Today we have a post from Jane Griffin who works with Waverley Care.
If you are in any way interested in learning about social media and are doing some of your learning on Twitter you’ll notice the constant cry of “engage with me, don’t broadcast to me!” 
This is great advice for all the non-profits out there who are starting to get into social media and are now using Twitter. (I’ve even gotten in touch with one, relatively large, charity who had just started out using Twitter and pointed out to them that their constant broadcasting perhaps wouldn’t do them much good in the long-term – their account is much more conversational now which is much more pleasant for me as a follower!)
Engagement over broadcasting is great advice but are some twitter lovers in danger of not following their own advice? Twitter is all about conversing with people you don’t know, it’s about sharing knowledge and a little bit of humanity alongside, but is Twitter becoming just a little bit elitist?
If you’re new to social media and Twitter in particular it can take a while to find your voice, and it can be quite daunting to see all the conversations taking place and get up the courage to jump in there with your point of view. I read a tweet recently that said social media is the “kingdom of the communicator… and if you’re not a professional communicator you should stand aside”. This comment was aimed at larger businesses but would probably hit a nerve for many small non-profits – how many of us can afford to pay a “professional communicator”?
How many of us as personal Twitter users are that interested in what the communications or PR manager of a company are saying? Now, how many of us are actually interested in seeing a little bit of the human being behind the Twitter account? – I know I am! Does that traditional brand of communicator even have a place in social media? Unlike traditional marketing and communications Twitter is a two-way communication tool and it benefits from a lot of listening, serious listening….and we can all do that. Certainly as someone who is a huge believer in the power of non-profits I want to see tweets from many different people within the organisations I follow, not just the fundraising team, or the marketing person, or communications manager, but from the staff on the “front-line”, those people who are doing the actual work that I’m supporting, the people who are helping those that I’m supporting with my hard-earned cash!
It would be such a shame if we let Twitter become the new school playground where the only voices you hear are those of the cool kids because nobody else has the confidence to speak up, so jump in there and let your voice be heard, share your stories. That’s what I want to hear.
What do you want to hear?
Photo Credit: Netzanette
