Social Media Presentation

I was recently asked to give a presentation to our Leadership Team about social media. They wanted to know the definition of social media and how we (Calvary Church) are using it as an organization.

Defining social media is a tricky job. There are so many varieties - Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Digg, LinkedIn, Delicious, MySpace, Blogs, and more – each with a differing purpose. So, I tried to keep with wide concepts and “rules of play” rather than getting into the nuts and bolts of all the various social media streams that are available.

I hardly consider myself an expert on the topic and am constantly learning new things about it, but as the resident communications guy on staff, it falls on me to be the teacher in this situation. Here are some of my notes (gathered from various spots around the internet) that I shared in that meeting:

The Main Concept – A Conversation

The main thing to know about all of the social media tools is that they were not created or intended to be a way for one party to bombard another party with a message. They were meant to be a conversation (for lack of a better metaphor). This makes sense with services where words and dialog are the main medium, such as Blogs, Twitter, and Facebook. But, it’s also true for YouTube, Digg, and Delicious where the point of posting videos and links is to share in the conversation. The minute that advertising enters in and businesses see it as a way to tell people things, especially things that they aren’t interested in hearing about, the tool begins to lose effectiveness. In other words, the louder you try to shout with social media, the fewer the number of people who will be around to hear what you’re shouting.

The Main Rule – Add Value

It goes without saying, if social media exists to facilitate people engaging in conversation, that the main goal should be to add value to that conversation. It’s easy to be a “taker.” It’s also easy to try to control what is being said. I have found, however, that the more I try to give – that is, add value – to my networks, the more I gain. Rather than try to control what is being said (about the organization or myself), I try to put out a good product and trust that the dialog about that product will take care of itself.

Side Note: It’s an interesting concept to think of a church, or even an individual, as “putting out a product.” But, we do exactly that. As a church, our product or service is helping people on their spiritual journey. It’s our job to walk along-side them in their faith…providing tools, events, etc. to help them along the way. As an individual, the product is my character and giftedness. The more I leverage the essence of who I am in order to serve others in their life-journey, the greater the quality of the product.

Other Rules / Things To Consider

1. Listen
   Take time to truly hear what other people are saying. Seek to understand. Then respond and add to the conversation. Say “thank you” and give kudos.
2. Don’t do it if you can’t do it well.
   How many times have you seen people start a blog or get on Facebook once or open a Twitter account and never check it again. Relieve yourself from the pressure of having to “do” every social media product just because it seems that everyone else is doing it. If it’s not a natural extension of who you are, don’t do it. On the other hand, if you think you might be able to add some value and engage people, these tools have unlimited potential! Don’t be afraid to get in and try it out if you feel like it might be a way for you to engage.
3. Don’t Spam and Self-Promote
   As mentioned above, these tools are not for self-promotion but for community interaction.

Calvary Church and Social Media

Our philosophy with Calvary’s communications, particularly with social media, is derived from a combination of Seth Godin‘s Permission Marketing and Kem Meyer‘s concept of Less Clutter, Less Noise. We use email newsletters, Facebook, Twitter, and blogs to interact with people and let them know about events, ministries, and serving opportunities that might add value to their life and their spiritual journey. We try to carefully select what we “promote” and – particularly with Facebook and Twitter – try to make sure we are listening to people’s responses as to what adds value. We are constantly evaluating whether we’re interacting, dialoging, and having a conversation versus spamming, shouting, and bombarding. We also try to use these tools for storytelling and encouraging our circles of friends. It’s an ongoing, evolving philosophy, but we’re excited about what we’re learning from and about our people and about getting the most out of these new tools.

What about you? What have you learned about social media? How does your organization use these tools to engage your community in conversation? I’d love to hear from you in the notes!