The January 2010 Synod Communicators' meeting was a 'How To' on Social Networking. Beyond being a basic tutorial, we also talked about the why's and why not's of using services like Facebook and Twitter. It ultimately means that each situation - congregation, organization, group, etc. - has to evaluate the situation.

If you're still exploring the "To Tweet or Not to Tweet" (or Facebook...or MySpace...etc.) question, here is some more food for thought.

Joshua-Michéle Ross, in "Why Social Media Isn't for Everyone," warns that an organization should know what they're getting into and be willing to accept the "consequences." Writing from a more corporate standpoint, Ross says the catch 22 of social media is that of word of mouth feedback. Social media puts it right at your doorstep, both the good and the bad. Good is obviously good; bad could be harmful or at least bruise some egos. It can, however, be responded to and dealt with transparently if it's right there for all to see. If an organization is prepared to take all forms of feedback and proactively use it to their benefit, do it!

Another gem of information is a blog post that summarizes a webcast from the Emerging Media Research Council, the research arm of Three Ships Media, on how little-known Senator Scott Brown used social media to win. This presentation gets more into the "what to do with it" end of social media. In his summary, Len Mason writes, "When tweeting, ask yourself, 'Does this help my constituent become better, smarter, wiser?' Substance trumps the mundane every time. This can be applied to all social media, as well." Posts should be positive, useful, proactive, interactive. Make your posts matter!

Join us at the July 8, 2010 meeting at Faith, Dodge Center to further discuss how to engage audiences in your online social networks.