Tuesday, December 16, 2008, at 12 noon, U.S. Eastern time

The explosion in the number of online communication tools has created a seemingly infinite number of opportunities for advocacy groups to spread their message. At the same time, it has also created new challenges, as groups must also worry about seeing their messages drowned out under a crush of information.

How can your organization stand out from the crowd and effectively use online tools to spread its message? What are some of the best practices in online activism? What can you do to stay ahead of the curve?

Join Tom Watson — author of the new book CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World — for an informative question-and-answer session on the future of activism.

The Guest

Tom Watson is the author of CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World, a new book that talks about how nonprofit groups can effectively use online tools in their advocacy efforts. Mr. Watson is also the Managing Partner and co-founder of CauseWired Communications LLC, a strategic philanthropy consulting firm based in New York and is publisher of the Web site onPhilanthropy. A transcript of the chat follows.

A transcript of the chat follows.

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    Hello, and welcome to the Chronicle's final live discussion of 2008. We're pleased to welcome Tom Watson as our guest. Mr. Watson is the author of "CauseWired: Plugging In, Getting Involved, Changing the World," a new book that talks about how nonprofit groups can effectively use online tools in their advocacy efforts. He'll be taking questions today about this increasingly important topic.

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    Please feel free to send him questions throughout the next hour by clicking on the "ask a question" link on this page. You are also invited to share your own comments and insights by using the same tool.

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    Without further ado, let's get started ...

Tom Watson:
    Hi everyone - welcome to the chat! My thanks to the Chronicle team for inviting me, and I'm ready for a lively discussion.

If you're looking for more on my book or my background, you'll find lots of stuff over at http://causewired.com

Feel free to Twitter me as well: http://twitter.com/tomwatson

Question from Heather, Tennessee :
    How are people handling fundraising using online tools such as facebook and twitter? I work for a visitor-serving organization and we struggle with getting a message out versus driving attendance versus raising funds. Tom Watson:
    Heather - in many, many ways!

And sometimes in combination as well.

You might check out the recent #tweetsgiving campaign on Twitter to see an example of pure Twitter fundraising. They raised $10,000 for a school classroom in Tanzania in just 24 hours last month. http://tweetsgiving.org/

On Facebook, the campaign Eric Ding ran for cancer research is one of the reference standards for the Causes application - while it didn't raise a lot of money per se, the campaign did build a group of 3 million supporters, allowing Eric to launch a new foundation supporting fast-track research. http://apps.facebook.com/causes/210?m=c776db28

Both platforms are great at getting messages out there - their fundraising prowess is still, as they say, in beta!

Question from Allison Joyce, Direct Relief International:
    With so many people reading their emails on handheld devices these days, what's your opinion about sending highly designed emails vs. simple designs? Tom Watson:
    I think that even "highly-designed" emails should be simple - that is to say, if you're going to use html, colors, and images, keep it simple and quick-to-load.

Moreover, never lose the key message - put it up top, and make any action you want people to take incredibly easy to find.

Look to the political campaigns for what works - this past year was a virtual crucible for email response, and the big campaigns (Obama, Clinton, McCain) learned pretty quickly about what got the best response. If you're politically involved, dig out some of those spring-summer emails when things were at a fever pitch...

Question from Jack Payden-Travers, ACLU Capital Punishment Project:
    Can you please speak about My Space and Facebook? Tom Watson:
    Sure, both platforms have millions of information-hungry people on them every day - that's literally the best recommendation I can possibly make in terms of selling a cause in MySpace or Facebook.

Of the two, FB has clearly grown at least partially because of the cause phenomenon - and not just with the Causes platform. Because it puts a premium on both organization and on authentic identity, FB encourages real networks that are slightly less entertainment-based than MySpace - not that you can't kill a few hours in aimless entertainment and consumption on FB.

Also, FB was clearly the choice of the political work in 2008 among the two - so a cause like opposing the death penalty (and may I say, I'm with ya) might attract a serious cause audience on FB, if it's intelligently promoted.

That said, MySpace is a good entertainment space - and any kind of promotion or campaign involving music, for example, probably belongs there.

