Social Media

Tools For Social Workers

About Me
 Worked in nonprofit social services since
1983
 I’m a social media addict and search engine
queen
 Blogger and organizer for new media events
 Been involved in social media before it was
called social media
 Former Cyber Angel and chat room monitor
What Can You Use Them For?
 Find others in your field

► Share information about your programs

► Coordinate emergency Response

► Provide outreach to other services, potential

clients, donors and volunteers
Finding Others In Your Field

 Blogs
http://pioneeringlss.blogspot.com

 LinkedIn
Search and join groups, start discussions
 Facebook
Create a cause page that others can join and share
 Twitter
Twitterpacks, Twitter search
Share Information About Your
Programs
 This is a very good way to get more
information out to a wider audience without
spending any real money.
 You can easily network and learn from others
just like you from across the country, without
having to go to a conference to do so.
 That constant stream of information may just
help keep you energized to do your job.
Coordinate Emergency Response
 Red Cross
Disaster relief pages for information

 Hurricanes 08
Wiki of complete, up-to-date emergency
information
http://www.hurricanewiki.org/wiki/Main_Page
What Else Can it Do For You?
 Increase your donor and volunteer base
 Help you to educate the public and de-
stigmatize your client populations
 Help you educate yourself
 Find others in your field to share ideas
 If you are working with young people, you will
win respect if you use these tools.
Increase Your Donor and Volunteer
Base
 Use social networks to connect with people
that are interested in your agency’s work
 Create forums and communities to attract and
connect with people
 Create fresh content to keep them returning
 Add donate buttons on your website
 Once you establish a community, create
donation and volunteer campaigns
Help you to educate the public and de-
stigmatize your client populations
 Create PDF’s or documents on Google Docs
that can be down loaded and shared
 Post your volunteer training manuals
 Post success stories
 Write about mental illness, domestic violence,
youth at risk, etc.
 Provide links to additional resources
 http://www.squidoo.com/browse/homepage
 http://www.mahalo.com/Main_Page
Help you educate yourself

 By asking questions and reading other

content you can find new ideas, best
practices and ways of doing things smarter,
faster, cheaper.
 Find blogs of people who write from a client
perspective
http://thehomelessguy.blogspot.com
Find others in your field to share ideas
 Twitterpacks, LinkedIn
 Idealist.com
 Squidoo.com
Smart Non Profits & Other Examples
 http://www.squidoo.com/org20
 http://www.nyccah.org
 http://nonprofit.alltop.com/
 http://beth.typepad.com/beths_blog/
Additional possibilities
 You Tube, Viddler, ustream, seesmic
 Flickr, Picasa, Photo Bucket
 Use chat rooms, forums, wikis
 MySpace
 Google alerts, Google docs, Slide Share
 Creative Commons
Ways to get more skills
 Worcamp Columbus May16th
 Podcamp Ohio June 20th
 Meet Ups, tweet ups and other gatherings
Have Fun
 If you’re not enjoying it, stop!
 New Media and social media are meant to be
fun and interactive
 Don’t shove your site at others, invite them to
it and give them a reason to come back.
 Don’t get overwhelmed (it’s easy trust me)
 http://www.go2web20.net/