Skill set one:

SOCIAL MEDIA for change

PUBLISHED 1 October:

Social media tools & tips

Revolution 2.0, how one man became the spark of a revolution →
Read this inspiring example: Wael Ghonim was not a prominent activist but his message resonated with his generation and changed the history of Egypt.

4 lessons to get the most out of twitter →
Twitter can be a very powerful, but it is helpful to understand some basic rules. Seasoned climate reporter David Grist shared his insights on how to make the most of the platform.

Short guide to social media for climate campaigning →
Our friends at ClimateNexus have put together a very short guide to using social media in climate activism, providing a good starting point for this skill-set.

Combining digital and offline campaigning to save a library →
And finally, this short video illustrates how digital campaigning and offline activities can be combined to create momentum for change. Watch it, you will be impressed by the effectiveness of it.

Social media lessons you learned in kindergarden→
The rules to communicate effectively on social media do not diverge so much from those applying to real life. This nicely made infographics contains 10 such rules you have known since your earliest age (all users).

How to create perfect posts on social platforms?→
This infographics summarizes best practices in terms of the structure of the message you share on facebook, twitter, pinterest and G+. (all users)

Why Upworthy wins the internet (and you can, too)→
You probably know UpWorthy already - the platform that curates existing information and get half of the world to view it - but what you might not know, is that its developer have actually shared their secrets openly. (all users)

How to get more likes, comments and shares →
Will you believe it? Someone has actually compiled over 1 million facebook posts to collect empirical data on what drives virality on facebook. Learn what and when to share on facebook. (all users)

5 rules for better engagement with your facebook page→
For those moderate the facebook page of your organization (others might learn useful tips too), here are five lessons drawn for the study of best practices.

Edgerank 102 - understand what your friends will see →
This infographic will help you understand how facebook decides what your friends see on their news feed. (advanced users)

Facebook Photos Size Guide: Dimensions & Types→
If you are really keen on making sure to make the best out of Facebook photos uploading options, you might check this background information to understand how the website treats your images and what are the best format to upload. (advanced users)

Getting started: best practices for non-profits (and activists) on twitter→
From creating an account to developing a communication strategy, this post will guide you through all key elements to take full advantage of the micro-blogging platform (with a bonus: the top 20 words that increase the chances of being retweeted). (all users)

And if you want a more in-depth introduction…→
This short guide available for download will help you learn how to build your presence on twitter and have an impact with only 140 characters or less.

Use a social media dashboard: Tweetdeck or Hootsuite→
It is really difficult to exploit fully the potential of twitter without using one of those applications. Among other things, these dashboards will allow you to manage multiple accounts, schedule tweets, follow easily all activity related to specific hashtags and lists. To begin with either of the two platforms, you can make use of existing tutorials, for instance hootsuite university or this tweetdeck tutorial.

Snapbird: Archiving links/finding information after time→
Snapbird is a great and underused tool to turn twitter into a database of resources to which you might come back later. It allows you to search through your tweets (or anyone else’s) months afterwards. So anytime you see something that might be useful at a later stage, tweet it and make sure to use keywords that you will associate with the link. We are using snapbird to find again these previous interviews, studies, quotes useful for our own blogposts… (all users)

#Etiquette: making a proper use of hashtags→
This infographic will provide you a short guide on how to make a smart use of hashtags, and what mistakes to avoid. (all users)

Find the right influencers and organizations to follow…
Out of the existing 500 millions of twitter account, it is not easy to know whom one should follow. The first step, see who is influential in relation to the hashtag you are most interested in (for instance, for UN climate politics) . An additional tip: find the most authoritative voices on twitter and see who they follow. For international climate policy, you can for instance explore whom Christiana Figueres (UN Climate “chief”) or Kelly Rigg (GCCA’s executive director) are following (in relation to the UN climate negotiations, our friends at RTCC also compiled this helpful list).

An infographic about the 10 golden rules on making infographics →
If you wonder how to make sure that your infographic goes viral, then check these tool rules. Simple and straight to the point, you will here a great introduction to the art of infograph-ing.

Now get started! Here is a great online tool to create amazing inforgraphics.→
And the best thing: it is impressively easy. Take a few minutes to play around with the options and you will be impressed with the results. We look forward to seeing your creations. (all users)

And here is the perfect tool to create memes: PicMonkey →
Because pictures with powerful text is the type of content that your audience is most likely to engage with, PicMonkey is the tool you will want to use to create such memes (bonus: Joe Solomon made a live demonstration during our twebinar (check at 48’00).

Create visuals out of quotes in just 30 seconds→
Whether you want to share a quote on social media or use one to illustrate a blog post, Quozio is a very easy tool that will allow you in a few seconds to turn a few words into an image ready to be shared. (all users)

And for the inspiration, a library of non-for-profits infographics→
There is no better way around social media than learning from what is already being done. Beth Kanter’s collection of best-in-class NGO infographics will provide you inspiration for your own creations… (all users)

More advanced: research on climate memes→
For those who would like to better understand how climate memes work, we recommend this presentation. The last slides contain useful recommendations… (advanced users)

Strengths and weaknesses of 10 social media→
Social media is more than facebook and twitter: this infographic is a great guide when choosing the most effective social media platform depending on your audience and content.

A beginner’s guide to getting your cause on instagram→
You have never thought that instagram could be useful for your own work? Think twice! This page will change your mind. (beginner)

Instagram for social good in 5 tips→
If you are interested in exploring the opportunities offered by instagram, these five tips will be helpful. (beginner)

For inspiration: ten NGOs using pinterest creatively→
Although these examples might not be replicable if you aim at using social media on your own, you might find some inspiration in the way these 10 non-for-profits have been using Pinterest in their campaign. (all users)

Bit.ly: shorten your links and follow the clicks→
This tool is great to shorten links down to twenty characters, but it is also helpful to monitor how time people do click on the links you share (as well as when and from where). Bit.ly will also tell you who has successfully share this link and how much success they have get, which can be particularly if you seek to monitor the opinion makers who are sharing your own blog posts and content. (all users)

Klout: check your overall influence on social media→
You can link most of the social media to your klout account and understand where/when you have the most influence, and who around you is a powerful broadcaster (you might want to check their own practice and get inspired from them then). (all users)

Introducing Facebook’s analytics→
If you have a facebook page - for instance for the organization or campaign that you run (not just a profile), facebook insights will provide you a wealth of information on how your audience engages with your content. (advanced users)

Social Media best practices for small NGOs in developing countries→
This pages provides 5 best practices (and examples for each of them) that will be particularly for small organizations in the Global South. You can also check Esther’s blog post for more inspiration.

111 additional digital organizing tools→
If you feel like exploring a broader range of tools available freely or at low cost, this list will provide a good starting point. Have a good journey!