Global Shtetl Fabulous: Social Media in Response to Trends

Limmud 2010 (at last!!)Esther D. KustanowitzDecember 29, 2010

How Can Social Media Help Jewish Professionals?

Support outreach by Jewish projects, programs or organizations

Create & strengthen relationships with “customers” Court engagement from “younger” people Identify and track trends – stay informed Strategize on and increase efficacy of response

Takeaways

• Jewish & non-Jewish context for social media’s general culture

• How to track trends & deconstruct “viral”• Introduce social media tools

– Culture & format of Facebook, blogs & Twitter

• Find orgs, progs and initiatives using SM to strengthen presence, message, relationship

The Jewish Internet = My Global Shtetl

– 10 years traditional Jewish non-profit in NYC, self-taught tech– Micro-communities – local and global -25 countries (Twitter

during recent JFK debacle – check #limmud or @EstherK)– Social media – PR on autopilot– Social media + Jewish community / NY L.A.

That’s me, speaking at a GA plenary in 2007.

What is social media about?

• Not about geekery• About acquiring tools:

– Access information– Deepen relationships– Reach people

“where they are”– Express authenticity– Create reputation

What’s in a name?

Each Person Has a Name - -Zelda (b. 1914)

Each person has a name, given him by God and given her by her father and mother

Each person has a name, given him by his stature and way of smiling, and given her by her clothes

Each person has a name, given him by the mountains and given her by her walls

Each person has a name, given him by the planets (stars) and given her by her neighbors

Each person has a name, given him by his sins and given her by her longing

Each person has a name, given him by his enemies, and given her by her love

Each person has a name, given him by his feast days and given her by her craft

Each person has a name, given him by the seasons of the year and given her by her blindness

Each person has a name, given him by the sea, and given her by her death.

Name & Reputation

“You see us as you want to see us: in the simplest terms, in the easiest possible definitions.”

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/the-breakfast-club/images/73765/title/breakfast-club-photo

The Microcommunity: Our “Little Town”

– כל ישראל ערבים זה לזה– )Jewish geography( אל תפרוש מן הציבור

– Six degrees of…

IMAGE: http://chicagotheaterblog.com/2009/06/12/review-topol-in-fiddler-on-the-roof/

You’re Nobody Till Somebody “Likes” You: The “Social Web”

• Jewish geography = “2.0”– “Social web”– personal recommendations

trusted (e.g. Amazon.com)

• Cocktail party: Small talk follow-up

• Informational swap meet (shtetl market) information community

• “If I don’t get 10 comments on a post I consider it a failure.” – blogger

IMAGE: http://blog.researchworks.com/the-socially-enabled-search-war-facebook-vs-g

Fear Not:Surrendering to “Viral”

• Goal: Get the message out, far and wide• Fear: Loss of control over the information• Truth: You can never 100 percent control

how a message is received or how someone sees you

http://www.concepttshirts.com/viral-marketing.php

Deconstructing the Viral Video

• Viral cannot be predicted or guaranteed

• Everybody wants a viral video

• Ideal conditions for “viral” – Quality & timeliness – timeliness often wins– Zeitgeist / cultural element– Humor and/or stupidity– Catchy music– Animals, animation or children

In the Event of Viral, Break Glass

• If info about your org goes viral: – Realize that control is an illusion – you start

the message, but it changes (“Telephone”)– Embrace the risk, use it as a chance to build

trust and relationships – Release “official information”– Interact with fans/critics – establish authority– You are their “inside source”/they are VIPs– Bolster your authenticity

Virgin Atlantic 1

• Blizzard in London chaos ensues• Traditional communications methods: #fail• Twitter response time: 5 minutes

(cautionary: the info might not have been accurate)

• A week later, got an email saying “terribly sorry for the delay, we know you already traveled (I hadn’t), hope you enjoyed (I hadn’t).”