Question from Howard Greenstein:
    How do you see the Change.Gov site - which is getting thousands of questions from those who want to see their causes put forward - being used by the Obama administration - isn't it like drinking from a firehose?

Tom Watson:
    Hey Howard - yeah, it is most definitely a firehose and it's also quasi-governmental - it's really "of the campaign" in style and substance.

I think it'll have to evolve really rapidly into two parts - one focused on mid-term elections and Obama's reelection in 2012, along with some policy initiatives, and the other more governmental.

I did a post on this over at techpresident.com (great site, btw):

Open government web wonks and digital politics geeks (and really, why else would be you be here?) have been fascinated with the stylish online transition "campaign" waged at Change.gov by the incoming Obama Administration in formation.

But come January 20th, the real digital change action may well switch venues - keep your eye on a couple of key Federal executive branch sites for signs that Barack Obama's team really does want to change the way citizens interact with the Federal government (or not).

The crucial agency is the massive General Services Administration, pretty much the acquisition and purchasing operations center for the more than 100 agencies that report up to the President - and the agency overseeing hiring by the incoming administration. The GSA runs USA.gov, ostensibly the online portal to the government (and yes, we're descending into acronym hell, so try and bear with us) for people who want to do business with the Feds. Contained within the GSA is official guide for running a Federal government website - the aptly-named WebContent.gov.

Here's where it gets a bit arcane: "Webcontent.gov is managed by the Federal Web Managers Council, an inter-agency group of about 40 web managers from every cabinet-level agency and many independent agencies. We have representatives from both headquarters and field operations." And that Council is charged with making Federal websites "the most citizen-focused and visitor-friendly in the world."

The FWMC runs a management group and listserv for 700 government managers across the country - thus serving as the central power for what can be, what must be, and what will be in terms of social media and citizen-oriented public sector web operations. Its membership includes the White House, the State Department, Justice Department, Treasury and every Federal agency on down the line. When Barack Obama's digital media team sets out to change how the Federal government interacts with nation's citizens - and Change.gov is pretty clear on its ambitions - this is the legacy bureaucratic it will begin with. And it's likely the new national Chief Technology Officer will take over the Federal web guidelines.

That new Obama CTO will undoutedly benefit from an online survey run by Jed Sundwall and the Captura Group on government usage of social media - you can take the survey here, and it's pretty comprehensive. The survey reveals that one of the goals of the Obama technology platform is already well along: "Use cutting-edge technologies to create a new level of transparency, accountability, and participation for America's citizens."

Question from Christina Lizzi, Food & Water Watch:
    What are some best practices for sending out e-mail blasts- especially in terms of frequency? How do you avoid overloading online activists? Tom Watson:
    Good question - I'm not as much of an expert in this, and there are plenty of factors to be considered. But generally speaking, your most committed supporters (ie active volunteers) will be able to stomach the most emails - and downwards from there.

Also, real online activists should be sending emails, not just receiving them - or better yet, working the Facebook channels, or Twitter, or any number of social change platforms. To build a cadre of real online activists, you have to think of them as your major gifts officers to the rest of the world - give 'em a case, a toolkit, a story and a home base and then let get go forth and prosper.

Question from Liz -- via Philanthropy Today:
    I work for the two food banks in Oklahoma and we serve over 1000 agencies across the state, most of which have email, but most of which are run by older (65+) volunteers. They use the internet for ordering food, but are not good to respond to emails when sent to them. I've been explaining how we are and will be using emails to further our grassroots efforts during our local town hall meetings, but I'd love any pointers about how to get people engaged in this, especially an older population that may be new to this technology. Thank you! Tom Watson:
    Great question - my own practical, family-tested answer: get the kids and grandkids involved if you can. One way I'd consider is to create a gift card for each senior volunteer to send to their families asking them to go online (via your site, Facebook, network for good etc.) and make a donation or just "sign up for the cause" to honor their family member's involvement.

The other is to work with a core of reasonably adept senior volunteers - get a volunteer or training consultant, and spend a day getting them up to speed on some (not all) social networking tools.

Finally, look for those who are politically active - if they are, changes are very good they'll have been online in a big way over the last year!

Question from Rebekah Hall, PFM:
    Are there any best-kept-secrets in tools for nonprofit online activism? Tom Watson:
    No!

