How Should Nonprofits Use Social Media?

The big debate these days is how nonprofits should use social media. I would contend that you still need someone who can write or otherwise craft powerful messages on the back-end, whether your twittering or whatever. Here's an interesting example (though a poorly-written and uninspired story) which raises many questions about nonprofit PR and political correctness...

Homeless advocate brings his message to the masses through social media.

Though I can't help but wonder, what happens when every homeless-oriented nonprofit starts such a social media campaign? Does the news get old? Does it fade into the background? My proscription... talent. A good story will catch an audience no matter what the medium.

*steps down from soapbox*

NYT article on nonprofit fundraising

how to get excited about clean water.

I only wish there were more details on the exact campaign.

the proverbial deserted island

Graphic designers, unlike the rest of the population, ask the question like this, "If you were stranded on a deserted island and could only take 6 typefaces with you, what would those be?"

At this point in life, my response is:

Caslon, Garamond, Cochin, Trade Gothic, Scala Sans, Avenir.

When asked about Times New Roman:

If I were stranded on a deserted island and all I had was Times New Roman, I'd burn it.

to speechify

I have a hard time keeping my posts visually themed, given that I'm also studying PR and writing these days. So here's another theme transgression...

I have a new favorite website.

www.americanrhetoric.com

Spent part of class today listening to Elie Weisel's speech on indifference.

Not sure about the design, but the name's catchy.

merengue and figure drawing cannot be reconciled

In figure drawing class, one of the first things you learn about posture is that when a person shifts their weight onto one leg more than the other, the hip on the weight-bearing side goes up, on the non weight-bearing side, the hip goes down. To correct for this imbalance, at the same time the shoulder on the weight bearing side shifts down, and the shoulder on the non weight-bearing side goes up.

In merengue (and a few other Latin dances) you intentionally do the opposite... you stick your hip out in the opposite direction than you are stepping.

Merengueros apparently never take figure drawing classes. Or perhaps that's what makes it dancing as opposed to just stepping back and forth.

Email from a listserv, Part II

"Don't forget that tomorrow (Wednesday) we are screening the film "The Greatest Silence, Rape in the Congo" which documents the brutal sexual violence faced by women in eastern DR Congo due to the war. There will be pizza, soda, and snacks!"

Not sure what it is, but something about the tone of this email seems off to me. snicker snicker snicker.