5 things to keep in mind to build deeper relationships

Guest post by Michael Hoffman
CEO, See 3 Communications

Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, businesses, educators, Web publishers, general public.

Understanding what you need to do with video on mobile devices starts with a basic understanding of the principles of mobile marketing. Because mobile devices have a small screen and often more limited download speed and bandwidth restrictions, you are better off delivering a more focused and simplified experience in your mobile content.

Following are some things to consider when integrating mobile into your video and content strategy.

What it’s like to watch video on a smartphone

1The good news for nonprofit leaders is that technology companies have done most of the work in making video work for smartphones. Playing a video from YouTube, Facebook, or many other websites on a mobile device is often seamless. Pressing “play” triggers the built-in video app, which then fills the screen and plays the video.

If you embed videos on your website from YouTube or Vimeo, or even private label services such as Brightcove and Kaltura, your technical needs are, for the most part, solved for you.

But having something “play” for you does not necessarily mean it will do what you need it to do. While there are people who watch TV shows and football games on their iPhones, most of the video watching on smartphones from nonprofit organizations will be bite sized. Your 7-minute dinner video is not a great candidate for smartphone consumption.

In addition, if you have a substantial amount of video content being consumed on a smartphone — which you should be able to tell from your website analytics — you should consider the following:

• Screen size – The screen size of the phone is smaller than a computer and much smaller than a TV. Video ideal for a phone will often use more medium and close shots so the details are visible on the small screen.
• Sound – Smartphone users are often listing to the video in a public place and often without a headset. Having a video that works even if you don’t catch every single word is more likely to impact the smart hone viewer and is a good idea in general because we live in a world of constant distraction.

Don’t forget everyone else

2While smartphone adoption is increasing rapidly, there are plenty of people – your constituents included – who do not yet have smartphones or data packages. Many teens and low-income families, for example, cannot afford the smartphone plan, no matter how much they really want one.

The guaranteed way to reach people on their phone is through text messaging. But what does that have to do with video?

When several New York-area Planned Parenthood Federations wanted to reach youth at risk, they knew that both video and texting were key to that audience. We worked with them to develop a program that used short online video stories to encourage text-based opt-in from the youth.

The videos ended a short story before the dénouement, and in order to find out what happened, you had to text in.

Youth video + texting campaign – Planned Parenthood of New York

In this case, engaging video was key to the execution of a mobile strategy.

A pathway for user-generated content

3When we discuss video and mobile, we are often focused only on consumption. But we can’t forget that the iPhone in your pocket is also a top-notch video camera – far better in many ways than the camcorders of yore.

One look at the aftermarket for camera add-ons for smartphones shows how serious these little devices are today. Tripods and steadycams, external mics, professional lenses — you can pretty much get anything you need to turn your pocket camera into a professional tool. And there are an increasing number of apps for video editing that make the phone a complete video system.

Even for the casual user, these phones turn consumers of content into producers of content. This mixing of roles is a central quality of the Internet era. Tapping into the creative talents and inspiration of your constituents is part of being a successful “networked nonprofit” that Beth Kanter and others write about.

Imagine knowing that many of your most active and motivated donors and advocates are walking around with a high quality video camera – all the time! How are you tapping into this potential to tell the stories of your constituent heroes?

The growth of mobile video services

4Smartphones allow users to take video and easily share the video through the services connected to their phone. For example, after taking a video on an Android phone, the share button allows for a one-touch upload to Facebook, YouTube, Google+, Picasa, text messages, email, Twitter, Flickr – nearly any service to which the user is connected.

There are an increasing number of smartphone apps that make taking and sharing video even easier. For example, consider Vine, a service that allows for a maximum of 6-second videos to be uploaded. These (very!) short videos loop and allow for Twitter users to capture and tweet snippets of their lives.

Tout is a video service that allows for the recording and sharing of 15-second videos. It is trying to be a “Twitter for video,” and media companies and brands are using the service to get their constituents to go that extra level of engagement.

My company, See3, is also launching a service for the nonprofit community called Propeller. Like these other services, Propeller will allow for users to upload short videos, in this case a relatively lengthy 21 seconds.

Beware the shiny objects

5There is, rightfully, a focus on mobile communications as more and more people use their phones to access everything from email to video. At the same time, we do not help our causes if we focus more on the technology than the relationships to our constituents.

