Introduction to Technology and Communications

LWV Ohio

May 2009

Melissa Currence

and Teana Nicol

Purpose

Demonstrate technology such as MeetUp, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Podcasts,

LWVO site and to discuss how to leverage them for:

1. Member recruitment2. Marketing events and mission3. Target different demographics4. Voter education5. Advocacy

Why is this topic important?

• If we don’t fill the niche, other groups can and ARE!

• People are communicating in new ways. It has changed how people expect to receive information.– The Internet has democratized

communication. – People sharing info rather than just having

info pushed to them from a centralized source

Who is using new technologies?

Corporations

• Going Viral

• More credibility

• Dove

Nonprofits

• Free resources

• Advocacy

• Promoting events

Individuals

• Sharing info

• Living the brands they love

Advantages of social media

• It can be an inexpensive way to communicate in lean times– People need five to seven message impressions for

minimum impact and up to 11 impressions to inspire action.

• Helps nurture personal relationships, can’t replace the personal touch

• With more competition for our attention, can use as avenues for communication

Marketing 101• All attention you would give print media, you

must give to electronic media• Write engaging copy • Reduce use of jargon

• Appeal to motivations of the reader– Answer why would anyone want to read this or

attend?• Know your audience

– Sex, age, race, profession, etc. What is interesting to them?

• Have a consistent logo and messaging

Tips for use

• Use in combination for maximum effect– Can post YouTube or links on Facebook, link

Twitter to Facebook and vice versa

• Social media is getting more intuitive and user friendly

• Volunteer opportunities for those interested in social media

Facebookfacebook.com

• Summary: Facebook is a free-access social networking website. Users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with other people. People have profiles on Facebook. Organizations can have either “groups”, “pages” or “causes.” Could get deleted if an organization makes a profile.

– Options for organizations 1. Groups - Groups can be based around shared interests and activities. 2. Pages - A Facebook Page is a public profile that enables you to share your business and products

with Facebook users. People become fans. 3. Causes- Donations to causes for registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits and major presidential campaigns.

• Demographics- Not just college kids anymore– 1) The 35-54 year old demo is growing fastest, with a 276.4% growth rate in the past 6

months– 2) The 55+ demo has a 194.3% growth rate– 3) The 25-34 year population on Facebook is doubling every 6 months

• Cost: Free • LWV Use: LWV Cincinnati Area’s Facebook Group, LWV Greater Dayton Facebook

Group, LWV National has a Facebook Causes Page

Facebookfacebook.com

• Benefit: Engage members already on Facebook and organize people who are aware of the cause but who need more information

• Downside– Newest craze of nonprofits

and advocacy groups– Could become obsolete if

something new takes its place like what happened to myspace.com and friendster.com

– Can get inappropriate wall posts and discussions

YouTubeyoutube.com

• Summary: YouTube allows people to easily upload and share video clips on and across the Internet through websites, mobile devices, blogs, and email. People can see first-hand accounts of current events, find videos about their hobbies and interests.

• Traffic and Stats: People are watching hundreds of millions of videos a day on YouTube and uploading hundreds of thousands of videos daily. In fact, every minute, ten hours of video is uploaded to YouTube.

• Cost: Free (except equipment and software capable of creating video, i.e., ranging from cell phone or video camera to more elaborate technologies.)

• LWV use: LWV Cincinnati Area

YouTubeyoutube.com

• Benefit: Users can view content on demand

• Demographics: YouTube’s user base is broad in age range, 18-55, evenly divided between males and females, and spanning all geographies. Fifty-one percent of users go to YouTube weekly or more often, and 52 percent of 18-34 year-olds share videos often with friends and colleagues.

• Downside: max video 10 min so must divide into 10 min increments and publish in series.

YouTubeyoutube.com

• Cinci LWV video had 3700 hits

• Dove YouTube went viral• Ideas on how to use:

Post program meetings, voter service.

MeetUpmeetup.com

• Summary: Creates an online group and organize meetings. People find groups by interest and by location.– Meetup is the world's largest network of local groups.

More than 2,000 groups get together in local communities each day, each one with the goal of improving themselves or their communities.

• Cost: $72 every 6 months ($144 per year)• LWV use: LWV Greater Dayton Area used for 4

years

MeetUpmeetup.com

Demographics & Stats– Monthly visitors: 5 million – Members: 4.7 million – Monthly RSVPs:

1.7 million – Monthly Meetups:

102,000 – Local groups: 46,315 – Topics: 4,916 – Cities: 3,601

Benefits– Reaches non-members

in same geographical area.

