knowabundance.com

Happy Monday!

Are you trying to figure out how best to use Web 2.0 strategies to raise money and visibility for your organization and cause?

The buzz around companies like Facebook and Twitter crescendoed recently with Barack Obama’s presidential win.

His use of social networking sites and new media has been identified as one of the top strategies securing his victory. Now, everyone wants to learn from his tactics and mimic his success.

How do we sort through the hype and the buzz?

1) Always keep in mind your ultimate goal.

A friend of mine committed suicide in January. He had over 200 Facebook friends. Did this on-line community matter when he decided to take his own life?

Web 2.0 and all of our on-line strategies are only important in how they impact off-line behavior and relationships.

None of the new social media tools by themselves can end poverty, create world peace, stop men from raping and beating women, increase tolerance, protect the environment, prevent the spread of HIV/AIDs, find a cure for cancer, reverse global warming or […fill in your cause here...]

To actualize the goals we want to achieve, on-line conversations and community building have to be translated into off-line actions and reality.

The success of Obama’s campaign, was that every on-line action was specifically geared to win him the election by using the on-line strategies for a specific off-line result: getting votes.

2) Don’t create your strategy out of fear.

A New York Times article talking about internet trends for 2009 had this to say about Twitter: “But the fact is this real-time messaging service is taking off in IT circles. And if you don’t jump on the bandwagon soon, you might be too late.”

Don’t be fooled. Our constant frenzy to keep up with everything is just an example of the scarcity mentality that pervades our every day life: There is never enough to go around and if we’re not careful we will be left behind.

Social networking, new media and all things Web 2.0 related are not going anywhere anytime soon. And they thrive on having everyone involved and participating so there is no need to worry about a closed door.

Take your time to plan your on-line strategy for off-line impact where it really matters.

The other day I ran to catch a train before it pulled away from the platform and had to laugh when I realized a few stops later, that in my rush, I had gotten on the wrong train and was actually heading away from where I wanted to go.

I was so focused on not missing the train and rushing to catch it before it left the station that I hadn’t actually looked at the destination marquee before I hopped on.

My rushing (so that I wouldn’t have to wait and waste time) cost me about fifteen minutes – just enough time for me to reflect on how, in our fear that we might miss something, we often do miss something…we miss seeing what we already have.

As a creator and consumer of social media, new media and Web 2.0, ask yourself, “What am I creating toward?” And, “What am I consuming for?” The new social media tools can help us exponentially increase our reach – but for what?

Always keep in mind your ultimate goal and don’t create or consume out of fear.