Applying the Lessons of Barack, Inc. to Schools
Even PTAs Can Use Web-Based Social Networking Tools and Services
Dec 23, 2008
Barry Libert and Rich Faulk are social media experts. They are two forces within Mzinga, a software company that focuses on social network media, and they have written a book for anyone wanting to replicate the social media forces used by Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
Although the book is marketed to businesses, schools and other non-profit organizations can also benefit from some of the ideas presented in Barack, Inc: Winning Business Lessons of the Obama Campaign.
Main Ideas in Barack, Inc.
In order to get to the useful ideas that Barack, Inc. contains, readers need to be willing to look past a few irksome myths about Barack Obama's road to the White House. One of the more casuistic cliches is that Obama was a "Cinderella candidate [who] could soar out of Illinois obscurity".
"Obscurity" was hardly the word used to describe Obama in July, 2004, when David Mendell's wrote about Obama in the Chicago Tribune. He characterized Barack Obama as a man who had "adoring national publicity," in his article entitled, "Obama Finds Himself to be Convention's Hottest Political Celebrity."
Obama was not unknown, just as schools and other non-profits are not unknown. The authors give specific ideas about how to get messages across to large groups of people, including:
- make professional messages seem personal
- accept change
- choose a message and stay on it, consistently.
Every parent knows schools have PTAs and booster clubs, but parent involvement is low, and can be increased through the suggestions within Barack, Inc.
How Schools and Related Organizations Can Use Social Networking
The idea of a school having a facebook seems hypocritical, considering how often social network sites are blocked by school internet software. However, several schools have connections to causes on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites.
- National PTA uses Twitter as an outlet for newsletters and reminders.
- Americans for the Arts, Inc has a Facebook page with over $4,000 donated for it's "Keep the Arts in Public Schools" cause (keeping arts education activly funded in American public schools).
- The Idaho Congress of Parents and Teachers (a statewide PTA organization) has a facebook page which, in December of 2008, was soliciting entries for a statewide art contest.
- The Massachusetts PTA has posts encouraging political activism, participation in national reading projects, and more.
Since using Facebook and Twitter are free, there is no reason not to use social networking sites.
Getting a Message and Sticking With It
A group does not need a specific goal or message to start a page; the common cause that joins people is enough to get someone interested in the page. Every parent who has a child at a school has a reason to join that school's facebook account. Every parent who is interested in sports will want Twitter updates from the booster club.
When a specific drive is active, social networking can be a huge advantage. The costs of printing and mailing flyers are eliminated, and people who do not attend meetings can still feel that they are participants in the organization.
The Ann Arbor Lion's Club promotes their KidCare cause through their active blog on mlive.com, and articles posted on the blog can be shared through Digg, Facebook, and other social media sites.
Maintaining Privacy on Social Networking Sites
In order to be effective, social networking requires a degree of openeness. Not everyone is comfortable with their photographs being made available on the internet, and parents are especially cautious about privacy for their children. Social networking for PTAs, schools, and booster clubs need to be especially cautious when using names and photographs of children on their pages.
Even if parents and club members are not members of social networking sites, they may start using those sites soon. The short amount of time required to start and maintain a social media presence can be made easier by expert advice from books such as Barack, Inc.
Barack, Inc: Winning Business Lessons of the Obama Campaign (ISBN: 0137022077) is written by Barry Libert and Rick Faulk. It will be made available by FT Press in January, 2009.
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