– People can find group based on topics such as Women, Politics, Voters, etc.

– Can get an idea of how many people will or will not attend an event.

– Members rate event and venue so you get feedback.

MeetUpmeetup.com

• Features: – Can describe your group and connect to similar

groups to attract members– Can email group and members can email you– Send auto-generated reminder one week and one

day before event.– Organizer receives emails notifying when members

will or will not attend an event. Questions can also be answered from those interested

– Can survey group and polls

• Downside:– Get occasional email from people “who want to

know more about the LWV.” – Cost: $144 per year.

• How to use:– Increase attendance at events, planning (RSVP)– Increase membership: Recent meeting on Gov.

Educ. Reform Program– Can try to develop personal relationships.

http://womenvoters.meetup.com/1/

Twittertwitter.com

• Summary: Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that enables its users to send and read other users' updates known as tweets. Tweets are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length which are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have subscribed to them (known as followers).

• Demographics:– PEW Study:

• 19% of online adults age 18-24 have used twitter or something like it• 20% of online adults age 25-34 have used twitter or something like it• 10% of online adults age 35-44 have used twitter or something like it

– Growing! Oprah Effect and Media fascination• On April 17, 2009, the day of the show when Winfrey began Twittering--a whopping 37

percent of visits to the Twitter.com home page were new visitors.

• Cost: Free but can take a lot of time to read and write tweets to make it effective communication tool.

• LWV Use: Minimal. LWV California has a twitter feed. (twitter.com/smartvoter)

Twittertwitter.com

• Why use Twitter? Conversations– Connect to other people who have

similar interests– Notify people of organization events– Talk to people using “@” feature – Use in conjunction to with website

updates• Downside

– Tweets may be lost if you’re not tweeting enough. Should tweet least once a day

– Hard to maintain conversation as an organization

– Will get followers that have no interest in your info. Ego-boasting folks.

• Ideas for use– Could ask members to tweet events and

important announcements

Twitter.com/barackobama

Twitter.com/GOPLeader

League of Women Voters of Ohio Websitewww.lwvohio.org

• Summary: Online presence for the LWVO

• Interactive features– Contact your legislators through Capwiz

service– Sign up for email updates– OhioimPACT.org– online donations

League of Women Voters of Ohio Websitewww.lwvohio.org

• LWVO Reform ideas– 10-Point Proposal for Election

Administration Reform 8 - Point Plan for An Independent Judiciary

– 8-Point Redistricting Reform – Redistricting PowerPoint– Report of the LWVO Ad Hoc

Committee on Judicial Independence

• LWVO Information– Publications– Coalitions info – LWVO Lawsuit Update– News– Calendar– Merchandise– Action Alerts– Press Releases– Lobbyist Testimony

• LWVO Members Center– Member Resources– Membership Recruitment and

Retention– Find a Local League– Best Practices for Local Leagues– Power Pledge– League Leader Updates

• eNewsletters & Projects– Sign up for eNewsletters and

updates!– imPACT eNewsletter– Spotlight eNewsletter– VOTER Newsletter– Energy Conservation Project

What is available?

Podcasts• Summary: Podcasting was born of the collision between social media and the iPod.

Back then podcasting was the domain of a few tech aficionados who saw it as a cheap and easy outlet to broadcast their views. All they needed was a microphone, some off-the-shelf software, and a base of iPod owners and Web surfers.

– But things have changed. “Today, the vast majority of the top-rated podcasts come from recognizable media entities that are using podcasts to expand their existing radio, TV, cable or satellite audiences,” says Paul Verna, eMarketer senior analyst and author of the new report, Podcasting: Into the Mainstream.

• Demographics and Stats: – The podcast audience has grown, too, and eMarketer projects that growth will continue at

least through 2013, when there will be 37.6 million people downloading podcasts on a monthly basis, more than double the 2008 figure of 17.4 million.

• Cost:– Depends on your webhost– Can use free podcast hosting: MyPodcast.com, PodBean.com

• LWV Use: Minimal

Podcasts

• Benefit: User can listen to content on demand. User can take content with them.

• Downside: Bandwidth may be expensive

• Ideas for use: Monthly forums, educational and advocacy topics, Voter Service work: explain ballot issues, can use volunteers for short-term commitment

PodcastAlley.com

Thanks!

Melissa Currence twitter.com/currencem

Teana Nicol twitter.com/Teana1