We live in an attention economy, where time and attention is in the shortest supply. We need to focus not only on the solicitation of funds and actions from our constituents, but in building deeper and longer lasting relationships. Mobile video is a perfect platform to steward a relationship with a constituent over time, to deliver bit-sized and snack-sized video content that lets your donors and activists know that their efforts are paying off.

At the same time, we can use these devices as a tool to activate our constituents to work on behalf of the cause. By creating personal videos about their connection and passion for the work, they will feel more invested in the outcomes and become a recruiting center for their own social networks.

Photo of shiny object by PurpleLorikeet (Creative Commons)

Related

• Video & storytelling tutorials (Socialbrite)

• Mobile articles & tutorials (Socialbrite)

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Manage documents, tasks & calendars in one place

Guest post by Kyle Andrei
Idealware

At some point nearly every organization faces a project big enough that its logistics quickly overwhelm existing management practices. You’ve got to assign tasks and check in on their progress, track due dates and external deadlines, make sure team members are all working with current document versions without overlap and negotiate countless other project-related tasks.

If you do it right, your team functions like a NASCAR pit crew; do it wrong, and it’s like changing a flat tire on a moving car.

Fortunately, a number of specialized software options exist to help you manage documents, comments, emails, tasks and calendars all in one place. You might be familiar with some of the more popular options, such as Web-based solutions Basecamp and Central Desktop, but there are other players in the marketplace.

Each project is unique, and the tasks you’ll need to manage will vary, but all share the same basic needs. To address them, most of the tools provide features in a few common areas:

Tasks and to-do lists

While a to-do list isn’t a necessary function of a project management tool, you’ll need some way to track what needs to be done, when it needs to be done and who needs to do it. At the most basic level, this can be accomplished by creating tasks on a shared calendar application — like Google calendar or Outlook — but more advanced tools let you assign tasks to others as well as to yourself.

Shared calendar

It’s important not only to be able to see your tasks but also those of everyone else working on the project. There are plenty of other reasons to use a shared calendar, too, including scheduling meetings and seeing your coworkers’ availability.

Shared documents

To facilitate collaboration, you often need a way to share file s —like Word documents and spreadsheets — among co-workers, especially if the project collaborators are in different locations. Emailing files as attachments creates versioning problems — each recipient has a separate version of each file with no way to know which copy is up to date. A tool to upload documents and, ideally, edit simultaneously, can help prevent this versioning dilemma.

Commenting

Telephone and email conversations have their limitations and shortcomings. It can be difficult to record phone calls for project records, and email threads can become unwieldy when more than a couple people are involved. If your team members are in different locations, it can be helpful to have them all viewing the same document — with real-time edits visible — while discussing it. At the very least you want to be able to leave comments on shared files for collaborators, and you may want to leave general comments not related to individual files.

Notifications

Every project needs some way to keep track of due dates and deadlines for all the different components, and a good tool will allow you to schedule and send reminders and notifications — either in-system or through email. Different projects may have additional needs, or you might want a more specialized function from your project management software. You’ll find that the real differentiator among the various tools is how they handle more advanced features, like helping you track progress with Gantt charts or other visualizations, or letting you record email conversations into the project workspace.

Comparing tools

How do the tools currently available on the market compare with one another in terms of cost and features? We took a look at two of the most popular and web-based solutions available for a fee, Basecamp and Central Desktop, and then consider the pros and cons of a customized solution created using Google’s suite of free tools.

Basecamp ($20 per month)

1Overall, Basecamp is a good choice for organizations that need to be able to set up a project quickly and don’t require more advanced features, like Gantt charts. It’s a polished, user-friendly option with straightforward initial setup made easier by a new project templates feature, and a sample project included to help orient first-time users. Populating a to-do list is easy to accomplish, and tasks can be assigned to anyone on the project team. Users can upload documents using a web browser or by email, which — when combined with Basecamp’s mobile app — offers flexibility when working on projects while traveling.

In addition to allowing comments on shared documents, Basecamp also provides for what it calls “Discussions,” or messages and comments independent of uploaded files. Users can view discussions, tasks and uploaded files in a single location using the tool’s “project” view, or a timeline of the entire project — including when tasks were created or completed, or when they’re due — in the “Progress” view. The “Everything” view allows a higher-level look at the entire project and all its assets.

