Livingston

Nov
07
2008

Social Media for Social Good

I have the great privilege of teaching a post graduate class next semester at Georgetown University, called “Social Media for Social Good.” Qui Diaz has agreed to teach with me, promising a high powered experience for social cause communicators seeking to engage their communities online.

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Here’s a sneak preview of the syllabus for MPPR-785-01, “Social Media for Social Good,” including the text books…

Social media offers organizations an indispensable tool set for a wide variety of philanthropic activities including activism, education, donor and volunteer development, and direct fundraising. Because of its inherently personal and community-based nature, social media provides an ideal canvas to work within, allowing causes to not just communicate, but also to activate and invigorate significant grassroots activity.

To effectively use social media for social good, nonprofit communicators need to cross the great divide from one-way to two-way communications. This challenge should be easier for communicators to embrace since creating active publics is at the heart of good cause marketing, but it’s still a major challenge.

Communities and individuals associate their online activities with interests, character and personality. They inherently reject organizational insertion into their conversations. When it comes to social causes, the cause must inspire the individual on personal level, and then activate that person to engage in the larger community and corresponding conversations.

Conversational engagement and dissemination of cause-based ideas by the community, whether the organization participates or not, represents the heart of civic-minded social media. True “social” media – built with the right calls to action – can yield measurable results for impact: from cultivated relationships to widespread education, advocacy, volunteerism and donor giving.

Organizations need to transition from messaged communications at their audiences to understanding the community (and the people within it) in order to inspire and engage in larger conversations. This requires a significant shift in communications ethos, a return to the basis of solid, strategic marketing principles, and also a core understanding the media form.

In our class, we will examine social media in a general sense to understand the fundamental underpinnings of online communications. We will then examine social media and traditional marketing strategy, particularly as it applies to social causes. Here we will learn about communicating a value proposition for our communities. We will then survey the current social media tool set to see how various tactics work.

The reading list for the class includes the following books:

• Christopher Locke, Rick Levine, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger, The Cluetrain Manifesto
• Seth Godin, Flipping the Funnel, nonprofit edition (eBook)
• Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff, Groundswell
• Geoff Livingston with Brian Solis, Now Is Gone
• Jack Trout and Al Ries, Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind
• Ben Rigby, Mobilizing Generation 2.0
• Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point
• Allison Fine, Momentum

Plus web-based case studies! It should be a great class, and if you are local and can participate, please join us. We look forward to working with the next generation of social cause communicators!

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by Geoff Livingston | Georgetown University: Social Media for Social Good, social cause, social media |

15 Responses to “Social Media for Social Good”

  • Richie Escovedo Says:

    November 7th, 2008 at 1:22 am

    Wow, this sounds like a solid class. Good luck in this endeavor. I hope you consider posting more on this class, further reading, and lessons learned from students. It would be interesting to see how creative students can be with a great foundation that I’m sure you two will provide.

  • Alex, aka Socialbutterfly Says:

    November 7th, 2008 at 1:59 am

    Congrats on the great endeavor! I echo Richie’s comments. Creating and inspiring more SM4Good types is what we need. Look forward to hearing how the project goes….especially the various questions students present as well. Perhaps, you can create an underground SM4Good recruiting hub for students and like-minded agencies. ;)

    Congrats again!

  • Geoff Livingston Says:

    November 7th, 2008 at 10:33 am

    Thanks, Alex and Richie.

    Richie: It’s our intent to post weekly with each class session, so expect to see more!

  • Qui Diaz Says:

    November 7th, 2008 at 10:37 am

    Thanks for your kind words Richie and Alex. It’s a privilege and obligation and we’re delighted to do our part.

    p.s. Welcome to the gun show.

  • Heather Says:

    November 7th, 2008 at 10:57 am

    This class sounds fabulous! Yes, I would definitely love to hear more about it now and when the time comes.

  • James Walker Says:

    November 7th, 2008 at 11:13 am

    Truly amazing! Don’t worry if you notice one extra guy in the back during some sessions. It’s just me!

  • Andre Blackman Says:

    November 7th, 2008 at 1:15 pm

    This is so freakin awesome - you guys are going to rock it. The CCT program has been on my radar for sometime now. And in giving back to the community with your teaching, you are in essence practicing what you are preaching (education = social good)

  • ben rigby Says:

    November 7th, 2008 at 3:44 pm

    awesome! thanks for using my book in class. ping me if you want to do a skype session or anything of that ilk. also, i’d recommend henry jenkin’s book: convergence culture. clay shirky’s book: here comes everybody. and yochai benkler’s the wealth of networks. each of these really informed my thinking.

  • olivier Blanchard Says:

    November 7th, 2008 at 10:30 pm

    Your students probably have no idea how lucky they are. That reading list is SOLID. Congrats!!!

  • Jonathon D. Colman Says:

    November 8th, 2008 at 12:01 pm

    Sounds like fun! Wish I were there to see y’all in action.

  • Mark Story Says:

    November 9th, 2008 at 12:05 pm

    Welcome to the fraternity, Mr. Livingston. I’ll be reaching for my Georgetown paddle soon. The correct response from you is “THANK YOU SIR, MAY I HAVE ANOTHER!!!”

    Welcome — and would love to sit in on you class.

    Mark

  • Britt Bravo Says:

    November 10th, 2008 at 3:57 pm

    Sounds like an awesome class!

  • brendan hurley Says:

    November 11th, 2008 at 6:36 pm

    Sounds like a great class Geoff! No one better to teach it than you! I’d love to sit in one day.

    Brendan

  • Kristen Says:

    November 14th, 2008 at 12:56 am

    Hi Geoff- There are a few of us that were in Kathy’s digital communications class last semester and are currently in her advanced comm class. We are interested in taking your class next semester do you think it will be too repetitive? just asking Kristen

  • Jurgen Says:

    January 13th, 2009 at 6:44 pm

    Hi Geoff!!!

    Looking forward to a great semester exploring social media….

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