Footnotes: Content Generation and Curation

Last week, participants in the Detroit Social Media Academy learned about content generation and curation, a topic at the heart of any effective social media strategy. Above are the slides, and below are some important take-aways for thinking about your own content… Take a peek and let us know what you're up to when it comes to content creation and curation!
  1. Content is a connecting force. Think about the classic Jewish study model of chevruta: two people hover over a text, dissecting it, questioning it, comparing it to other sources and their own lives. In the process, they not only develop a deeper relationship with that text and Jewish tradition, but with one another. The text is the connector. That's what good content can do online, in a way that's broader, public, and potentially more inclusive.
  2. Always start with your goals. You have to know what you're trying to accomplish in order to choose the right content – and, by extension, the kinds of conversations – that will help you and your community get there.
  3. Always remember your audience. The people you are trying to reach have their own self-interest, for better or for worse. Practice empathy. If you can tease out the sweet spot, the overlap between what you want to accomplish and what they want for themselves, you'll be able to choose, develop, and share content that's both meaningful to your audience and relevant to your goals.
  4. Events as opportunities for content generation. Pictures, videos, and quotes are all quick, easy things you can grab at an event and make effective content. Think through what else might work for your event, who will be responsible for capturing it, and how you can share it.
  5. Crowdsourcing for content generation. It's important to be transparent about your intentions, but putting a question or enticing message out on social media, then using the responses as a blog post or as another type of content (collect images or links, turn the responses into a graphic, etc.), is a great way to build community and momentum online AND generate meaningful content.
  6. Blog parties for content creation. Some communities are experimenting with hosting IRL (in real life) parties specifically geared towards sharing and documenting stories. Again, you need to be transparent about your intentions, but getting together a small group (and a few laptops) for some wine, cheese, and storytelling can make for a fun opportunity to both build community on the ground and unearth great stories to share.
  7. Have evergreen/recipe content ready to share anytime. Much of the content we share is event or time specific; but having content that's appropriate anytime is a useful way to keep at the front of your audience's mind more often. That way, when you ask them to attend an event or give a donation, it's not coming out of the blue – they've already been in conversation with you and are ready to listen. Lists, recommendations, interviews, profiles, etc., can all be great options, but think about what might work for your community.
  8. Reframe what you're already doing. Be conscious about what you're sharing (get permission for photos, etc.), but anytime you can capitalize on the things you're already doing, or capture moments in real time (think mobile!), you're putting together an authentic experience for your audience and building trust.
  9. Content curation. A curator is a sense-maker. She's someone who knows what's out there, finds the best of it (again, based on her goals and her community), and puts it together in a way that makes a meaningful experience. This means sharing your voice, explaining key points, asking good questions, being attentive to the responses. It means being very aware of what's available and what might be useful to your community. Finding, framing, and sharing other people's content in a way that speaks to who you are and what your community wants is the real opportunity behind content curation. It's a fun, though sometimes challenging, way to build your reputation online.
  10. Curation begins with listening. Listen for good content shared by others. Listen to your community. Listen for responses and be ready and willing to shift and reset if something isn't working.
  11. Next steps? Time to try something new! Listen, plan, and jump in and have fun!
     

How do you create and find great content to share with your community? What else would you like to know about content generation and curation?

Monday Web Favorites: Disrupting Conferences, JEDLAB Webinar, and #GivingTuesday

Happy Monday, everyone! Let’s kick off the week with some of the best of the web…

Don’t Plan Conferences, Disrupt Them!

Esther Kustanowitz is a treasure trove of wisdom, insight, and fun when it comes to social media (and many other things). Her recent opinion piece in Haaretz is a must-read for any conference, event, or program planner. Check out “Seven ways to disrupt a Jewish conference” here.

This article on making conferences more interactive is also a useful companion to Esther’s piece.

JEDLAB Webinar: “The $54k Strategy, Step 2”

If you haven’t caught wind of JEDLAB just yet, just wait for the network to do its thing. This growing group of Jewish communal professionals is experimenting with conversation and collaboration on a significant scale, across institutions, regardless of hierarchy and role, and now the group is hosting its first webinar. The theme of undervalued Jewish professionals and the “$54,000 Strategy” is based on this article written by Mark Young, which (originally published in the Journal of Jewish Communal Service) generated a lot of traction on EJewishPhilanthropy, and across social networks, and the conversation continues today – most recently with the upcoming webinar.

