communications and social media for nonprofits

"Group action has just become easier. ...Every url is a latent community."
-- Clay Shirky, on the communications revolution

Shirky, author of Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing without Organizations, addressed the Communications Network conference this past Thursday. The Communications Network is a group of philanthropic professionals focused on communications.

Hoping to overcome the fear of change and loss of control that too frequently delay philanthropic organizations from embracing social media, Clay urged those present to "start small and only talk to people who care. ...The whole idea of filter before publish is gone. ...Figure out where the people you want to talk to are, and give them the tools to help spread your message. ...View the Communications Department as not just a mouthpiece, but also a microphone. It's now about 2-way conversation. ...The feedback loop makes the organization smarter!"

He also pointed out that "The loss of control you fear has already happened."

To read more excerpts from Clay's speech, including his suggestions on how nonprofits can get started engaging in social media, click here: http://neurocooking.blogspot.com/2009/10/this-is-revolution-it-can-not-be.html