The document discusses using social networking sites to improve volunteer programs. It provides an overview of common social networking terms and both pros and cons of using these sites. Specific social networking sites that could benefit volunteer programs are presented, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Officezilla, Survey Monkey, Flickr, Shelfari, Good Search, and others. Participants will learn about these sites and have the ability to set up free accounts to access and share information remotely.
Name, where from, where do you work – possibly ask for more information if it is a small crowd.
A social network service uses software to build online social networks for communities of people who share interests and activities or who are interested in exploring the interests and activities of others. Most services are primarily web-based and provide a collection of various ways for users to interact, such as chat , messaging , email , video , voice chat , file sharing , blogging , discussion groups , and so on. Social networking has revolutionized the way we communicate and share information with one another in today's society. Various social networking websites are being used by millions of people everyday on a regular basis and it now seems that social networking is a part of everyday life. Freeware generally refers to software that is copyrighted but for which the author solicits no payment. Software is fully functional for an unlimited time with no monetary cost.
Username – most times you will be asked to create a unique username that will identify your account with the web site. Just try to come up with something you can remember Password – most of the sites will password protect your accounts. You will create the password. Email account – once you sign up for the service on a site, many will send an email that you must respond to in order to access the site features. Most of the time this happens very quickly and you begin working right away. Tutorials – most sites will have either tutorials or guided tours to help you learn how to use the functions
Pros – Did I mention they are free? Cons – Fiddle time means you have to spend some time clicking buttons to find out what they do, there is a learning curve. I personally find this fun. Can disappear – many of these are done on a volunteer basis or the companies are looking for capital funds. They could loose investors or just stop supporting the application Beta version – they may come up with a different version at any time. I would strongly advise backing up any data in a permanent format. And did I mention that these are all free?
Ronald McDonald House Midnight Madness tickets Lexington Humane Society – bandanas for beagles
Intelligent survey software for primates of all species. SurveyMonkey has a single purpose: to enable anyone to create professional online surveys quickly and easily. As a basic subscriber, you are limited to 100 responses per survey with only 10 questions per survey. Once you are a registered user you can begin immediately. As you navigate the site you will create titles, questions and choose types of responses needed. One down side to using the free account is that you are limited to how you can report out the data. It does all the tabulations for you but you are limited in how you can import and use that information. I use Survey Monkey to survey training participants, Governor’s Awards attendees, program staff, AmeriCorps members, association membership. I have even used it to survey friends for a potential party!
Send free invitations, get entertaining tips, share party ideas, use the drink calculator, read the blog and share photos. Easy as 1 2 3. Choose a design Holiday, themes, generic, create your own Enter details Hosts, where, when, directions, a message to your invitees. You can even insert a map and hotel information if needed Add guests and send You can import email addresses or just build your list from scratch. You can also sort into groups. I use this for a monthly association meeting. It collects RSVP’s and people can respond with messages and even forward the evite to someone else. If that person replies it indicates they were invited by someone else.
Flickr is almost certainly the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. Let us show you why! Flickr is a way to get your photos and videos to the people who matter to you. And since basic accounts are free , there's no reason not to explore further... Upload Upload from your desktop, send by email, or use your camera phone. Organize Use collections, sets, and tags to organize your photos and videos. Share Use groups and privacy controls to share your photos and videos. Maps Share where your photos and videos were taken, and see photos and videos taken near you. Make Stuff Sexy cards, photo books, framed prints, Target pick up, DVDs, etc. Keep in Touch Get updates from family and friends. Flickr is now a part of the Yahoo family. Once you have a Yahoo account signing up for Flickr is a breeze. I have used this to upload photos of particular events so that everyone that attended can have access to them
Your “awwww” moment of the morning
Based in Seattle, Shelfari introduces readers to our global community of book lovers and encourages them to share their literary inclinations and passions with peers, friends, and total strangers (for now). Shelfari was the first social media site focused on books, and will continue to innovate as it brings together the world's readers. Our mission is to enhance the experience of reading by connecting readers in meaningful conversations about the published word. Shelfari’s members: Build virtual bookshelves to express themselves to their friends and to the world Discover books that are popular in their trusted circles of friends Influence peers by rating and discussing books online Discover and learn from people with similar reading tastes Participate in online book groups to further explore literature and share ideas Interact with and learn from authors Shelfari was officially launched in October 2006 with Josh Hug and Kevin Beukelman as the co-founders., Amazon.com invested in Shelfari in February 2007 and Shelfari immediately formed a board of advisors combining a list of high profile individuals. I am currently using Shelfari to track the books in our lending library. Interested folks can go to the web site and see what books we have available for check out and even link to Amazon to purchase a book they have previously checked out and read.
Good Search is a search engine that can be set up to earn money for a non profit group. Each time a person uses Good Search a penny (or there about) is credited to the organization. Once a year Good Search will send a check to that organization for the amount raised. Adding an organization is easy.
Once you have added your organization, send to link out to everyone you know and encourage them to use Good Search in place of their normal search engine. If they shop on the internet encourage them to link to the stores through Good Search. Organizations make even more money if folks shop from the site.
Google offers a wide variety of social networking tools, calendar, pictures, file sharing, email, maps, etc. Linked In is a site for professionals looking for leads for new jobs. You can also connect for former colleagues. Doodle is a free site used to schedule meetings, plan events and conduct polls.
Sometimes I find I just need to think of something else besides work. I use the following sites for a break. It is impossible to stay mad or upset when you visit cuteoverload.com. This is a fun blog and the pictures are great. Presurfer.com is a blog that lists interesting web sites. I have found all kinds of interesting things on there and been inspired by many of the articles and ideas. Interesting Thing of the Day is not really updated daily so it should be called interesting thing of every few days. This is a site that has one article about some random fact. Good for the trivia buffs but also a nice break.