From the Facebook event:

Join us to think forward about effecting change in our professional communities as we reflect on a series of pieces about building professional leadership.

Together, we will grapple with the big ideas in Young's piece and elevate them in a public forum, giving us all room for debate and a chance to dig deeper into the core ideas that are moving the conversation. We hope to explore strategic efforts and coalition building that will enable us to take appropriate next steps to move this conversation forward.

Featuring
Mark Young, JTS

and partners in dialogue
Liz Fisher, Birthright NEXT
Jonathan Krasner, HUC
Ken Gordon, PEJE

Faciliated by
Sara Shapiro-Plevan, Rimonim Consulting

Take another look at “The $54,000 Strategy,” and RSVP for the webinar through the Facebook event.

Get Ready for Giving Tuesday

Last week we posted about Thanksgivukkah, so it’s only fair that we post about #GivingTuesday this week. New to #GivingTuesday? Here’s what the website has to say about the day:

#GivingTuesday™ (#GT) is a movement to create a national day of giving to kick off the giving season added to the calendar on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. The second annual GivingTuesday is on December 3, 2013. In the same way that retail stores take part in Black Friday, we want the giving community to come together for #GivingTuesday. We ask that partners create and commit to a project for/on #GivingTuesday and then help spread the word to their networks.

#GivingTuesday represents an amazing opportunity for the American Jewish community to engage our communities in tzedakah and tikkun olam. And the #GivingTuesday website offers some great tips and resources to help nonprofits get involved.

Have a web favorite to share? Send it our way via the comments, or email it directly to Miriam, and it could be featured next time!

Epic Change: an organization putting the power of storytelling and social media into the hands of the local communities they support

by Diana Norma Szokolyai, Associate Consultant, Knowledge Communities
[cross-posted from the Knowledge Communities blog]

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a webinar hosted by Darim Online on the strategic use of Facebook (FB) for non-profits. We were invited by Caren Levine, who is a part of our Kehilliyot Community of Practice. Darim Online specializes in internet strategies for Jewish organizations and their communities, and the webinar was part of the organizations Social Media Boot Camp. The host, technology maven Avi Kaplan (on twitter @meshugavi), provided valuable insights into using FBs tools. Besides laying out the great strategic use of FB groups, analytics, pages, and friend lists, Avi also talked about using FB for causes, something he knows a lot about from his deep work with the 3-year old nonprofit, Epic Change.

Intrigued by Epic Changes mission to amplify the voices and impact of grassroots change-makers and social entrepreneurs, we set up a web meeting with him the following week via WebEx . What we discovered was the organizations innovative use of technology and social media to create and spread change through the powerful combination of social media tools and age-old storytelling.

Epic Change has been focusing on a project in Arusha, Tanzaniathe support of the Shepherds Junior School. Co-founders of Epic Change, Sanjay Patel and Stacey Monk, an IT project manager and a management consultant respectively, created the nonprofit organization after a life-changing trip volunteering in Africa in 2007. The project supports the work of the schools founder, Mama Lucy Kamptoni, who they describe as a savvy and passionate local woman. Epic Change made initial loans to the school and then helped them find creative ways to pay back the loan, such as a school performance and selling hand-made crafts.

In addition, the organization has facilitated finding partners to raise money for the school, such as the May 2009 $10,000 grant from Ideablob, which funded the schools first technology lab. In October 2009, the fifth graders became the first #TwitterKids of Tanzania when they partnered with LacProject, part of a social media curriculum. The story of one of the local students whose life has been impacted can be found here. One particularly successful partnership was with Silicon Valley Tweet Up, where they raised over $2,000. You can read more about their success in getting this communitys story out there through blogging themselves, forming partnerships, and empowering the locals with the technology to give voice to their own perspective (and tweet their thanks) by visiting Epic Change’s news page.

We at Knowledge Communities were honored to talk with Epic Change and learn about their extraordinary work. This organization is a leading example in building community around an important cause and using the tools of storytelling and social media to raise funds to support grassroots change-makers that are in need of resources in order to continue their work. We are also thankful to our Kehilliyot Community of Practice and the sharing and generosity that members show towards one another, thereby allowing us all to gain more insight into good work and how it is getting done around the globe.

