Don't Get Twitter? Learn by doing...

At the same time as Twitter is going mainstream (okay - maybe not as mainstream as Facebook - but it still has a faster adoption rate than blogging did), I hear from people all the time that they just don't 'get' it.

So - let's break it down. Twitter is a ubiquitous micro-blogging application that allows people to publish messages of 140 characters or less - from their mobile phones or the web. Twitter currently has a worldwide audience of over 6 million unique visitors a month and provides unparalleled access to thought leaders and celebrities. Entrepreneurs are finding creative ways of using Twitter to drive traffic, and mainstream media outlets like CNN Breaking News @cnnbrk, The New York Times @nytimes, and the BBC @BBCClick have a wide reach with hundreds of thousands of followers.

Mostly, I hear that people just don't understand how to use this broadcasting system that is very different than Facebook. How do I create my own personal 'voice' on Twitter?

Julia Angwin of The Wall Street Journal wrote a great story on how to use Twitter. It's a great place to start if you're not familiar.

I personally love Twitter because I learn something new all the time. People provide information and links to things I never would have come across on my own. I'm introduced to people that I never would have met otherwise. And, I'm learning about whole new ways of raising money and networking in the social media environment. It's constant evolution.

I'm still working on finding (or re-discovering?) my own voice for Twitter... I'll write more about that process at a later date.

In the meanwhile, if you don't GET Twitter - just sign up and 'lurk' for a while... getting started is pretty easy - and the best way to learn is often by doing.

And you can follow me, Tara Mahady, on Twitter too!

Splash into social media...

You know how you have these voices in your head sometimes - waging war over what you should or shouldn’t do?  Well, mine have been vacillating between "Jump!" and "Don't Jump!" for over three years.

Why? As the daughter of a political-junkie-turned-judge father I was bred for fundraising. Memories of my first house party reach back to when I was five years old. I remember passing out drinks and holding a candidate for U.S. Senate’s hand as he spun his pitch.  I’ve been stuffing envelopes since earliest memory - either for my Mom’s run for school board, or for her latest favorite cause.  My father’s mantra - ‘you have a moral obligation to give back to society what society cannot give to itself.’

I’ve lived by that code. I started working for a non-profit at eighteen and haven’t looked back.  Twenty years of fundraising and marketing for some of the best organizations and brightest non-profit visionaries in New England provide me with a wealth of experience of which I’m proud.  I’m passionate about mission-driven work and always will be...

But there’s always been this little voice... ‘Make something of your own.’ For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to ‘do my own thing’... have my own business. I’ve just been too afraid.  What if my idea isn’t good enough? What if I’m not ready?  Do I have enough knowledge?  And, I knew that whatever I wanted to create for a business would have to be intimately tied to the non-profit sector.  I just never knew where to start - and I didn’t know where the ‘sweet spot’ was.  

That is, until my friend Kelley-Sue started AleuroMedia.  A full-service interactive media marketing and development firm, Aleuro focuses on helping start-ups, established businesses, and non-profits leverage online and Web 2.0 tools to create and nurture community, strengthen constituent loyalty, and help make or raise more money.  At the beginning Kelley hinted that I might have something to contribute to this venture, but I was too afraid.  Afraid of the things all potential entrepreneurs are afraid of at one point or another.  The people who evolve into entrepreneurs are the ones who put the fear behind them and forge ahead.

I've decided that sometimes you just have to jump. Take the leap into a world that intuitively or otherwise, you know awaits your presence and participation (heed a calling so to speak). For me this manifested in my recent resignation from my full-time job as the Senior Director for Marketing and Development at New Hampshire Public Radio to 'do my own thing.'  I’ve joined Kelley-Sue as a partner in Aleuro. Yes - now. Yes - in this economy.  

What gives me the confidence to jump into an entrepreneurial endeavor today? I have a vision. I believe in the power of social networking to help non-profits and start-up businesses. And I believe that the time for organizations to truly embrace social media is now.  To succeed you need a community of loyal supporters.  Social media will support you in that work - especially in times like these.  Now I combine my fundraising and marketing background with my passion for social media. It’s a primary focus that allows me to help you acquire new supporters, build loyalty with your current stakeholders, and ultimately raise more money for the work you do.

If you haven’t jumped into the ocean of social media yet - hold your nose and take my hand.  The waves may be a bit choppy, but the water’s really just fine...