 |
| Photo by Flickr user Eda Cherry. |
MCF staff has had this blog for about two months now. Our staff has covered a ton of topics related to philanthropy: recent studies on community issues and philanthropic responses; statistics and related studies on the scope of giving in Minnesota and the nation – both from foundations/businesses and from individuals; claims from every front that philanthropy should give more to their cause; emerging donor trends that illustrate the growth of giving by newer and younger donors or donors who are employing new strategies to giving and volunteering; and the list goes on.
I’ve become the curmudgeon in our office who asks the questions about the use of our time and resources for the purpose of blogging. I’m curious about the utility of a blog. I do read a few blogs when time permits (not often) and find some of the information thoughtful and informative and at other times opinionated and uninformed. But most often, unless a blog leads me to an informed resource or gives me a credible opinion that helps me challenge my own thinking, I wonder, what’s the point of spending the time it takes to follow any one blog?
Maybe that shows my age and my generational differences! At a recent lunch with colleagues (all of us baby boomers) we were all baffled by the differences in our attitudes and values around work and life as compared to our younger Gen X and Millennial co-workers who seem to value and engage in Web 2.0 with much more ease than us old-timers.
So what is the value of MCF’s blog, Philanthropy Potluck, to other baby-boomers, like me? How is that different from the value of our blog to a Gen Xer or a Millennial? Does all this blogging add value or is it just fun and interesting? My questions aren’t rhetorical; I’m really curious about what folks (like those of you who found the time to read this) think about MCF’s blog or blogging in general and would appreciate a response. If you do respond, it would be great if you would identify your generation.
So, join the conversation. I’d love to know your thoughts. Maybe an old dog (baby boomer) can learn some new tricks (Web 2.0)!
- Bill King, MCF president
July 22, 2008 at 1:29 pm |
Bill, as a fellow baby boomer I can relate to your question. To answer your direct question, yes, I read the Philanthropy Potluck blog and I frequently find a valuable link or useful perspective. I think that ultimately you’ll see the value to of the blog build over time. We started the blog at Nonprofits Assistance Fund, Balancing the Mission Checkbook, in October 2006 and it took over a year to really build traction. In just the past few months we’ve seen more comments and links back to the blog. It also helps to think of blogs as one point on the on-line information continuum – you read emails, web sites and on-line news. The distinction between one to another is getting blurrier and blurrier. How you manage time and expectations has to evovve over time as you get smarter, too.
July 23, 2008 at 10:09 am |
As a tweener between the baby boomers and the Gen Y crowd, I am hitting that fine line of seeing how valuable blogs are, especially when communicating with the younger generation, and also fighting the battles of convincing the baby boomers that they are valuable since they are not “up” on these technologies. The hardest thing has been convincing my Board of Directors that blogs are valuable – not because the information is not useful – but because they are afraid of getting sued about something that could be posted.
Our Board is starting to realize that for our organization to grow (and to increase membership), we need to reach the Gen X and Y crowds). They know we need to embrace blogging and let members be heard good or bad. It will only make us a better organization. We also know it will solidfy our foundation for the future since we will all be moving on at some point (I know it never seems like that will happen) and the Gen Y crowd will be next in line to run our organizations.
Baby steps…but very valuable steps over time.
July 23, 2008 at 2:57 pm |
At 29, I am on the cusp between Gen X and Gen Y and I find blogs valuable tools. First of all I am more likely to read a blog than an on-line newspaper. I can subscribe to blogs that are in my interest area, unlike on-line news sites and print publications I’m getting up to date information and opinions only on those issues of importance to me. I don’t have to search through a bunch of other things.
Secondly, most good bloggers have done the research and looked and linked to credible reseach for me, saving me time. Also, I am aware that blogs are feeding me personal opinions of the blogger, where it is unclear as to what “news” is attempting to feed me.
Even if it not true, I feel more connected to the blogger who I have “developed” a relationship with. The information tricks my mind into seeming more valid because “I know” who it coming from. It’s like a study done on public welfare recipeints. Recipents were more likely to trust and follow information given to them by other recipients than by their caseworkers. In blogging it feels like a personal relationship. It’s also interactive, so I have the perception that I can contribute in way that I don’t through news, seminars and other items.
I think that those organization who are willing to take the leap now and go through the learning stages of how to effectively utlized these tools will have the advantage in the next few years. Remember the oldest of the ‘Gen Y’ is about to enter their 30’s in the next few years (we’re not as young as you think =)) and will have more and more leadership roles within organizations. It may seem like a time sucker now, but will put you ahead of the curve in a few years.
July 23, 2008 at 3:06 pm |
Bill,
I struggle with not wanting to identify my age – because I don’t want the blogging debate to be reduced to “Oh, it’s just that young people thing,” but I’ll be frank – I’m on the cusp between Gen X and Y. And I’m a social media enthusiast (no way to hide!), so you can guess my opinions.
I’d look at the question of adding value vs. being fun and interesting…perhaps being fun and interesting does add value to your organization. One benefit of organizational blogging seems to be greater staff engagement and overall increased awareness of a field by the staff who blog. They say there’s no better way to learn than to teach, and by blogging, your staff are stepping up into teaching / leadership roles that they didn’t previously enjoy in (at least) the online community, and (at best) the philanthropic community. And who doesn’t want an engaged, passionate, informed, always-learning workforce?
