives away a Top Secret plot development.

If you’re not sure what your own company’s approach to staff members disclosing information on social networking sites, tweeting or blogging should be, then the BBC’s own editorial guidelines on personal use of Social Networking and other third party websites  and IBM’s Social Computing Guidelines are good places to start. (both links via Roo Reynolds)

posted by gemmaT

Originally, Twitter was set up to answer one simple question: what are you doing?  But now it seems that it’s remit extends to:

• Customer service
• Sales
• News
• Celebrity gossip
• Lifestyle advice

Twitter is of course enjoying an enormous surge in popularity, helped by the fact it is incredibly easy to set up to and use.  But recent research by Purewire indicates that 40% of Twitter users have not tweeted since their first day on Twitter.

The same research points out that over 1/3rd of Twitter users haven’t posted a single tweet, and nearly 80% of users have fewer than 10 tweets, suggesting that a large number of users are there to consume or find content like in the list above, not to create it.

Will Twitter go the way of Second Life as a high profile site that became more of a niche community (albeit one hampered by millions of dormant accounts)?  Or will it evolve into a ‘to go’ version of the internet?

posted by gemmaT

Last Friday Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk) became the first person to attract one million followers on Twitter.

Twitter is in serious growth (some data even suggests that it is doubling in size month on month) and even Oprah Winfrey (@oprah) has started tweeting.  Since a seal of approval from Oprah can send an unknown author to the top of the best seller charts, heaven knows what it’ll do for Twitter take up among the masses.

Which is all very well, but Twitter users, whether they be brands, celebrities or Oprah fans need to bear in mind exactly who they are twittering to and who they would like to follow them:

Friends?
Customers?
Colleagues and competitors?
Journalists?

Twitter is very similar to blogging in that you can’t control who reads it.  You can only create open and honest content that is most likely to appeal to the kind of people you are trying to attract. 

Ashton Kutcher may have 1M followers, but he is in the business of putting bums on cinema seats.  You might want to be seen as a thought leader in your particular industry sub-sector or as a helpful point of customer contact, which makes it more important that the right people follow you rather than the actual quantity of followers.

posted by GemmaT

It seems we Brits love Twitter.

Up, Up and away

How are you?  Are you coping with the name calling, finger pointing, endless examination of your value and purpose?  Did you ever think you would become the worldwide phenomenon you appear to be (especially in the US) or does it scare you a little..are you waiting for the party to be over, do you worry about a younger, better model coming along?  How do you feel about President Barack Obama, Wossy and Janis Krums? Grateful?  Did you ever think your ‘what are you doing now?’ idea would become the finger on the pulse, the mood of nations?  Will less and less people say they “don’t get it” and more and more say they “have to have it”?  Well, in time, we’ll see.  Keep us posted, stay in touch and remember if you can’t say it in less than 140 characters,then you might need a blog!