Facebook http://www.facebook.com What it is: The world’s most popular social network. More than 200 million active users worldwide. Fastest-growing user segment: ages 35-54. Who uses it: Individuals, celebrities, charities, organizations, businesses. How it works: Two options for non-person entities: Facebook page or Facebook group. (LCFPD has a page) Fans receive status updates, event schedules & other updates automatically in their Facebook feed. You can also send messages to fans or group members. When a person becomes a fan of your page, a notification appears on all of their friends’ main pages. Often, some of those friends will also become fans = audience-building snowball effect.

What it’s good for: viral communications, “word-of-mouth.” Allows public to serve as ambassador. Builds brand relationship. Check out: US Environmental Protection Agency’s Facebook page

Lake County Forest Preserves’ Facebook page

Example of a Facebook event listing

“Share” button allows users to put this information on their friends’ pages or their own.

Twitter http://twitter.com What it is: Short-form broadcast text messaging. 140 character tweets. Your message can include a link to a Web page or a photo. Who uses it: Individuals, organizations, businesses, media. How it works: Others can follow your twitter feed on a cell phone, in a Web browser, via a Twitter application (Twitterific, Tweetdeck, others), as a widget on another Web site (frequently a sidebar on blogs). In addition to following a source, Twitter messages can be searched (search.twitter.com or from your sidebar) or followed by topic using a hash tag. Examples: #election, #CAwildfires, conferences frequently have an official tag: #prsa09. Interest groups organize themselves using hashtags, too: #gov20, #tcot What it’s good for: bits of news that don’t rise to “news release” level, developing stories and breaking news, informal polling, reinforcing relationships with partner organizations/media through retweeting their messages, dialog with customers.

Also important: 1. Twitter is where news breaks. If you have an “incident” it is going to be on Twitter very quickly. 2. Twitter discussions can be very viral – important to watch public dialog about your organization. Check out: @sfzoo – zoo updates @levyj413 – US EPA Web Communications manager http://govtwit.com – directory of Government tweeps

Lake County Forest Preserves twitter feed (@LCFPD)

Lake County Discovery Museum Twitter feed (@LakeCoMuseum)

Twitpic – photo share tool paired with Twitter

Twitter conventions Because you only get 140 characters for your whole message, Twitter users have developed shorthand for many commonly used phrases and elements. Shortened URLs. A link to this blog post would take up most of the message: http://lakecountyhistory.blogspot.com/2009/03/lincolns-first-inauguration.html Several sites will create shortened alias Web addresses for use in Twitter.

http://tinyurl.com http://bit.ly (built in to TweetDeck) http://ow.ly http://tr.im http://plurl.me

Shortened URLs look like gibberish, but get the job done: http://bit.ly/dEvgf Abbreviations. Twitter style breaks from conventional stylebooks, but not to the extent of SMS speak (“GTG, CUl8r”). Common abbreviations used even in business writing include:

OH “Overheard” – prefaces a quote, typically overhead in a public space. RT “Retweet” – used to pass along a Tweet, verbatim, to your followers

Original tweet by @RyersonWoods Re-tweet by @LCFPD

flickr http://www.flickr.com What it is: Online photo sharing service. Who uses it: Individuals, organizations. How it works: Groups can be created around any subject matter (“butterflies,” “Paris,” “animals with food on their head”). People with photos that fit the group can join and share those photos in a photo pool. What it’s good for: Public engagement. Community building. Constant stream of images that reinforce your mission or service delivery. Source of photography for your Web site, publications (OK only if spelled out explicitly in group rules.) Check out: Smithsonian, US National Parks

YouTube http://www.youtube.com What it is: Video where people can find it. Who uses it: Individuals, organizations. Even split across ages. 100,000,000 daily YouTube views. How it works: Upload your video clip (video file format standards available at http://tinyurl.com/7b5tzq ) You can then embed that video and a player on your Web site or on your Facebook page, share it on your YouTube channel, or link to it from Twitter, etc.

What it’s good for: Low-cost way of adding video to your Web presence.

Lake County Forest Preserves’ YouTube channel

Promoting Your Social Media Channels Standard methods: news release, on your Web site, in your print newsletter, in your email newsletter

Cross-channel promotion Post your Twitter address on Facebook, tweet your Facebook page. You know your audience is online. Make them aware that you also are. Treat your social media addresses as extensions of your own Web site. Email signature with links