Difference between revisions of "Issues Forums for organizations"

Revision as of 10:48, 8 November 2010

Participation 3.0 - Inclusive Social Media

How your organization can use Issues Forums effectively.

This handout is designed to help cultural and community organizations effectively participate in neighborhood and community-wide Issues Forums. This is part of our Ford Foundation funded Inclusive Social Media effort.

Unlike your organization's own website, Issues Forums (and similar online spaces like a Facebook "community" page) or a "place blog"), are community streams of content and interaction. Instead of having to build your own audience or EVmail announcement list at great effort, access to local residents is handily presented to you. You may use it when you need it provided what you seek to post fits the local scope of the forum.

At the very local level, small organizations find it very difficult to maintain up-to-date websites that rarely see visitors. While we recommend a basic web "who are you" presence with your own e-mail announcement list (and/or a blog with an e-mail subscribe option) and simpla Facebook Page, for most organizations leveraging the "shared" community stream is highly strategic.

Drafting ...

1. Announcements - Share them
2. Your Issues - Introduce them as discussion topics
3. Advocacy - Invite people to your local campaigns, share major updates (but not all)
4. Monitor the Pulse - Be in the loop on community conversations.