The great thing about this particular sector is its amazing transparency and the feeling of real community. Frankly put, the experts are usually 100% willing to share.

In writing CauseWired, I was amazed by the generosity of people working for causes online - and sheer willingness to tell stories.

Just follow the links, go to the blogs, get on Twitter and you can learn about the "secrets" very, very quickly indeed.

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    I'd like to chime in and say that you can find some great examples of effective advocacy campaigns that use Twitter by checking out many of the groups that we follow on the Chronicle's Twitter page. We've found hundreds of organizations that are actively using Twitter to help spread their message. We're on Twitter at http://twitter.com/philanthropy

Question from Katie, George Eastman House:
    President-elect, Barack Obama, seemed to have successfully used technology to help reach millions of Americans. What tips can non-profits take away from his use of technology during and after his campaign? Tom Watson:
    The question I hear most these days!

Here's the answer, I think - and it's two steps:

1. Control the case for support - Obama's message team was top-down, buttoned-up, and very disciplined. The campaign controlled the message, period. It was, in fact, as top-down as any campaign I've seen in my lifetime where brand is concerned. There's a lesson there.

2. Free up your supporters on many platforms - In contrast to the message discipline, the Obama campaign very consciously freed up its content and its best volunteers to organize in the venues they preferred. The campaign provided the tools and the message and the obvious encouragement - but volunteers gradually took the lead and became an army of solicitors and organizers.

I'm simplifying because of time, but that's the way I see it.

Question from Aliza Sherman, Social Media Consultant in Alaska:
    Just read Beth Kanter's interesting post about the Red Cross blocking social networks on their Internet access and the opportunity costs this can have for an organization. How would you advise nonprofits to reconsider the sites they block their employees from using when social networks and social media are now a critical part of their outreach? Tom Watson:
    Well, I'm kind of an absolutist about this - but I wouldn't block anything at all. The opportunity lost is huge, to my way of thinking. Sure, put in work-appropriate guidelines. And make sure everyone understands the case and the brand. Correct errors quickly. But shouldn't every single employee be a fundraiser, an advocate, an outreach specialist?

People use the social networks for business, not just for goofing off - and what better way to turn off that pipeline of future donors, eh?

Beth's post was great...everyone should read her blog: http://beth.typepad.com/

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    You can find Beth Kanter's blog post on Facebook here: http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/2008/12/facebook-users.html

We also featured it on our Give & Take blog -- and have received some interesting comments. http://philanthropy.com/giveandtake/index.php?id=832

Question from Rebekah Hall, PFM:
    What are common pitfalls nonprofits fall into when choosing and implementing activist tools? Tom Watson:
    To me, the biggest pitfall is in expecting the technology to do the work - like a lot of bad drivers expert the car to steer itself.

The message, the story, the case - that's the key! Get that right and almost any platform will suffice.

That said, scale is important - as well as owning and protecting your data. Be sure to back it up and keep your online supporters close.

Lastly, ease of use on the front-end is often overlooked - it simply has to be easy for people to take action quickly.

Question from Chris, FL:
    Hi Tom,

SO could you go in depth a little more on the Twitter fund raising? I am a twitter user and have never seen that function before. Is it an application that I would need to get? Thanks! Tom Watson:
    Sure - basically, Twitter is a "community of banter" - people share their thoughts and activities and links 140 characters at a time. There's no way to learn about it without participating, because it's self-regulating - if you're an active participant then you have a great promotional opportunity at your fingertips.

Fundraising there is like fundraising everywhere else - you ask people to give and to pass along the "ask" to as many other folks as possible. That second part is the key to Twitter - the viral part. Since it's all about what you do in public, making a gift or "retweeting" an ask can multiply rapidly.

It's also very much an "in your face" medium in a relatively polite way - a good combo for fundraising. The short message format makes participants come to the point rapidly.

As it stands now, Twitter is great for short campaigns with a designated fundraising goal - like "we're raising $5,000 in 24 hours for XX" - try it!

