UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SERVICE COMMITTEE 689 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 · 617-868-6600 [email protected] Blogging and Social Media

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SERVICE COMMITTEE

689 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139

www.uusc.org · 617-868-6600 [email protected]

Blogging and Social MediaBlogging and Social Media

UUSC Training Webinar

Thursday, November 1, 2012

7:00 p.m. EDT







Webinar TipsWebinar Tips

Advancing Human Rights is the Work of Many Joining HandsAdvancing Human Rights is the Work of Many Joining Hands

If you cannot hear the presentation via computer speakers, dial into the conference call line at 877-366-0711 and use passcode 52893740#




facebook.com/groups/facebook.com/groups/volunteerservicesvolunteerservices

A social-media tool created so volunteer network members can communicate with each other




Jessica L. AtchesonJessica L. AtchesonAtcheson is UUSC's writer and editor. Her work has been published in regional newspapers and online. Atcheson crafts pieces that inspire as well as inform. As UUSC's primary writer, her editorial vision is evidenced in almost everything UUSC produces in print and online, from Rights Now to UUSC's blog.

Atcheson earned a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in communication studies from Hamilton College, studied abroad at Oxford University, and served as a crisis-center advocate through the AmeriCorps Victim Assistance Program.




Shelby MeyerhoffShelby MeyerhoffShelby Meyerhoff facilitates the development and implementation of strategic approaches to engaging constituents online.

Prior to joining UUSC, Meyerhoff managed the UUA's social-media presence and provided social-media training to staff and constituents. Other experiences include running a web-development business and writing a column for UU World magazine.

Meyerhoff has a master of divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School and a bachelor of arts in the comparative study of religion from Harvard College.




AgendaAgenda

• Brief overview of tools– Letters to the editor– Opinion page articles

• Preparing a blog post– Guidelines for writing

• Promoting your blog post– Use of social networking to spread

your message

• Question and answer period




Brief Overview of Brief Overview of ToolsTools

• Newspaper submissions

• Value of reaching broader audience

• Importance of not precluding newspaper publication by posting online

• Can always include a link in your blog posts to op-ed after it is published

• E-mail Dick Campbell, senior associate for media outreach and public affairs, at [email protected] with link to any published material, and contact Dick for further assistance or questions.




Letters to the EditorLetters to the Editor• Keep it short and focused. In most cases, there will be a short word

limit.

• Refer to a specific article. Cite the specific article in your letter, including the headline as well as date and page it was published.

• Timing is critical. If possible, send the letter the same day the news article appears.

• In your letter, state why you are responding to the article, editorial, or op-ed. Focus your letter on one subject. Your letter should raise one point that was not in the article, or was in the article but you disagree with it.

• Do not submit the same letter to more than one publication at the same time. Do consider weekly community newspapers — you can send a similar but revised letter and you will probably have an even greater chance that it will be published.

• Provide your daytime contact information. Include your name, address and phone contact (contact info is not published but necessary to clarify questions and verify the submission).




Op-ed Opinion ArticlesOp-ed Opinion Articles• Timing is important. Plan to submit an op-ed when the issue is featured

prominently in the news.

• Most newspapers limit length of op-eds, generally from 500 to 750 words. Guidelines are often published on the paper’s website, or check with the opinion page editor.

• Personalize the op-ed with an anecdote. Using a personal experience to support an argument gives your piece an additional element of unique and often compelling appeal.

• Editors are looking for unique opinion. Use fresh arguments and avoid rehashing points already made by previous writers on the opinion page.

• Read other op-eds to see how they are constructed. A common format is to write a brief introduction stating your thesis, identify and write two or three major points in support of your point of view, and conclude with a brief summary and persuasive final argument.

• If you have expertise on the subject about which you are writing, find a way to incorporate this into the op-ed or state it as biographical information in parentheses at the bottom of the piece.




Examples of Published Examples of Published ArticlesArticles

• Visit our website for detailed guidelines, as well as samples for letters to the editor and op-eds that you can rewrite and use at uusc.org/resource/be_a_media_advocate.

