Still spending thousands of pounds creating project-focused videos for your charity that end up with 45 views on YouTube? Stop. Now.

If that's your strategic approach to video it's a waste of your time and money. It's a waste of your viewers' time. The best videos aren't about projects per se; that's only of interest to your staff or volunteers. In fact there's every chance they don't watch them either. The videos that will truly connect are the ones which people can relate to - you need to start getting better at storytelling. As Annie Escobar puts it: 

"It’s about the why, not the what. Showing, not telling. Feeling, not facts."

 It's worth remembering that just because you're trying to tackle a serious issue your videos don't always need to be sombre affairs. 'Follow the Frog' is a great example of humurous storytelling as a way of encouraging people to make positive change.

Think about the difference your non-profit makes. Those are the stories you want to be telling. Do everyone a favour and ditch the corporate, project-orientated, 'how we do things' videos and start really inspiring people.

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Here's my talk on the importance of risk taking when using social media from #DACLD13. The lovely fonts in my slides seem to have been stripped out when they've gone through the videofeed. Apologies in advance for my orange beard, tie and watch.

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Tickets are now available for Social Media for Social Good on 17th May 2013 at the Albany Learning and Conference Centre, Glasgow. The full-day conference is jam packed full of inspirational speakers and practical workshops for charities, social enterprises, community groups and other third sector organisations.

Highlights include Tom French speaking about the success of the #EqualMarriage campaign, Stephen Naysmith exploring social media as a tool for getting your stories in the press and workshops on Facebook, workplace culture, engaging young people, social media for sports groups and more.

Full programme PDF and booking form below. For further info email john.robertson@gcvs.org.uk or call 0141 332 2444

Social_Media_for_Social_Good.pdf Download this file

SOCIAL_MEDIA_FOR_SOCIAL_GOOD_booking_form.doc Download this file

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It's coming to that time of year when budgets need to be spent. Now I'm not for a second suggesting you fritter away your budget on something you don't need but if 2013 is the year your charity, social enterprise, community group or local authority project needs to get serious about social media then we can help.

Third Sector Lab have worked with a wide range of clients including Oxfam, Voluntary Action Fund, CEiS, Youth Link Scotland, Relationships Scotland, Action in Mind and more.

We can offer wallet-friendly vouchers redeemable for a wide range of services depending on your needs. These can be purchased in the current financial year and used any time within the next 12-months. Up to 15 people can attend our workshops.

Here's what we can offer:

- Social media basics training workshop.

- Writing for the web training workshop.

- Twitter and Facebook training workshop.

- Google Analytics & SEO training workshop.

- Video for the web training workshop.

- Social media support for your conference or event.

- Website design & development.

- Ongoing social media support.

- Social media strategy & policy development.

Drop us an email - ross{@}thirdsectorlab.co.uk - or call 07515162686 to discuss your needs and purchase a voucher this financial year.

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UPDATE: I'm now offering a £100 reward to anyone whose info directly results in me getting my Brodie Loki back. 

Those of you who know me will know I don't own a car and I cycle most places. Well that's come to an abrupt end as both my bicycles were stolen recently from the locked communal store area in my flat in Glasgow. That's me above chatting to some pigs with the Brodie Loki that was stolen.

The bikes in question are:

Brodie Loki full-suspension mountain bike (photo below and above) RRP £1799

- Full Brodie Loki spec. Mine also has Shimano M525 pedals and Crudcatcher mudguards.

Edinburgh Bike Co-op Revolution Courier S1ngle singlespeed (photo below) RRP £250

- Mine also has Zefal slim mudguards, Wellgo Grey Platform pedals and a child seat fitting under the seat.

Given the value and rarity of the Brodie Loki I'm most annoyed about having that one knicked. But I really did love my singlespeed too, I now have no way of turning up to meetings sweaty.

The bike was imported from Canada, I've never seen anyone with one before and there's literally a handful of the them in the UK. If that bike comes up for sale in Scotland I'm 99.999999% sure it's mine. Mine is also fitted with Shimano M525 SPD pedals and crudcatchers.