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    Your friendly moderator, again. I'd like to point those interested in learning more about fund raising on Twitter to check out the transcript of another recent live discussion we hosted on that topic. John Haydon and Chris Garrett offered some fantastic tips for those looking to raise money through Twitter: http://philanthropy.com/live/2008/11/social_networking/

Question from Scott Edward Anderson, The Green Skeptic:
    Tom,

Can you speak to the opportunity that web marketplaces, social networking, and other online and mobile tools affords for expanding the culture of philanthropy?

I'm thinking it is a rich new bed that has only just been prepared for planting.

What are your thoughts?

Tom Watson:
    Yeah Scott it's a huge opportunity - I was just speaking with a major marketing company this morning, and we were talking about how cause-oriented the so-called millennial generation is.

Both the major studies and all the anecdotal experience tell a clear story: many people born after 1980 really want their lives to be - in some form - about "doing good."

Couple that with the blurring of professional and personal, public and private and the ethos of living life in public - you just hear about more causes than you used to, and from "friends" as well, whether they're virtual or date to childhood.

That said, the downside is a pure click-to-give mentality that sometimes fights against real involvement - but I also think that's overblown. I believe that when people are exposed to a cause in a way that moves them, they tend to get involved.

The other aspect is the explosion of online social entrepreneurship we're currently seeing - new platforms, sites, causes are being launched daily! And they're not all formal 501c3 tax-exempt organizations - they're the products of fertile minds and technically-adept skillsets that tend toward an "immediate beta launch" over a long-planned campaign...

Question from Nancy Schwartz, GettingAttention.org:
    Tom, What's the best way for a nonprofit on the smaller side (w/limited time & $) to step into using these tools? Which pull greater ROI and what's the best way to match goals with the right strategy/tools? Tom Watson:
    Nancy - I think the best way is to quickly pull together the group of staff and volunteers best-equipped to take it on, drafting a short-term plan - and then establish a few goals.

Those goals don't have to be monetary - they can certainly be about attention and branding.

But I don't counsel creating a long-term, in-depth plan ahead of launch for a small organization. I think getting started is often the biggest hurdle.

I'd also caution against "time creep" on social networking - this takes a bit of disciplined management for the small nonprofit. Without a fulltime person coordinating, you can find your staff and leading volunteers working too much for too little return - I love social networks, but the rate of return pales against - say - major gifts.

So keep on eye on time. Money outside of staff/consultant should be almost no object - it can be done for little or no technology cost.

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    While Tom catches up, I'd like to use this opportunity to remind you that there is still time to get your questions on the record. Simply click on the "ask a question" link on this page and type your query. You are also invited to share your own examples of how your organization is using online tools for advocacy.

Question from Jamie Rimphanli, South Bay Center for Community Development:
    I'm starting my nonprofit's facebook cause but I found in the past that its difficult to find members. How can I target people efficiently without looking at individual profiles and using my own network of friends as a base? Tom Watson:
    Jamie, here's one way: don't just use Facebook to find them.

Make sure your let folks know in email and via other channels (print, other social networks, your website) that the organization has a Facebook cause.

And then, make sure they know what you want them to do with it! My suggestion is you ask for only two things: for them to adopt the cause, and asking 20 friends to join.

Question from Andy Hoover, ACLU of PA:
    What kind of action gets the most response from people online? Rallies? Fundraising? Lobbying? Tom Watson:
    Andy - obviously a great cause gets the best results.

But stipulating that, I'd argue that a clear goal and clear expectations for actions will get the best results.

So, if that's a time-sensitive "call for action" - go for that. If it's "we have a goal of $10,000 for this program" do that.

When people sense that success is achievable, they tend to be more open to telling their friends about it.

In terms of numbers, I don't have an absolute breakdown of how many people take part in rallies, fundraising or lobbying - love to see 'em, though!

Question from Sarah Ann, public charity:
    What's your advice on how to build up your networks (i.e. Facebook fans, Twitter followers, etc.) on social media tools once you have a presence on them? Tom Watson:
    Sarah Ann - Outside of some of the other things I've written here, I'd add two more pieces of advice:

1. Be authentic - in social media, the most active participants can smell a come-on or scheme a mile away. Really taking the time to tell the story, show your commitment, and react to people is so crucial. It really is a form of face-to-face discussion.

2. Be generous - you simply cannot be successful in social networking for causes without being involved in other people's causes! You have to promote the work of others, give the occasional gift, show your involvement, and lend your assistance and advice.