Virgin Atlantic 2

• Blizzard in NYC chaos ensues

• Traditional communications methods: #fail

• Twitter folk begin tweeting every misstep

• One Twitterer is interviewed on CNN, CNBC, ABC, CBS and every other network; nearly 100 new people follow his account of JFK strandedness

• VA Twitter ignores problem for 8 hours

Effective Social Media Interactions

• Commitment to relationship-building

• Collaborative spirit

• Involvement in public infostream

• Initiating & participating in conversations

• Authentic voice

• Adding value to public discourse, online & off (self-promotion is secondary)

• Intentionality - kavanah

Would you spare a shilling for this man?

http://boards.ign.com/teh_vestibule/b5296/185879570/r185879765/

Social Media Aid

Aid to Haiti• Red Cross texting $10 at a time to Haiti raised

over $10M (as of 1/15/10)• Wireless & Mobile News reported the total raised

by text-to-aid programs was $30 million (1/22/10)

Digitales Por Chile• A Jewish iPhone app developer in Chile mobilized

techies to create an information network after a major quake

DIY Fundraising

• Independent funding platforms for crowdfunding (or “friendraising”):– Indiegogo– Kickstarter– Pledgie

• People reward the emotionally resonant, personally meaningful or entertaining

• When people feel a relationship to the person who’s asking, online fundraising is collaborative and effective

Crowdsourcing: Esther’s Computer

Language Immersion

• To learn Hebrew:– Simultaneous translation– Ivrit b’Ivrit– Ulpan– Learn by speaking with Israelis in a cultural

immersion

Skills & Tips: Ready?

• Questions or observations about: – viral videos– microfundraising, reasons for giving– social media intention and potential

• Moving ahead into the how-to section– approach– trends research– social media strategy crash course

Social Media Immersion

• Research (Recon)– Learn terminology, aseh l’kha rav

• Understanding (Analysis)– Deeper understanding, ivrit b’ivrit

• Actions (Moving Ahead)– Total immersion – jump in, listen and

participate, accept corrections

Research

• Develop “ambient awareness” • Learn the language – post, tweet, DM, RT• Schedule “surveillance time”• Follow links, explore tools that increase

social media’s accessibility (Mashable, Inside Facebook, FB Connect,Tweetdeck, mobile apps)

• Who’s doing it right? What can you “borrow” from them?

Check Out Your Friends

• @SixthandI• @daroff• @Leahjones• @Kvetchingeditor• @BJPArchive *• @ROICommunity *• @IKAR-LA *• @AWP_Jcommunity*• @BI_NEXT• JTA’s Top Twitterers• #JTA100 – to come * indicates past or current client

http://nickbaines.wordpress.com/2009/09/20/with-friends-like-these/friends/

Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps…

• @limmud• @miriamsh• @dannyraphael613• @Pdberger• @JewishChron• @coexistencetrst• @jewishbookweek• @jenlipman

Social Media StrategyCrash Course

LOOK BEFORE YOU BLOG/POST/TWEET…

Facing Facebook: Strategy

• New Group or Fan “Like” Page?– Groups permit owner contact, & foster group

discussion (more like listserves/bulletin boards)– Pages are like websites – post info centrally

• Read FB FAQs – official responses/user responses• Ask a friend• Questions for your organization:

– Who will post content? How often?– What will the tone be?– Will you link FB with other social media (blog or

Twitter)?– Will you link to people/organizations/events on FB?

What Do I Post About?

• Trends in the Jewish world– Israel– News & politics– Peoplehood & global issues

• Trends in the secular world– Pop culture & celebrities– News & politics

How Do I Find Things to Post About?

• Google Alerts / Google News Search (archives)

• Stay tuned to Twitter, CNN, BBC, Facebook – what are people talking about, and how does it relate to your work?