If you see a Brodie Loki coming up for sale anywhere, especially eBay, Gumtree Glasgow or the Barras then please let me know: ross(@)thirdsectorlab.co.uk - 07515162686 - @ThirdSectorLab on Twitter.

You can also help spread the word by sharing this post on Twitter, Facebook or emailing your friends - social share buttons at the bottom of this post.

You can also print out a poster for your bike shop, etc.

Please, please help spread the word and maybe I can get my bikes back!

Brodie Loki '08

Revolution Courier S1ngle '10

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There's just four days left to place your free delivery order with Amazon if you want to make it in time for Christmas. If you pay for delivery you've got a wee bit longer.

So it's time to choose your present, make a homeless kid happy this year and join us as a #socialmediasanta. 

As you know we've decided to ditch corporate gifts this year. Instead we've given gifts on behalf of all our clients - making them each a #socialmediasanta.

Us Twitter users can make a real difference this Christmas, why not join us as a #socialmediasanta. Here's how:

- Check out Amazon's best selling toys & games. Lots of which are under a tenner. Other online retailers are available.

- Most of the kids are aged 7-12 so pick a gift you think they'd love.

- Add to Basket, use the project's address at checkout (below) and add a wee message using the 'gift' option.

- Voila. You've made a kid who might not have otherwise got a present this year very happy.

Here's the full address for your Amazon orders, if you live nearby you can drop off your present in person:

Shelter Families Project, 66a Victoria St, Blantyre, G72 0BS

The project received 20 presents last year, can we increase that number in 2012? I'll be sending a toy to the Blantyre project this week, I'd urge everyone who follows me on twitter to do the same. Lets make it a really special Christmas!

You can let your followers know about it using the hashtag #socialmediasanta

 Here's the top ten gifts Third Sector Lab have given so far on behalf of our clients...

BrainBox Inventions - Green Board Games

£9.81

You save:£0.19 ( 1%)

 

 

 

 

The Hunger Games Trilogy Classic boxed set - Suzanne Collins; Paperback

£11.99

You save:£11.98 ( 49%)

 

 

 

The LEGO® Ideas Book - Daniel Lipkowitz; Hardcover

£8.50

You save:£8.49 ( 49%)

 

 

 

Medical Carrycase - Peterkin

£8.49

You save:£0.50 ( 5%)

 

 

 

BrainBox World - Brainbox: The World

£8.81

 

 

 

The Creativity Hub Rory's Story Cubes - The Creativity Hub

£8.19

You save:£1.81 ( 18%)

 

 

 

Charades For Kids Game - Paul Lamond Games

£6.95

You save:£4.00 ( 36%)

 

 

 

Super Stomp Rocket Kit - TKC

£10.43

You save:£1.56 ( 13%)

 

 

 

Tomy Screwball Scramble Game - Tomy

£8.99

You save:£4.00 ( 30%)

 

 

 

Caption It Card Game - John Adams

£11.00

You save:£8.99 ( 44%)

 

 

 

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Below are the slides from my GCVS talk highlighting ten free tools which nonprofit professionals can use to make their organisation more productive. 

Most of the tools listed are 'freemium', giving you great functionality for nothing and when you want to scale up you pay a small fee for the privilege. Those which are totally free...well if you’re not paying for it; you’re the product. 

Here's the 10 tools in no particular order...

1. Mailchimp

2. Wisestamp

3. Doodle

4. Evernote

5. Prezi

6. Hootsuite

7. IFTTT

8. Eventbrite

9. Kickstarter UK

10. Google (Drive, Docs, Apps, Analytics, Gchat, Gcalendar and Grants)

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Nobody wants a desk-sized LED Christmas tree with your company logo on it. Do your clients a favour this year and ditch the corporate Christmas gifts. Instead, become a #socialmediasanta and give a homeless child a Christmas to remember. So instead of ordering 50 of those tacky trees give a present to a child on behalf of each of your clients.