Question from Margaret Summers, National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty, Washington, D.C. :
    Hi, Tom, thanks for holding this seminar. What's the best way to reach out to bloggers? For instance, if I want bloggers to post a news release on their sites, do I contact them and establish a relationship with them first, or send it to them as part of a comment to something they posted? Tom Watson:
    Margaret - both! (But I'd urge you to just post the link not the whole text).

See my comment elsewhere about authenticity. If you're a real member of a blogger's community, they'll be more apt to push the action you want them to push.

I'd also add this: treat bloggers with as much respect as you'd treat a major network journalist, but also understand their needs for immediacy and community-building. For most non-pro bloggers, it really is about the conversation out there - about the audience/community they've attracted. Think of how what you're "selling" can help them.

One tip: do a national conference call for issues bloggers...and give them somebody well-known to speak with.

Question from Katie, George Eastman House:
    Wikipedia is running an interesting campaign to raise $6 million. Do you support non-profits putting their "Donate Now" links front and center, such as wikipedia is currently doing? Tom Watson:
    Katie - yes, absolutely.

I think a donate now button should be prominent on the homepage and an integral part of all navigation.

And give people the opportunity to learn more about the fundraising effort as well - provide updates etc.

That said, the wikipedia campaign is a little bit akin to the public broadcasting pledge drives, though not as intrusive - if it was there 12 months of the year, no one would pay any attention. So a campaign has to have a limited run and real urgency.

Question from David Collin, American Cancer Soc:
    Would you speak about longer-term involvement with causes? How do you use social tools to go from the campaign to a more permanent involvement?

Tom Watson:
    David - great question, and no easy answer because the phenomenon is still pretty new. I'd point to two examples:

The Dean campaign in 2004 recruited a class of online political activists that is still with us: indeed, the bloggers and leaders who came to the fore then are some of the best-known, most-connected activists now. So clearly, the broader cause of the Democratic Party and progressive politics was well-served by that social media in the Dean campaign - even if the candidate didn't succeed.

The other example is the Save Darfur coalition - which moved from online to a major offline presence. This comes from personal experience because of my teenaged daughter, but she got involved through friends on Facebook and now cares deeply about the anti-genocide movement. Her school has a chapter and the materials are all over the bulletin boards in schools around the nation.

And we'll all see what happens with the online Obama army next year...I'm hopeful.

Question from Tony, nonprofit consultant:
    How do you balance the desires of PR professionals to have nfp communications all come from one person with one look with the more grassroots, personal approaches of social media?

Tom Watson:
    Tony - I think the PR professionals need some retraining if they want to have any relevance with people under 35 in the future.

That said, speaking with a consistent voice - not just one voice - is key, and again I'd point to the Obama campaign. Its branding and communications were very top-down and consistent, but it also made the conscious decision to "free up" its network to go out and organize and raise money.

Here's a clever way to make the argument: ask any NFP leader how major gifts works....yeah, it's personal and face-to-face. Friends asking friends, peers asking peers. Same thing, written large for less immediate payback.

Tom Watson:
    Looks like we'll be headed to OT folks! I'm committed to answering at least one question from every participant but I'm running behind so stay tuned...

Question from Jeannette Archer-Simons, CFRE, Consultant:
    Keeping donors engaged in your organization is critical. The political campaigns did a great job this year in engaging younger donors and advocates. What recommendations do you have for a nonprofit to sustain that relationship so that the organization has an ongoing or growing relationship with their social network donors. Thanks! Tom Watson:
    Jeannette, I've talked a little about this in other answers but let me add this: get some of the social network donors offline as soon as you can.

Some of the best examples of action in CauseWired were those that inspired people to make a particular cause a big part of their lives, online and off.

So find a way to make that happen: hold a reception or a volunteer event for the social network, or if your national, some kind of chapter-based day of action.

The other aspect is reporting - if the relationship has to be 100% virtual, than your donor/activist will want to know whats going on. Organizations like DonorsChoose and Kiva do a great job of this.

