A Marathon of Socially Conscious Events This Week

Although I spoke a little bit about some of this past week’s events (including one tomorrow), I thought I would end this not-quite-a-three-day-weekend with some information about upcoming events focusing on tech and the social good….because, quite honestly, this might allow you to run your own mini-marathon of activity.

• The Chicago chapter of the Social Enterprise Alliance is sponsoring a conversation with Chuck Templeton this Thursday, October 10th, aroundhow many social enterprises (or companies with a social conscience) are able to balance a mission-driven philosophy with their private purpose. Please check out the Eventbrite page to RSVP (and for details)
• If you’re interested in how having open access to government data can have a positive impact, you might want to check out Open Government Chicago’s meetup on Thursday as well. Cook County Commissioner Brigid Gainer and Gabe Klein, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transportation, will both present on how they are integrating open data into their efforts.
• A new group – Chicago Innovation for Social Good – is holding their inaugural meeting on Wednesday, focusing on Building Community Through Technology (featuring representatives from FacingDisability.com).
• On October 24th, the Illinois Task Force on Social Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Enterprise will hold their regular meeting at 4:00 pm at the James R. Thompson Center. Details and RSVP information can be found here.
• There is still time to provide feedback for the Chicago Broadband Challenge – please visit this previous post for more information.
• And you’re always welcome to RSVP for Net2Chi’s October meeting this Tuesday, October 9th.

Thanks, and as always, you are more than welcome to leave comments below….and in addition, you can contact me via Linked In (with Chicago Now mentioned in your note) or via web site contact form.
As always, thanks for reading!

Networking Offline and Online

I have to admit, I’m a late bloomer when it comes to networking – thankfully, though, several people in my youth (and in middle-age) helped remind me about the power of making connections….

…but sometimes, the non-profit world sees “networking” as a synonym of “schmoozing”. Or somehow, that “online engagement” simply means “posting pictures of your cat on Facebook while wearing pajamas”. There’s even the belief that working for a non-profit is simply showing up and saying, “Hey, I can solve your problems”.

So today’s post is a little bit of a networking primer, based (on some levels) on a series of guest posts I had written for Job Stalker.  At the end, I’ll provide some great opportunities for further networking and education.

• Treat people as an ends in themselves and not a means to an end – when you’re meeting new people, it’s easy to think of them as a way to get what you require, whether it’s funding,  job leads, or resources. Consider that, when meeting someone online or offline, offering value may not lead to immediate value, but can lead to connections to value.
• Actively question whether you need to be on social media – I have many colleagues who will insist that people “have to be” on social media…and my question usually is, “Do you have the resources to be on social media?” And “Is your audience already using social media?” When someone insists that there is a one-size-fits-all solution, remember – social media is a communications channel, not a single strategy.
• Remember to always carry business cards with you:  Yes, there are mobile apps that allow you to scan cards into your smartphone….but having physical business cards are always an asset because you never have to rely on batteries, or failing tech – for more information, check out this past Job Stalker post.
• Go Where Your Contacts Would Go – Chicago has a wide variety of networking events, many of which have little to do with networking. Consider shifting your attention to where your potential funders/donors/board members/employers/other resource advocates may congregate.  It may mean some creative scheduling, but why attend an event where you’re lost in the crowd when you can improve your chances?
• Linked In = Best Research Tool – I’ve made no secret about my love of Linked In, and find it a great research tool. You can research individuals and get introductions; research other companies/agencies, as well as a variety of other tools.

So now you have some tips…and have clicked and reviewed all of the links. Would you like some recommendations to practice your skills? I have some recommendations (and am involved personally in three of them):

• Time is running out – I’m putting on a session on Sherlock Holmes & Social Media (via Dabble) on Monday, September 10th. If you’re interested in attending, please RSVP by Friday, September 7th at http://bit.ly/Ss6k0S
• You are also more than welcome to attend the September 11th Chicago Net Tuesday meeting, focusing on social ventures. If you have no idea what Net Tuesday is, please allow me to direct you to this previous post. Please RSVP via our Meetup site.
• For those who are early risers, you are welcome to join us on September 20th at the Wow Bao at 225 N. Michigan Avenue. For more details and to RSVP, please visit http://chicagogeekbreakfast.eventbrite.com
• On September 24th, Mobile University is sponsoring a conference focusing on mobile tech. If you are interested, you can find pricing and RSVP information at http://mobiu2012.eventbrite.com/

Finally, you are always welcome to share your comments below, and if you need to contact me, you can do so via Linked In or my web site contact page.
As always, thanks for reading!

Chicago Net Tuesday 101

It would be easy to think of Chicago solely as a tech/startup city, or even that all tech and social good means is that more non-profits should use software…but you would be wrong – dead wrong.

In fact, one of city’s hidden treasures – a group dedicated to fostering collaboration and communication between the tech fields and the communities that require their help – is a group that I happen to lead, and that I cordially invite you to join – is Chicago Net Tuesday.