That's exactly what I'm doing this year. If you're a Third Sector Lab client you'll each be giving an amazing present to a kid at Shelter Scotland's Blantyre Families Project. No nasty branded desk calendar for you, I like you to much.

It's a dead easy concept:

- Pick an online retailer who sells toys.

- Most of the kids are aged 7-12 so pick a gift you think they'd love.

- Add to basket, use the project's address at checkout (below) and add a wee message.

- Voila. You've made a kid who might not have otherwise got a present this year very happy.

Here's the full address for your orders, if you live nearby you can drop off your present in person:

#SocialMediaSanta, Shelter Families Project, 66a Victoria St, Blantyre, G72 0BS

The project received 20 presents last year, can we increase that number in 2012? 

You can let your Twitter followers know about it by sharing this blog post and using the hashtag #socialmediasanta 

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Keep Scotland Beautiful is offering a FREE Social Media workshop at their offices in Stirling on 11^th December for any community group members who have an interest in tackling climate change.  

‘Social media has changed the way people communicate - giving organisations an amazing opportunity to truly engage supporters, reach new audiences, influence key decision makers, build new partnerships and to promote their services. Hosted by Ross McCulloch, Founder of Third Sector Lab & Be Good Be Social, our social media workshop cuts through all the hype and jargon, helping you think strategically about Twitter & Facebook, blogging, video for the web and more. We’ll show you how to develop a simple social media strategy, how you can measure your success and how you can protect your staff with a robust policy & guidelines. You’ll come away from the workshop with everything you need to get started with social media work for your organisation.’

For more information or to book a place contact the CCF Team today at ccfenquiries@ksbscotland.org.uk

Places are limited and fill up quickly so email now to avoid disappointment.

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As part of the GCVS AGM we're programming a few workshops on Prezi, Google Docs & Evernote - along with a talk from me on 10 free tools to make you more productive online.

If you'd like to join us on the morning of Mon 10th Dec at The Albany Centre, Glasgow then download and fill out the booking form below then return it to john.robertson@gcvs.org.uk

It's open to all, totally free and there's even breakfast!

The_GCVS_AGM_2012_booking_form.doc Download this file

The_GCVS_AGM_2012.pdf Download this file

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Here's the full programme and info sheet for Social Media for Social Good, Glasgow, on Thu 22nd Nov 2012. Ticket still available via GCVS.

Remember if you can't make it along you can watch the live stream via www.begoodbesocial.org.uk - just hit 'LIVE' on the day.

Welcome_instructions.pdf Download this file

New_Media_2_PROGRAMME.pdf Download this file

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Creative Commons image thanks to Axel Bührmann via Flickr.

Shelter Scotland have lots of kids from homeless families at their South Lanarkshire services who might not get a present this year.

Us Twitter users can make a real difference this Christmas, why not join me as a #socialmediasanta. Here's how:

- Check out Amazon's best selling toys & games. Lots of which are under a tenner.

- Most of the kids are aged 7-12 so pick a gift you think they'd love.

- Add to Basket, use the project's address at checkout (below) and add a wee message.

- Voila. You've made a kid who might not have otherwise got a present this year very happy.

Here's the full address for your Amazon orders, if you live nearby you can drop off your present in person:

Shelter Families Project, 66a Victoria St, Blantyre, G72 0BS

The project received 20 presents last year, can we increase that number in 2012? I'll be sending a toy to the Blantyre project this week, I'd urge everyone who follows me on twitter to do the same. Lets make it a really special Christmas!

You can let your followers know about it using the hashtag #socialmediasanta

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It's election time so we thought we would dissect the key social media stats from the Obama v Romney campaign. Who comes out top - Democrat or Repbublican?

Click to view full size. 

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We're incredibly lucky to have Conrad Rossouw, Shelter Scotland, hosting a workshop on Google Analytics at Social Media for Social Good on 22nd Nov 2012 in Glasgow. Conrad will be giving us an insight in to some of the measurement lessons learned at Shelter.