Question from Ellen Holmes, SIT/World Learning:
    Is Twitter a better tool for constituency building or for fundraising - have you seen it used in alumni affairs work and if so are there some examples beyond what you've already mentioned? Tom Watson:
    Ellen - I have not yet seen it used for alumni affairs (but that doesn't mean it hasn't happened - the Twitterverse is growing rapidly).

I think Twitter is best used for constituency building but I suspect - ok, I know! - that there are folks out there now working on pushing the fundraising site.

I really like what SocialActions.org is doing with its $20.09 for 2009 fundraising drive - every gift is acknowledged on Twitter by the SA team and then select comments on what supporters like SA are post on the SA blog - a nice and effective combo.

Question from David Collin, American Cancer Soc:
    What about using online tools for operations? Have you seen nonprofits using collaboration tools for planning, projects, developing budgets, etc.? Tom Watson:
    Yeah, absolutely - I'm running CauseWired Communications (yes, a new consulting start-up!) on Google and used the blog to help write the book. http://delicious.com/ is also used heavily in collaboration - and then there's a whole host of new organizations using wikis on virtually every aspect of running their organizations.

Question from Rosie McNamara-Jones, Juvenile Law Center:
    Hi Tom. Do you have any insight on how to best maintain (steward, if you will) the new age of digital donors? Tom Watson:
    Rosie - transparency and empowerment.

This is a group that wants to be totally in the know on how their money is spent - and they also want to actively help you run the organization or the campaign.

And be platform-agnostic - if you know that hundreds or thousands of potential donors congregate someplace, be there.

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    I wanted to announce that the weekly live discussions series will be going on holiday break beginning next week. We'll be back again Tuesday, January 6, at noon Eastern time to discuss the outlook for nonprofit groups in 2009. And we'll again be hosting discussions every Tuesday at noon Eastern throughout the year. As always, I welcome your suggestions for topics and guests. Shoot me an e-mail at peter.panepento@philanthropy.com if you have any suggestions or questions.

Now, back to the chat.

Question from Selene Kaye, ACLU Women's Rights Project:
    Do you have general advice about webpage layout (how to organize a whole lot of multi-layered information) and how to drive traffic to it? Tom Watson:
    Selene - two different questions, but closely linked.

First, I'm not a design expert - but I am attracted to clean and simple designs in nonprofit development that limit the number of choices a visitor can make.

Keep it simple and make the case on the front page. Unless you're a news organization, you can't be expected to provide a virtual newsfeed on everything you're doing. Remember, it's about enticing folks for a better/deeper look.

I will say this: concentrate some thought on major donors - be sure to have a section for people considering a substantial investment. Too many organizations think a good website is only about online fundraising - that's only a part of the mission.

Question from ErnestO Stolpe Silver City Gospel Mission New Mexico:
    Our first effort at online adovacy just started on the 13th on Change.org

Should we build more into the site from our present supporters or should we venture full forward to develop new supporters?

The url is http://www.change.org/silver_city_gospel_mission Tom Watson:
    Ernesto - both.

The content there is too slim to get many supporters, plus you should work to drive people to the campaign using other platforms.

I'm a big fan of Change.org and its built-in storytelling ability. Those guys do good work - I think you can build something good there.

Question from Leif Baradoy of www.christmasfuture.org:
    Hi Tom, There are a number of applications and technologies that can automate, for example, following people on twitter (twollow). What are you thoughts about non-profits using some of these automations as part of a more human strategy for communicating and gaining supporters? Tom Watson:
    Leif - tough one. Automating a search is one thing, but somebody should really be reading at least some of the subscribed feeds once a day.

Really, that combo of authenticity (real presence) and generosity (being part of the community and not just asking) is what makes Twitter go.

Question from David Collin, American Cancer Soc:
    Most talk has been about fundraising. Can you give some examples of how social networking has resulted in focused action in the "real world"? Tom Watson:
    Sure, there are many - from the Obama campaign's efforts in the Democratic caucuses to some of the work done around disasters.

One of the chapters in CauseWired deals with what I called "flash causes" - really about getting people in the streets or helping in disasters.

