Social Networking

Social networking is a relatively new way of connecting with people and keeping in touch via the internet. It has become a part of daily life for many people and organisations, and the most common way they communicate.

Creating a social networking page can bring many benefits to your organisation, with little extra stress. A social networking profile, properly maintained, can be used to find, inform and keep in contact with people all over the world.

This how-to guide was created by cybersafety education body, NetSafe. Send your feedback on the guide to queries@netsafe.org.nz.

What is social networking?

Social networking is a relatively new way of connecting with people and keeping in touch via the internet. It has become a part of daily life for many people and organisations, and the most common way they communicate. For more information about what social networking is, click here.

What are the benefits?

Creating a social networking page can bring many benefits to your organisation, with little extra stress. A social networking page is a useful way of creating and maintaining contact with a wider audience who consume their media, research information, and connect with others online. It is also a great way of advertising your service and being another point of contact in the online space. Click here to read more.

What online tools exist to use social networking?

Bebo, MySpace, Sonet, Facebook and many more social networking sites exist on the web to help us communicate with a wide range of friends, contacts and organisations. For more information on which social networking site will work best for your organisation and how you might effectively use a social networking profile click here.

How to design a social networking page

We have given detailed information for the 3 main social networking sites on how to make a profile page on their site:

How to make a Bebo page.
How to make a Facebook page.
How to make a MySpace page

Also in this how-to guide

Resources and tips on how to get the most from your social networking profile page, how to promote your page, how to track interest in your page, how to stay safe, how to develop policies, and where to go for further advice.

News   (Go to full list of 18 items)

• Twitter Best Practices for Nonprofit Organisations

  A comprehensive guide for nonprofits who are starting out or thinking about getting into Twitter.
  Date added: 3 August 2010

• 1.8 Million New Zealanders interacting via social networking sites: Nielsen

  Online New Zealanders are increasing their participation in social media at a rapid rate, with content sharing the most popular social media activity, according to findings from Nielsen’s 2010 Social Media Report.
  Date added: 20 July 2010

• Facebook page supports refugee resettlement

  To celebrate World Refugee Day 2010 (20 June), English Language Partners New Zealand and ChangeMakers Refugee Forum have co-launched a Facebook page with a focus on refugee resettlement in New Zealand.
  Date added: 21 June 2010

Full List

Publications / Resources   (Go to full list of 17 items)

• Introduction to Twitter

  Twitter.com is a micro blogging web site where you write short messages (tweets) of up 144 characters. Your followers (subscribers) can then read the tweets via SMS, email, Twitter web site or RSS feed.
  Date updated: 21 April 2010

• Nonprofit Social Media Primer

  This white paper by Frank Barry, Director of Professional Services, Blackbaud Internet Solutions (USA), examines a multitude of ways to get started with social media and how your organization can benefit.
  Date updated: 6 January 2010

• Using YouTube to promote your organisation

  YouTube is a social media website where an organisation can host and view video clips free of charge. The site is so popular that main stream television networks around the world see it as a threat to their revenue. This has the positive effect of cheap and efficent advertising for organisations.
  Date updated: 26 November 2009

Full List

Templates

• Social Media/Web 2.0 policy for non-profit organisations

  It is equally important for non-profit organsiations to have social media policy as it is for commercial organisations. The same risks and many of the same consequences are relevant to both sectors.
  Date updated: 19 November 2009

• Cybersafety use agreement

  This is a generic Staff Cybersafety Use Agreement developed by NetSafe for use with the personnel in your organisation.
  Date updated: 18 September 2008

Case Studies

• Outside case studies

  Some other case studies that may be useful to your organisation.
  Date updated: 18 September 2008

• NetSafe

  Creating a social networking page on Bebo has bought benefits to our organisation, with little extra stress. www.bebo.com/netsafe
  Date updated: 18 September 2008

Email Lists

• Social Media and Mobile Marketing Best Practices for Nonprofit Organisations e-Newsletter

  A monthly best practices e-newsletter that includes Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare, YouTube, blogging, online fundraising, and mobile marketing for nonprofit organisations.
  Date updated: 3 August 2010

Websites   (Go to full list of 12 items)

• Choosing a social networking site

  Information to help you decide which of the social networking websites to choose.
  Date added: 18 September 2008

• How Nonprofits Organizations Can Use Social Media to Power Social Networks for Change

  This blog, by writer, speaker and trainer Beth Kanter, is a place to share learning about nonprofits and social media, Return On Investment (ROI), culture change, strategy, and more.
  Date added: 6 January 2010

• How to be safe in social networking

  Information and tips to help you understand the risks and keep you safe.
  Date added: 13 June 2009

Full List