See the full conference lineup and book a place today.

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Creative Commons image courtesy of 'dkalo' via Flickr

I've curated two Top Ten Facebook Resources for Non-profits - one back in 2010 and one last year. Both have been incredibly popular posts and most of the articles, tips and tools in those top tens are as valid today as they were back then. There's been lots of changes with Facebook in the last year so I thought it was time I updated my Top Ten.

Here's my fresh list of ten Facebook resouces which charities, social entrepreneurs and community groups cannot live without...

1. Facebook Pages Overview

Facebook's official two-page guide to all the features and functionality of Facebook pages really is the best place to start. It is also a great way of reminding yourself of all those often underused features pages contain.

2. Ten ways to grow your Facebook following

You don't simply build a page and people flock to it. This isn't Wayne's World 2 or Field of Dreams. Social Media Examiner has a great list of tactics for building your page's fan base.

3. How (and why) to delete negative comments and how to ban specific users

John Haydon's video gives a quick overview of how to deal with unwanted comments on your Facebook page. Whether it is racist language or someone attacking another fan you may need to remove comments from time to time. Make sure you get it right.

4. Social media fundraising, Obama and the 2012 Presidential election

Not strictly speaking a Facebook resource but Frank Barry's recent blog post shows us what we can learn from Obama's 2012 campaign.

5. Facebook Pages Insights Guide

Another official Facebook guide, this time covering Insights. If you're not using your page's Insights to tailor content to the needs of your users then now is the time to start.

6. Facebook: I want my friends back

Is Facebook the biggest bait n switch in history? If you want an overview of the recent changes Facebook have made, in particular the often costly 'promoted posts', this article from Dangerous Minds is a must-read.

7. How non-profits can use measurement to adapt to the Facebook algorithm change

Once you've read the Dangerous Minds post it's time to do something about the Facebook changes. Beth Kanter shows you how your charity can use measurement to truly get the most out of your page.

8. Marketing on Facebook: Best Practice Guide

This official guide gives a great overview of the Facebook ecosystem. It is particularly useful if your non-profit has the budget to experiment with ads and promoted posts.

9. The future of Facebook fundraising

These useful slides from Jonathan Waddingham and Rosa Birch of JustGiving cover the importance of sharing, case studies, hints & tips plus what's in store for Facebook fundraising in the near future.

10. Digital: What every charity leader should know

Lasa recently asked a bunch of opinion leaders, including Beth Kanter, Martha Lane Fox and me, what advice they have for charity leaders hoping to use social media to build a sustainable third sector. There's 31 slides packed with hints and tips on everything from organisational strategy to open data.

So have I missed any key Facebook resources? Tell me your favourites in the comments below and I'll share them via our Twitter and Facebook accounts.

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Here's a sneaky peek at some of the insights John Fellows will be sharing with us at Social Media for Social Good in Glasgow next month. As well as his research on Scottish local authorities' use of social media, John will be highlighting how charities and community groups can engage with funders online.

View the full programme and book your place today.

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Following the success of her school dinners blog, 9-year-old blogger Martha Payne has raised over £100,000 for Mary's Meals, the international charity which sets up school feeding programmes in countries where poverty and hunger prevent children from gaining an education.

We'll be hearing from Daniel Adams, Mary's Meals Press & Communications Officer, at Social Media for Social Good on 22nd Nov in Glasgow.

Book your place on the conference or see the full line-up.

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Bookings can now be made for Scotland’s third sector social media conference via the Glasgow Council for the Voluntary Sector (GCVS) website.

Taking place on 22nd Nov at The Albany Learning & Conference Centre in Glasgow, Social Media for Social Good is a day long event packed with expert talks and workshops to help charities, community groups and social enterprises get the most out of social media.

£99 + VAT for 1 delegate, £185 + VAT for 2 delegates

Lunch included

There is a 20% discount available for GCVS members

Social_Media_for_Social_Good_(1).pdf Download this file

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via media-cache-ec5.pinterest.com

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