Facebook: Being Professional

• Don’t clutter official FB pages (strange photos, Farmville, zombies etc)

• Tone consistent with the organization’s (or have a reason why it’s not)

• Do follow your instincts and personal experience– Use what you like (discussing stuff on your friends’

walls, Scramble)– Don’t use what annoys you or others (Farmville)– Use what resonates or inspires you to action

(reaching out to friends in need, Causes)

Sixth & I Historic Synagogue

Sixth & I Historic SynagogueWashington, DC

Dynamic, multi-tiered presence:• FB fan pages for the synagogue, and for

“Sixth in the City” (young professionals)• Events, graphics, pictures, social media

widgets• Using social media, contributing to

conversations (& promoting events)

Social Media Immersion

Twitter 101

Conquering 140

• Brevity, poetry, strength, mission, value

• Sharing = Link to and RT others

• Abbreviate URLs with tinyurl, bit.ly, j.mp

• Use # to categorize (~ tab in a file cabinet)

• Use a viewer for a cleaner look (Tweetdeck, Ubertwitter, Tweetie)

Twittertalk: Strategy

• Creates transparency• Allows immediate customer service response• Solving problems publicly shows customers you’re

handling things• Brevity enables you to cut to the chase• “Listening” to conversations in progress provides insight:

Organizational chatter (you’re the CIA)

“the market” / instant focus group (you’re the marketing wiz)

World and community news and trends (you’re CNN)

Twittertech: Setup

Goal: Listening, sharing, asking & responding

• Listening & touring the site, becoming familiar with terms– Replies/@/Mentions; DM; RT, HT, #hashtags

• Choosing your handle– Your name (@estherk)– Your org’s name (@JCPSC)– A project’s name (@g_dcast)

• Finding followers (address book, other people’s accounts, twitterator.org, lists)

• Continuing to listen more than you respond

Blogging 101

• Blog = weblog = CMS for easy, online publishing• You may have or read blogs without even

knowing it (Gawker, TMZ, HuffPo, Salon, Slate, even MSM have blogs on their websites)

• Writing, reading & commenting on blogs – promote your organization – start new conversations – adding value to existing conversations– What do you read?

Organizational Blogging: Strategy

Does your org need/could it benefit from/is it ready for a blog:

• Reading blogs, seeing what’s out there• Blog will need regular content (staff time)• Comments should be open, but can be

moderated (staff time)• Blog should reflect org’s goals, but also add

value to larger conversations

Personal Training

• Social media regimen/cultural immersion– Find the time (coffee breaks, lunchtime, etc)– Check Twitter/Facebook page at least once a day

• Read the Tweetstream or Status Feed of people and orgs you’re following – begin to participate in conversations

• Upload address books to identify your contacts who are using FB and Twitter

• Share a FB group or event with friends who are “hubs”

– Visit Jewishblogging.com or JRants.com• click on a few headlines• monitor/join a conversation

• Ask questions (professionals/civilians)

Actions for Your Organization

• Determine your institutional voice/s• Identify person/people to update Twitter and

Facebook (daily)• Identify newsy angles for programs, use as hook

to promote org in online conversations• Consider starting a blog, so you can host

conversations• Find “mavens”/hubs in your community, invite

their feedback & partnership• Consider inviting personal assessment by a

social media trainer

Resources Available

• “In Plain English” series• Mashable.com and Inside Facebook e-mail• Google Alerts - articles of interest (~ Burrelle’s)• Online articles:

– http://fundraisingcoach.com/articles/twitter-for-nonprofits-and-fundraising/

– NYTimes technology columnist David Pogue on Twitter: http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/tag/twitter/

– Manifesto: Social Media for Jewish Organizations: http://estherkustanowitz.typepad.com/myurbankvetch2005/2009/11/manifesto.html

• Request Social Media planning worksheet, YouTube social media video playlist from me via email

How to Find Me

esther.kustanowitz@gmail.comhttp://twitter.com/estherkhttp://facebook.com/estherkustanowitzhttp://youtube.com/EstherK

http://estherk.comhttp://myurbankvetch.com

Occasionally, elsewhere…