Twitter: Where did Obama go?
Over a week ago now, I noticed a post on, Valleywag pointing out that, after having tweeted throughout his campaign for the Presidency, Barack Obama's Twitter account had since gone surprisingly quiet.
The article suggested that his 'followers have been pumped and dumped — Twittered into contributing money and time, and then passed over for more presidential means of communication'.
I can understand why they might feel that, too.
The 'radio silence' of the Obama Twitter account has provided the perfect case in point to prove this and, because it has such a high profile, we can see how people have responded and learn from the insights this provides.
There are important lessons to consider carefully here if you already using social media or considering dipping your toe in.
Social media offers huge opportunities to genuinely connect with your supporters in a way that most other media is not able to replicate. As a user of Twitter, I know that it really feels like being part of a community: If you ask for help or advice, it's unusually forthcoming, people are very supportive of each other, and — once you've built relationships with like-minded others — you are missed if you don't tweet for a while, and even asked if you're okay when you haven't been around for a day or two.
Most other social platforms have similar cultures.
For charities, it is important to understand that the connections you are making with your supporters using social media are with real people — not just user names or avatars — and real people have feelings.
One of the reasons social media is so powerful for charities is its ability to bring supporters closer to your organisation and your work, but with this comes a degree of accountability. This is particularly true if you have asked something of them — money, time, attention, engagement — and they have given it.
Another thing to bear in mind is that social media create a culture of meritocracy, where you connect and engage with others based on how much you give, mutually respect and share. Those that only use their Twitter profiles to promote themselves, don't engage and don't give anything back, don't get too much of a positive response, quickly find that they are 'unfollowed' and and can even be considered 'spammers'. It's important that you keep adding value to the environment.
There will be many that will continue to follow Barack Obama regardless of whether he tweets regularly again or not, simply because he's the President elect and because they're interested to see what he'll do next — many, because they'll be looking for an opportunity to criticise.
If you're a charity, this is not as likely to be the case. If you do not stay active in your social communities, you are more likely to lose followers and connections than Obama is. However, like him, you will also undoubtedly lose some of the goodwill and engagement that you spent time and energy building up; all of which will diminish your opportunities to generate income, awareness and greater support of your work.
Social media is a great leveller, and individuals can make a lot of noise now — positive and negative — using them. For charities and nonprofits, the challenge is to make sure you give your supporters the information and motivation to create as much of that positive noise as possible. Don't let fear of negative buzz inhibit you either: If you concentrate your efforts on filling the space with positive buzz, there generally isn't the space or the appetite for anything else.