I would also posit that the way some folks “read” blogs is very different from others – and the blog-followers I know who work in the nonprofit world (the world I know best) don’t read them like one might even read a newspaper article. It’s scanning. Flipping through all your RSS feeds to skim through a post and mentally (or even physically) grab/tag what’s interesting and relevant to you. I recently talked to a blogger who boasts that he follows 500 blogs – I was skeptical – until I saw how his reader was set up and his hotkey shortcuts that literally allow him to skim/browse 500 blogs. Think less of it as “reading” and more “scanning”. Following doesn’t mean you retain every word, every turn of phrase. It’s more about an awareness of content, trends, issues.
So – if part of your goal is to foster awareness of philanthropy – I’d say your blog is indeed valuable.
July 24, 2008 at 1:48 pm |
Hi Bill,
I think you raise a number of interesting questions. I agree with what others have said, so I’ve tried to keep my comments brief.
First, before you start any new communication venture, whether it’s launching a blog or not, you should think about your audience and the goals for the project. Then you are best positioned to assess its success over time. There are a number of different tools that can enhance your organization’s work and help you to carry out your mission more effectively, and there are some that may not be a good fit. Who is MCF’s audience? Not just their age, but how do they use the web, how do they want to receive information? And, as others have said, who is your audience in the future? If nonprofits can work on nurturing that audience now, they are positioning themselves for a more sustainable future. As organizations that are committed to strengthening the sector, I think that in and of itself is a worthwhile goal.
A blog that delivers useful information and analysis to your members in a timely fashion helps them succeed. Your blog has high quality content and that’s valuable to me, and I assume to other members. Philanthropy Potluck pulls from a wide range of information sources. It gives me a credible summary in case I don’t have time to read an entire article and points me to the original source (which I may not have found on my own) so that I can do my own analysis.
In short, you are curating the web for your members. This is a term from Steve Rubel (http://www.micropersuasion.com/2008/02/the-digital-cur.html) I found via Beth Kanter:
The call of the curator requires people who are selfless and willing to act as sherpas and guides. They’re identifiable subject matter experts who dive through mountains of digital information and distill it down to its most relevant, essential parts. Digital Curators are the future of online content. Brands, media companies and dedicated individuals can all become curators…They do, however, need to be subject matter experts.
You are using your expertise about philanthropy to collect and analyze useful resources and ideas for your members. Is it useful? I would say yes.
But let’s step back. Gen X and Y are the future of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector. Communicating to and with them, in a medium that meets them where they are, has innate value. True, I like the personal, conversational (and sometimes cheeky) tone of blogs. I like the ability to engage in the conversation. But what’s more, there are some bloggers who I consider “thought leaders” on a given subject, whose opinions I really trust. Building that level of trust takes time and consistent quality, but the relationship is also deeper than one a newsletter would be able to create. Your blog has that potential. But this kind of impact will not be apparent in a few months.
In the last analysis, to me, what’s useful is that you can work towards short-term and long-term goals at the same time. You can educate and inform current members and you can build relationships that position MCF (and the sector) for the future.
Ashley
July 25, 2008 at 1:32 am |
[...] Philanthropy Potluck Blog: Does It Add Value? « Minnesota Council on Foundations Blog The president of the Minnesota Council on Foundations (self identified curmudgeon) wonders if they are wasting their time with their own blog. He calls many blogs “opinionated and uninformed” (he means opinionated as a slight). But he’s asking for input. (tags: philanthropy) This entry was written by Sean Stannard-Stockton and posted on July 25, 2008 at 12:31 am. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post. Trackbacks are closed, but you can post a comment. « links for 2008-07-23 [...]
July 27, 2008 at 2:34 am |
Hi,
This is the first time I’ve read your blog. It was sent to me by Google Alerts in a roundup of boomer blogs that I receive daily.
I think blogs are valuable. I write a boomer consumer blog called The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide at http://boomersurvive-thriveguide.typepad.com.
I’ve been writing this blog since January. It’s a great way to share information about on issues of importance to boomer consumers.
I did a blog on boomers being interested in encore jobs. I received a couple of comments from my readers on that topic.
Rita
August 4, 2008 at 8:53 am |
If we do blog, what is the best site to use? Twitter is a bit too brief for me. Not sure about Ning, Digg or Delicious for a spot to post a blog. I want it to be semi-professional. Not directly linked to my organization so that I don’t have to have everything edited by our communications dept. However, I want to encourage people to be involved in nonprofits by sharing my stories…
Quandary, alas.
August 4, 2008 at 10:41 am |
Thanks to everyone who has responded with thoughtful input about the value of blogs in general, and Philanthropy Potluck in specific!
JTR: The services you mention are Web 2.0 tools but aren’t usually recognized for creating/writing blogs — with the possible exception of Twitter (but as you recognize, Twitter is designed to be much too short to share entire stories, as you want to do).
TechSoup is a good resource for technology information, designed with nonprofits in mind. Here are a couple of links to get started:
* An Introduction To Weblogs
* Seven Blogging Tools Reviewed (with a feature comparison chart)
* Weblogs: The Promise for Nonprofit Organizations
The Have Fun * Do Good blog also has a list of 5 Tips to Start a Nonprofit Blog:
Hope these resources help. Good luck!