And Now, A Word From Your Sponsor… Upcoming Darim Webinars

If you are a member of Darim Online’s Learning Network, you already know what’s coming up … lots of tasty webinars to enjoy this Spring: Ellen Dietrick’s session on tools for schools; the first of our A Taste Of… series featuring JT Waldman of Tagged Tanakh and Shayna Kreisler of Build A Prayer; Foundations of Social Media; Blogging for Success; Social Media Policies and Guidelines; Fundraising with Social Media; our Community Sharefest series focusing on Communications and Marketing, Eduction, and Boot Camps; Strategic Storytelling with Lisa Colton and Deborah Grayson Riegel… and more! Previous guest presenters included Monique Cuvelier, Michael Hoffman, Avi Kaplan, and Esther Kustanowitz.

Don’t miss out! Interested in becoming a member of our growing Learning Network? Learn more about Darim here, then c’mon down and step this way to sign up … Memberships are available for individuals and for organizations. Questions? Comments? Ideas? Contact us!

darim webinar in wordle

Webinar Part 3: Developing A Media Library

In our last few postings, we’ve been looking at ways to tell our organizations’ stories through the use of online video. Today, we will explore the basics of creating a media library. This post is based on notes from the Darim Online Learning Network for Synagogues webinar with See3 Communications CEO, Michael Hoffman.

Develop a media library for your congregation. This library should include video, photos, and audio. It is important to organize and annotate materials so that they can be reused and repurposed into many different pieces.

  • Determine what to collect for your media library. As previously suggested, review your program calendar with an eye toward collecting material. Document interesting and important things your institution does; capture what it means to be a member of your community. Collect video, photos, and audio.
  • Ask videographers for the raw footage as well as the edited product. When you hire a vendor, stipulate in the contract that your organizaiton owns the footage.
  • Invest time in watching video footage and logging what is on the tapes. This is a good project for a volunteer or intern.
  • Be aware of privacy issues and implement policies. Ask people for their permission to be included in any video or photographs. Institutions are increasingly including photography/video releases into their membership forms. Allow people to opt out/ opt in. Parents need to provide permission for the filming of children. Be sure to have your legal ducks in a row.

For additional resources, see See3’s Guide to Online Video, especially this segment on “Building a Media Library:”


3. Building A Media Library from See3 Communications on Vimeo.

A huge thank you to Michael Hoffman and to the synagogues who participated in these webinars!

Does your synagogue have a media library? What are other tips and techniques do you have to share?

Archives of the recent webinars, “The Age of YouTube: An Introduction to Online Video for Congregations,” as well as previous webinars are available to members of the Darim Online Learning Network. Access to the archives and other webinar-related material can be found on the Darim Online website in Dirah, under “Learning Network Info.”

Not yet a member of the Darim Online Learning Network? Click here for membership information for your organization and to register.

Webinar Part 2: Community Strategies for Integrating Online Video

Welcome to the second in a series of posts based on the Darim Online Learning Network for Synagogues webinar with video guru, Michael Hoffman of See3 Communications.

Think of your organization’s online presence as your channel. As such, consider how to integrate online video into your overall organizational strategy. Online video can be an effective means to strengthen connections among your community’s members. Remember, people relate best to other people, less so to institutions. As you think about this, determine where your community members – and potential members – “reside” online and meet them there.

  • Be strategic when program planning. Think in terms of telling your community’s story and use your organizations program calendar as a guide. Determine: what do we need to capture? What do we need have professionally filmed and what can be documented by staff and or volunteers? What types of footage would be good for recruitment, for community building, for fundraising?
  • Go deep rather than wide. Effective marketing involves repetition, creating conversation, portraying real human relationships, and providing real engagement.
  • Meet the parents. And congregants. And staff. And lay leadership. Ask community members who they are, what they do, and why they care about the community – on video. This is a terrific way of creating transparency with the community at large, by showing them who are the people in your neighborhood. These types of videos also foster people-people connections which in turn create connections to your institution.
  • Map your community online. Focus on places your community and potential community live online – social networks, Facebook, discussion lists, etc. Conduct a survey to see what online spaces your people inhabit. This is a great marketing exercise in general!
  • Capitalize on influencers and supporters. Tap into the people who are already your constituents and empower them to share videos and other resources with their friends; be viral to the right audiences.
  • Grab attention outside of your current membership. Reach out to potential members by alerting them to special activities in which your community is engaged. For example, a program on Judaism and the environment could be marketed to groups outside of your immediate membership… bring your community to them.
  • Push and pull. For example, send out an email to your congregation’s discussion list that includes a note from the Rabbi with a link to a video clip on your website. Highlight special clips in your newsletter. Share “how to videos” on Jewish life on your website – and ask members for recommendations for additional resources.
  • Reach your peeps. Use Groundswells social profile technology profile tool to help determine how to prioritize efforts. Who and where is your target audience and what kinds of relationships do you want to build with them?
  • And… “Action.” Provide video training sessions for staff and volunteers. Invest in a good video camera with an external microphone. People are more likely to watch bad quality video with good sound, than good quality video with bad sound. A low-cost video camera, like the Flip, is good to have handy. It does not, however, take the place of a better quality camera. In general, the Flip does well at close range, with someone speaking directly to the camera in a quiet place, but it is not great for covering large events.