• UUSC offers a list of published articles at uusc.org/uusc_in_the_media

• For more assistance on how to place your writings, contact Dick Campbell at 617-301-4370.




UUSC Guidelines for Blog UUSC Guidelines for Blog PostsPosts

• Make it personal• Keep it succinct (300–500 words) • Use a timely news hook when possible • Share stories to illustrate a compelling main

point• Draw clear lines to UUSC’s work • Challenge people’s assumptions, offer thought-

provoking reflections, raise questions • Suggest a concrete action that readers can take,

if possible • Include/embed links to more in-depth material• Promote your blog post once it has been

accepted, edited, and posted




UUCSJ Blog Post UUCSJ Blog Post GuidelinesGuidelines

• As above, offer compelling content — not an account of your trip itinerary

• Reflect on your personal reasons for being on the trip. Consider addressing one or more of the following: • How the service-learning trip enhances your personal

beliefs• How UU principles play a role in your experience • How the trip has affected you and how your views and

convictions are changing or deepening due to specific experiences

• Results of the specific service-learning project, and what you hope to personally accomplish as a result of your experience




Where to Post or Where to Post or SubmitSubmit

• Personal blogs• Congregational and community group blogs• Huffington Post, Open Salon, or other outlets• UUSC

– Please note that UUSC welcomes submissions of blog posts, but please understand that publication is not guaranteed. Decision to publish is based on a number of factors.

• Most non-news blogs don’t expect exclusivity, but it’s good to mention if you are “cross-posting” (i.e. posting the full text in more than one place).




Two-Part Promotion Two-Part Promotion ProcessProcess

1. Share the blog post!

2. Continue the conversation.

Both can be done through social media.




Share Your Blog PostShare Your Blog Post

• Remember: People will only know about your blog post if someone (you) tells them.

• Ways to share blog posts:– Personal Facebook, Twitter, e-mail to friends– Personal website (either repost it or link to it)– Congregational Facebook, Twitter, e-mail to congregants– Congregational website (either repost it or link to it)– Including photos in the blog post makes it look better on

Facebook!

• It’s ok to link to your post more than once.




Sharing on FacebookSharing on FacebookGreen arrows indicate things you can control when

posting on your wall.




Sharing on FacebookSharing on FacebookYou can send a personal message too!

Paste in the URL to make post appear, then delete it (same goes for posting on your wall, as in the previous slide)

You can send to lots of people! I just picked two examples.




Continue the Continue the conversationconversation

• Think multimedia.• Once you’ve promoted your post, here are some

other ways to continue the conversation:– Post related photos on Pinterest, Facebook, or Twitter– Post text updates over time on Facebook and Twitter.– Tweet relevant statistics, quotes, other bite-size pieces.– Make a YouTube video – E-mail your friends about related actions from UUSC – Share related actions from UUSC on social media

• It’s not only a blog post – it’s the start to a conversation.




Bite-size TweetsBite-size Tweets




Facebook text updatesFacebook text updates




Photos on FacebookPhotos on FacebookLikely to get more visibility than link posts.




Photos on FacebookPhotos on Facebook




Photos on PinterestPhotos on Pinterest

Can link back to your blog post!




Looking for Photos?Looking for Photos?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/uusc4all/sets/




More on Social More on Social NetworkingNetworking

• Panel presentation from GA2012uusc.org/ga/storytelling

– Overview of different social media tools, principles for successful social media use, and case studies from specific advocacy campaigns.

• UUSC video: Five tools for using social media to advance justice

uusc.org/ga/storytelling (same as above)– Shelby Meyerhoff talks about online tools activists can use

to engage audiences with their social justice campaigns (the final four minutes are about Facebook and other multimedia tools)




Question & Answer Question & Answer SessionSession




Documents

UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST SERVICE COMMITTEE 689 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA 02139 · 617-868-6600 [email protected] Blogging and Social Media