Elaina Buzzell

Tag: social media

April 24, 2012

Your Audience is Your Friend, Get to Know Them Well

Flickr image by user jimpg2_Peace Group

Last week, I wrote about choosing content like you would choose a gift for a good friend. It’s best not to just choose what you want them to have, but something that they’d actually like.

For some nonprofits and businesses though, getting to know your audience well enough to do that can be a challenge, especially if you are in a situation of having hundreds or more followers before you try to get to know them. Here are some tips to help you get to know your audience better: Read the rest of this entry »

April 6, 2012

Exploring Slacktivism

Flickr image from Anonymous9000

One usually doesn’t have to go too far before finding blog posts decrying slacktivism, or the modern trend of low-effort internet activism. Whether these actions are sharing the Kony video, wearing a plastic bracelet, changing one’s social media profile image or texting to donate a small amount to charity, they are often decried as not being well thought out and just another way for privileged people to feel better about their status. Read the rest of this entry »

April 3, 2012

Signal Through the Noise

Flickr image by Bruce Berrien

Last week was (finally) my big moving week, and it culminated with our 1,697 mile road trip to the Twin Cities. The first third of our trip was filled with heavy rain and snow pelting our car, and the rest of the trip was marked by very heavy winds. While we were able to drive through the weather just fine, we learned in both cases that the driver’s window doesn’t seal well, and we had to work pretty hard to hear our music and radio shows properly.

As I was staring down the highway before us, I thought of this as a good metaphor for living in the new uber-connected world. It can be very difficult to hear the proverbial signal through the noise when we are constantly connected to Twitter, Facebook, RSS, Pinterest, Reddit, Stumbleupon, and you get my point. Read the rest of this entry »