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Social Media

Social Media and Your AmeriCorps Story

Each and every one of us has a story to tell. There has never been a better time to tell your AmeriCorps story, to share the impact of AmeriCorps in your life, and to demonstrate how your AmeriCorps service is addressing critical issues affecting our nation. Social media has revolutionized the way we share our experiences with our friends, family, and the world. There are more than 500 million active Facebook users, over 200 million Twitter users, and over 150 million blogs on the internet.
Below are a few ways you can use social media to tell your AmeriCorps Story. If you enjoy using social media, sign up to be an eReporter or ePhotographer for AmeriCorps Week.

Create a Nonprofit Facebook Page (facebook.com)

Facebook is the leading social networking site based on monthly unique visitors. It's a great tool to help spread awareness. A Facebook page can help community members become more deeply connected to your mission. They can add themselves as fans, write on your ―wall, upload photos, and join other
fans in discussion groups. You can send updates to your fans regularly, which allows you to stay connected with volunteers throughout the year and keep them informed about other opportunities to serve with your organization. Be sure to use the following applications on your Facebook page:

  • Notes - You can use the notes area to import your blog. This is a great way for your members to find your blog and stay current on the latest happenings.
  • Events - Post events. This is perfect for updating members about AmeriCorps Week events and locations.
  • Photos - Load and tag pictures. Take pictures of AmeriCorps members making an impact in your community. Take pictures of events or projects taking place this year or in previous years for AmeriCorps Week. This helps motivate members and also adds a nice visual to your page.
  • Videos - Insert your videos from YouTube or any other video site. This will help increase exposure and also make your page more exciting.
  • Posted Items - Share links with useful resources for your fans

Create A Personal Facebook Page or Post to Your Facebook Profile
(facebook.com)

As the leading social networking site, based on monthly unique visitors, Facebook is a great tool to help spread awareness.

If you are active on Facebook:

  • Post updates to your wall sharing what you are doing in AmeriCorps and how the work you are doing is making a difference
  • Link your blog and Twitter account to your Facebook profile. Each time you post a link, an update will be posted in your friend and family's newsfeed
  • Add images and video from your AmeriCorps experience with titles and descriptions
  • Post to the AmeriCorps Week Facebook page

Use Twitter for Quick Updates (twitter.com)

Twitter is a micro blogging platform that lets you post140 characters of text or less. It can be used for a variety of mini-posts including links to websites. A twitter stream is an excellent compliment to a blog. Twitter has its own terminology:

  • The quick posts are known as tweets
  • When people post messages, they are tweeting
  • When someone subscribes to your posts, they are following you and become your followers
  • Twitter accounts have hashtags, (e.g. @ACWeek), which can be used to gather information about a specific topic

Twitter can also be used via mobile devices and can provide an instantaneous connection to stakeholders.

Here are three ways to use Twitter:

  • Mobilize - Twitter allows quick mobilization both internally and externally. Members and volunteers can be alerted of latest developments. Twitter users often act as information hubs and can quickly spread a message.
  • Communicate - Twitter can be used to have an ongoing conversation with members in a decentralized structure. If you need to update partners, encourage volunteers, post the latest happenings, keep things current and active, or report results on the day of the event, Twitter is an excellent, quick, and easy-to-use tool.
  • Recruit and Spread the Word - By posting public tweets you can spread the word about AmeriCorps Week and motivate people outside of your organization. Your followers can then link back to you and spread the word to their network.

When telling your AmeriCorps story:

  • Post descriptive updates about what you are doing
  • Share insights about the projects you are working on
  • Post links to images illustrating the service that is taking place
  • Describe your accomplishments
  • Express your feelings about how AmeriCorps has influenced your life
  • Don't forget to use the @ACWeek hashtag
  • Be sure to add a twitter feed to your blog.

Create a Blog or Write a Series of Blog Posts

A blog can be used to recruit new volunteers, update your volunteers, or inspire and motivate staff and volunteers to take action. You can feature projects, share new ideas, and write about volunteers that are making a difference. You can post daily, weekly, or even bi-weekly updates. Ideally, the goal should be to write consistently. The rule of "quality not quantity" is important to remember. It's an excellent tool to hear feedback from volunteers or potential volunteers.

Things to keep in mind:

  • The best person to write an organization's blog is the person who is most excited to write it - Find someone that loves to write, is excited about blogging, and is passionate about AmeriCorps.
  • Post often and consistently - There are all kinds of theories about how often to post on your blog. The most important thing is to be consistent. You don't have to write once a day, but once a week is good. The rule of "quality not quantity" is important to remember. During AmeriCorps Week keep your followers interested with daily posts about your activities.
  • Have an RSS feed and comments - An RSS feed is a family of web-feed formats used to publish frequently updated works such as blogs. A blog must have an RSS feed and allow comments, or it's not really considered a blog. A blog allows interaction through comments, and an RSS feed allows readers to subscribe and stay current with the latest entry. For the less tech-savvy readers, you should also allow your supporters to subscribe to your blog via email. A good service to use is Feedblitz.

When sharing your story:

  • Share the impact AmeriCorps has made in your life. How has your life changed? What have you learned? What advice do you have for others thinking about joining AmeriCorps?
  • Post photos of the good work you are doing
  • Stream video of your daily activities
  • Write about your experiences
  • Share your accomplishments
  • Write about how your AmeriCorps service is making a difference in your local
    community. Tell others how the work you are doing is addressing issues in our nation. Your story and the impact you are making is important and should be shared with the world.

Top Blog Platform Sites:

Additional helpful tools:

  • Flickr - (flickr.com) Flickr is a popular online photo-sharing community that allows anyone to share and organize their digital photos. This is a great place to store, share and organize your AmeriCorps photos.
  • YouTube - (youtube.com) Post your videos of your AmeriCorps experience on YouTube, the number one video sharing website. Create your own ―My AmeriCorps Story channel. Post updates daily, weekly, or monthly.

Be sure to link your Flickr and YouTube account to your blog, Twitter, and Facebook profile or Page. This will make for a connected experience for your visitors.

Pulling It All Together

It's important when building your outreach approach, that you tie everything together.

  • Link your tools - On your website, include a Facebook badge to your page, a Twitter feed, and a link to your blog. Have each of your tools link to each other to maximize the communication effect.
  • Cross-reference - When creating a blog post, mention your Twitter or MySpace page. Be sure to include a clickable link. Also, include a call to action to connect.
  • Encourage sharing - When featuring an event or upcoming get together, ask others to share this information with their network. Use the power of networking in an online community to access the networks of your constituents and spread the word quickly to new audiences.

Connect to the national sites and request that they connect to your sites.