Here's a post about gay rights organizers and how quickly they got folks live and activated after the Prop 8 vote:

http://causewired.com/2008/11/19/post-obama-organzing-its-already-in-the-streets/

Question from Jennifer Doron, Ohio Environmental Council:
    What do you suggest is best for activism/outreach/fundraising for a non-profit on Facebook. A group, Cause, or 'business page' - I like how Obama's send out 'updates' from his page, but groups can only send messages. Pros/cons?

Tom Watson:
    Jennifer - I know, that can be confusing - for me too. And FB has tweaked some of the definitions a bit as they move to new versions.

I think starting with a cause is probably the best move, but a well-run FB presence should have a page and cause. And the page is like your flyer, the cause is your volunteer center.

Think of it that way.

Question from John Breyault, National Consumers League:
    Thanks for holding this e-discussion today! How would you rate your experience (particularly RoI) to grow e-mail lists with services like Care2? Tom Watson:
    John - to me, the answer to this lies in carefully thinking about the audience you want to attract.

Care2 is great for some audiences, but less attractive for others.

And in most cases, paying for lists is priming the pump - it's acquisition cost that has to be balanced over several years, rather than as an immediate ROI.

Then too, test - stay small and test.

Question from Alan Janesch, Penn State Alumni Association:
    What are your thoughts about integrating the "high tech" of online advocacy with the "high touch" of, say, events that allow members of largely online advocate groups to meet each other, share thoughts, find new ways to get involved, etc.? Thanks. Tom Watson:
    Alan - I always lean toward high touch, at least as high as possible.

Sure, quick click-to-give is great and if you can raise money that way (like Obama did), more power to you. But I also think that high touch communication (online) will lead to a much more spirited core of online volunteers and solicitors.

And really, it's about telling the story well - and that needs more voices working for you.

Question from Aliza Sherman, Social Media Consultant in Alaska:
    Who are some of your "must read" bloggers and "must follow" Twitterers to keep up with the social media for social good scene? What other resources do you suggest (other than your book and web site, of course!)? Tom Watson:
    Aliza - there are so many now!

I'll only leave somebody out, I'm afraid (chicken, I know).

Quick tip is to follow the aggregated nptechblogs on Twitter and branch out from there: http://twitter.com/nptechblogs

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    Aliza: We also run a lengthy list of philanthropy-related blogs on our blog about blogs, Give & Take. We also go through them daily and single out the most interesting posts -- http://philanthropy.com/giveandtake.

Question from Steve Thomas, nonprofit webmaster:
    What do you think the next means will be for constituents to communicate with elected officials -- is there a better medium on the horizon? Tom Watson:
    Steve, great question.

I'm fascinated by what Obama is attempting with Change.gov but it really does come up short in terms of real communication.

And frankly, all the email-your-congressman stuff tends to get ignored in Washington and the statehouses.

I'm encouraged by what I've seen from my British blogging doppelganger Tom Watson, the MP charged with the UK's open government initiative. Follow his blog at: http://www.tom-watson.co.uk/

Question from Angie, Emergency Fund:
    Hi, we are implementing many social networking options (Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Twitter)- our struggle is getting people to the site. We've started including our web address print materials and have started an electronic news letter. Any other thoughts on how to drive traffic to these online forums? Tom Watson:
    Angie - short-term, deal with individual people and ask (beg) them to work their personal contacts for you. You'd be surprised how generous folks will be with their links and time. But at the start, pick 10 people and cultivate them, tell them about the cause, then ask them to help spread the word. Yes, the competition for eyeballs is very fierce!

Tom Watson:
    Well folks, I think I've answered a version of every question - wow, there were a lot of great ones.

Feel free to ping me via Twitter or email. And yes, CauseWired Communications exists to help nonprofits like yours - that's the only plug I'll make! Feel free to follow up with me.

Thanks again to the Chronicle folks for setting this up - it worked very well indeed. Now I just need to rest my aching fingers a bit....

Peter Panepento (Moderator):
    Thanks to everyone who joined us today and to those who helped spread the word about this event through Twitter, Facebook, and other channels. A special thanks is in order to Tom Watson, who flew solo today for more than 90 minutes. That's a lot of thinking and typing -- and I know he offered some fantastic insights. Thanks, Tom.

It's been a great year for our live discussions series and I'm looking forward to an even better 2009. Thanks to all of you for helping this platform become such a success.

Happy holidays.