It’s actually the Chicago branch of Netsquared, which is itself part of  Tech Soup – simply put, Net Tuesday is a global initiative to (in their words) “make it easy, meaningful, and fun for people and organizations to get the information, visibility and support they need to accelerate the impact of social-benefit projects.”  Our group straddles every form of tech and every kind of social good organization. I’ve had people remark that they don’t know what our group is about, but it’s simple:

Put a group of like-minded people from a variety of fields, inform them about what’s happening in tech and social good, and see where it goes. Or in simpler terms, open stewardship.

We handle a diverse array of concerns – we have helped the Community Male Empowerment Project get set up online (and will be featuring them in October); we’ve discussed online wikis; we’ve had David Eads from Free Geek Chicago present at Pumping Station One. In short, we meet at a variety of Chicago neighborhoods discussing a variety of subjects.

I’m glad to say that next Tuesday’s meeting is going to be a sit-down discussion of social ventures. You are more than welcome to RSVP at our Meetup site – we’re holding it at Overflow Coffee, and is a casual sit-down conversation.

As it should be – after all, collaboration never comes with conferences or meetings – it comes with conversations. As all good non-profits and techies know.

But now, for more self-promotional content: I’m holding a Sherlock Holmes-themed social media training on September 10th. I’m more than willing to read your comments below, and you can connect with me via Linked In (just mention Chicago Now in your referral note) and the contact form on my web site.

As always, thanks for reading!

Book Review – Making Social Media Tasty for Non-Profits

(NOTE: a free  hardbound copy of The Tasti D-Lite Way was provided for purposes of review. My opinions are my own).

Once upon a long ago, I had one of my fellow consultant/non-profit types ask me, “Gordon, why do you go to business networking events, and not just stick to non-profits?”

The short answer is that I will use any tactic or way of thinking that works, regardless of the source. (Plus, with a thriving social entrepreneurship scene here in Chicago, I’m more than open to broadening my horizons when it comes to the social good). So when the opportunity came to read how a plucky New York frozen confectionary company learned how to build its social media presence from scratch, I eagerly jumped at the chance.

I’m glad to say that The Tasti D-Lite Way, written by the company’s chairman/CEO and VP of Technology, is a great, easy-to-read primer on how to begin thinking about and building a social media presence.

Upon initial reading, the discussion about “customers” and more business-oriented subjects may be a bit off-putting for non-profit types, but I suggest thinking about what’s presented in more non-profit friendly terms (“fundraising”, “development”, “community engagement”, etc).  Because The Tasti D-Lite Way is a great primer on how to build a social media presence, but more essentially, thinking about social media less as a way to promote and more as a communications channel.  While other social media books may focus primarily on buzzwords and marketing, The Tasti D-Lite Way manages to keep its focus on how businesses do social media “right”.

(For a great local example – and an organization that I have volunteered for – one needs look no further than the Chicago Red Cross, who have managed to do some groundbreaking work in using social media to engage citizens in local relief efforts.)

Much like a nice, sweet frozen dessert on a sweltering summer day, The Tasti D-Lite Way is a great, easy-to-read primer on how businesses (including non-profits) can better use social media to build their communities one cause at a time. Well worth your time and attention.

Speaking of literature and social media, I’ll be putting on a training focusing on social media through a Holmesian perspective. If you are interested in attending, please head to this Dabble page to RSVP. Thanks!

Have questions or comments? Please leave them below! If you want to reach out to me privately, please feel free to connect with me either via Linked In or my web site’s contact page. And as always, thanks for reading!

Avoiding Social Media Mission Creep

(The following is a slight rewrite of a post from another, now defunct blog from long ago. However, many of the sentiments and ideas still fit.)

Currently, I’m working on a presentation entitled Sherlock Holmes & the Social Media Mystery, presented via Dabble, and flashed back to an incident at an earlier Net Tuesday meeting.

After advising those in attendance that their communications should tend to flow from their mission, a member of the audience begged to differ.

“I disagree with that,” she stated. “It’s not as important to be focused on the mission as it is to be human.”

(I am paraphrasing, in all fairness)

Although I countered that both were possible (and that the ideal is to be genuine), , it did get me thinking about the state of social media – more specifically, how people are regarding their participation in it.

As I like to believe, we all have a mission – everything from “I want to get a job” to “I want to make the world a better place to live in.” Whether we talk about it in a personal or professional sense, our engagements in the online (and offline) world need to reflect that mission.

However, there has been (and continues to be) some trending towards people who are focused less on the incredible things they do, and more on the “wonderful people” they are. Admittedly, although this has been predominant in the business world (specifically marketing), this trend is slowly and surely creeping into the non-profit/social good realm.

Just to clarify, when we engage on behalf of our causes, whether we’re doing it as employees or as private citizens, it is important to be human: to not just parrot press releases, or use “pre-approved” language. Social media is a great communications tool…

…but let’s not forget that social media isn’t an end in and of itself, but a means to an end. Without a mission, no matter what the communications channel, we run the risk of forgetting that what we say – and why we’re saying it – is just as important as how and where we speak.

Because as we’re trying to build our communities, it’s importantly that we speak the same language…and that we avoid the temptation to creep away from our mission and drift towards more meaningless communication.

But what do you think? Please feel free to leave your comments below. In addition, you can always contact me via Linked In and my personal web site.

Thanks for reading!