What are some of your strategies? Do you have a few tips to share? What is your favorite use of online video to promote your community? Post your ideas and links in the comments below!

Take a look at See3’s Guide to Online Video for more tips and techniques.

Additional Resources:

Educause: 7 Things You Should Know About Flip Camcorders

Synagogue Examples:

Chizuk Amuno Congregation, Torah Dedication, Baltimore, Maryland
Chizuk Amuno Congregation – Rosenbloom Religious School
, Baltimore, Maryland (see YouTube links)
Congregation Beth Elohim, Brooklyn, New York
North Shore Congregation Israel, Glencoe, Illinois (see link to Building for the Generations campaign video on home page)
Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester, Chappaqua, New York (capital campaign video)

Archives of the recent webinars, “The Age of YouTube: An Introduction to Online Video for Congregations,” as well as previous webinars are available to members of the Darim Online Learning Network. Access to the archives and other webinar-related material can be found on the Darim Online website in Dirah, under “Learning Network Info.”

Not yet a member of the Darim Online Learning Network? Click here for membership information for your organization and to register.

Coming up… Developing a Media Library

Darim Online Webinar Recap: Online Video with Michael Hoffman, See3

Video is not an organizational goal – but it can help you achieve your goals.
– Michael Hoffman, CEO, See3 Communications

We had the pleasure of hosting Michael Hoffman, CEO, of See3 Communications for a series of excitng webinars with the Darim Online Learning Network for Synagogues. Nearly 40 participants from 28 organizations participated in “The Age of YouTube: An Introduction to Online Video.”

What Weve Been Hearing
Synagogues are expressing an increased interest in using online videos in various aspects of their work, including fundraising, community building, documenting community moments, and project-based learning. Some of our organizations are just beginning to explore the potential of video, others are in the midst of experimenting, while several congregations are already actively integrating video into their communitys strategic plans.

  • There is a growing awareness of the power of the medium to communicate community values and events.
  • Video can be used to tell a synagogues story in a powerful, visual style.
  • Synagogues are interested in employing multiple media to connect with members and potential members.

What Weve Been Learning
Congregations are looking at more comprehensive strategies for communicating and fostering community online. There are many reasons for including online video in your organizations work and strategic plan. These include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Video is portable its online, downloadable, shareable; members can help market your community by sharing with their other social networks.
  • It can help broaden a communitys reach and audience.
  • Video delivers your communitys message and helps build relationships.
  • Video captures significant moments in your communitys history.
  • Online video makes your community accessible by bringing community to members who can access activities, events, and services that they might not otherwise be able to attend
  • Video can be used to augment synagogue websites and blogs
  • Video can highlight targeted campaigns
  • Learners – students, youth groups, adults – can develop video projects to showcase their work

Be sure to check out See3’s Guide to Online Video for more tips and techniques.

Additional resources:

Beth Kanter’s Blog post: A Look at Nonprofits and Vlogging
Mashable’s 150 Online Video Tools and Resources
Video in the Classroom: Digital Storytelling

Examples of Video Hosting Sites:

BlipTV hosting service for online video
TeacherTube video hosting service for teachers and students
UStreamTV hosting service for livestreaming
Vimeo hosting service
YouTube
YouTube: Nonprofit Program

Darim Online Resources: How Do I Add Video to My Site? for Darim Online members

Archives of the recent webinars, “The Age of YouTube: An Introduction to Online Video for Congregations,” as well as previous webinars are available to members of the Darim Online Learning Network. Access to the archives and other webinar-related material can be found on the Darim Online website in Dirah, under “Learning Network Info.”

Not yet a member of the Darim Online Learning Network? Click here for membership information for your organization and to register.

Coming up… Community Strategies for Integrating Online Video