New Research Report on Social Media and Congress

We're glad to share this research report from Brad Fitch at the Congressional Management Foundation:

"The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) today released the first study of congressional staff views of social media, and how it is being used by Congressional Offices. #SocialCongress: Perceptions and Use of Social Media on Capitol Hill shows that most Members of Congress have thoroughly integrated social media into their communications operations, and are using new media tools to gauge public opinion, communicate with constituents, and reach new people.

http://congressfoundation.org/storage/documents/CMF_Pubs/cmf-social-congress.pdf

Among the key findings:

·         Nearly two-thirds (64%) of the senior managers and social media managers surveyed think Facebook is a somewhat or very important tool for understanding constituents’ views and opinions, 42% say Twitter is somewhat or very important, and 34% say YouTube is a somewhat or very important tool for understanding constituents’ views and opinions.

·         Nearly three-quarters (74%) of the senior managers and social media managers we surveyed think Facebook is somewhat or very important for communicating their Members’ views. YouTube is viewed by nearly three-quarters of staffers surveyed (72%) as somewhat or very important for communicating their Members’ views.  More than half (51%) of the staffers surveyed say Twitter is a somewhat or very important vehicle for their Members’ communications.

·         A strong majority of staffers (72%) believe that social media allows their Members to reach people they had previously not communicated with.  A majority of the staffers (55%) feel social media offers their offices more benefits than risks.

The report is part of CMF’s initiative, the Partnership for a More Perfect Union.  The Partnership seeks to enrich the relationship between citizens and Congress through education, building trust, and providing innovative yet pragmatic tools to facilitate purposeful two-way communication. 

If you are interested in more information on the Partnership, and how you can use this research to enhance your advocacy efforts, please contact me at 202-546-0100, or bfitch@CongressFoundation.org."

Report: Social Documentaries Stimulate, Support Public Engmt & Social Change

AU's Center for Social Media has a new report that notes how social documentarians (documentary filmmakers who focus on social issues) are "developing digital tools to attract, engage and mobilize increasingly diverse publics."

"Documentary films are serving as the core for innovative spaces and practices that mark a new kind of public media – accessible, participatory and inclusive. As the case studies below demonstrate, digital technologies do not replace, but are closely entwined with, longstanding on-the-ground activities of stakeholders and citizens working for social change," writes Barbara Abrash.

The CSM "report presents case studies of three social issue documentary projects that demonstrate how strategic outreach campaigns are enabling publics to form around social and political issues of shared concern. They use digital technologies for production, distribution, archiving, and social networking; to promote civic engagement, and to provide tools for grassroots, national, and international networks."

Read more about the three documentaries and this report here.

Article: Using Social Media for Social Change

I really appreciate the impressive work of the Stanford Social Innovation Review; it's a wonderful resource for people thinking about social entrepreneurship, social change and social innovation.

This week there's a fantastic and very detailed post by Diana Scearce, Gabriel Kasper, & Heather McLeod Grant that focuses on using social media for social change. It notes some great examples of how organizations are using social media and what social media is ideally suited for in driving social innovation. The article also provides five lessons learned about social media for social change. Check it out here.

Online interactions have positive effects for real-life communities, including civic participation

A new post on Physorg.com describes the findings from a new study that shows online interactions have positive effects for real-life communities, including civic participation.

"If you think Facebook, Twitter and other Web sites that foster online communication and interaction are merely vapid echo chambers of self-promotion, think again, say two University of Illinois professors who study computer-mediated communication and the Internet." Read more.

28+ Free Webinars for Nonprofits – March 2010

Who doesn't like something free??! Passing on this great post from the blog of Rebecca Leaman; check it out!

"This month’s round-up of free nonprofit webinars could very well be our most interesting yet, with a wide variety of topics and some high-profile speakers who’ll have lots of value to share. Space is limited for a number of these webinars, but many will make recordings and/or slide presentations available after the event either to registered participants or to the public...."

Read more at the original post from the Wild Apricot blog

Also see other great resources on the Wild Apricot blog related to nonprofit management, volunteer engagement and social media for nonprofits.