Basecamp is not as strong when it comes to email notifications and other reminders, which are less configurable than in Central Desktop (below), nor does it provide an easy way to record email conversations into your project for more unified recordkeeping.

Central Desktop (starting at $99 per month)

2If your organization needs to track multiple projects at the same time and doesn’t mind taking a little extra time for set-up, Central Desktop will provide a lot of power, but at a higher cost — and with less polish — than Basecamp.

What it does offer is robust project management through a clean and utilitarian interface, with most of the same features as Basecamp — including comments and discussions independent of documents — and a number of more advanced ones. Users can easily access individual task lists through the dashboard and your new tasks can be assigned a priority and reminders scheduled up to two months prior to the due date. They can also be assigned to any projects, or workspaces, that each user is working on. Users can also assign tasks to co-workers in addition to themselves.

As with Basecamp, Central Desktop lets you view each project or workspace like a dashboard. While much more technical in appearance, and less dressed-up than Basecamp’s “Progress” or “Everything” views, the dashboard displays recent activity, people involved, and recent discussions in a more compact screen without the need to scroll. Layout and appearance templates can be defined for each project.

In addition to these basic features, Central Desktop adds the ability to create spreadsheets and other documents within the tool itself without the need to upload them from elsewhere on your computer. It also lets users track projects using Gantt charts, a feature missing from Basecamp, and has strong support for managing multiple projects simultaneously, including the ability to organize individual workspaces into user-defined groups (for example, a fundraising group, a service delivery group, etc.).

To accommodate team members who prefer to work by email, or who resist using the online tool, Central Desktop allows you to record email conversations directly into the workspace; Basecamp does not. Every item in the tool has a unique email address which you can add to an email as a cc; when you send the email, Central Desktop will save it to your workspace, allowing team members to collaborate by email while keeping all comments and discussions in one place.

Google Apps (free)

3You don’t have to reinvent the wheel when it comes to project management software, but sometimes doing so is your best option — in this case, adapting Google’s free applications to fit your needs can offer certain advantages of user familiarity and affordability over purpose-built software. If your organization is already using Gmail for staff email, you might consider using a collection of Google Apps as a free alternative to other tools.

In this “roll-your-own” project management strategy, the core product is Google Calendar, a robust shared calendar which can meet many of the same needs as Basecamp. Tasks, meetings and due dates can all be scheduled together with configurable reminders — for example, you can schedule notifications for 10 minutes before meetings and emails for two days before tasks are due. You can also add meetings and tasks to other staff members’ schedules, and Google allows you to view multiple calendars from across the organization in a single screen.

Google Drive, formerly Google Docs, is a fairly well-featured suite of office tools similar to Microsoft Office that includes word processing documents, spreadsheets and presentations. Users can share documents easily, and it also offers the advantage of allowing multiple staff members to edit the same file at the same time, allowing for real-time collaboration and version control. In addition, email attachments can be opened and saved as Google documents into the same Google Drive location as other project-related materials. Permissions for individual documents are flexible and easy to set up, marking files as private, public, or private to the organization or workgroup; editing privileges can be restricted to certain groups or individuals. You can also grant view, edit and share permissions by folder or by individual file.

To effectively manage projects, you’ll need to group the different apps together — Google Sites is a workable solution that allows you to create a workspace to hold all your email discussions, shared documents and calendar, and to create and manage tasks. As in Basecamp, you can create your Google Site by template, and the “Business collaboration” collection offers a number of layouts appropriate for project management. Expect to spend more time setting up and organizing documents in your Google Drive than you might creating new projects in Basecamp or Central Desktop.

Because Google’s offerings are free, this method means a distinct cost saving over Basecamp and Central Desktop. Smaller organizations that only need to manage a couple of projects at the same time may find a lot of benefit in this do-it-yourself solution.

Choosing the right tool

Each of these tools offers different strengths and weaknesses. Which is right for your needs?

For larger organizations or those with multiple projects, the advanced features offered by Basecamp and Central Desktop are more likely to be worth the expense. But most smaller organizations won’t need some features enough to justify the additional cost. For most small and medium-size nonprofits, the decision comes down to affordability and ease of use. Basecamp and Central Desktop are both relatively quick and easy to set up, though Basecamp is friendlier to less tech-savvy users.

The free Google Apps can be as easy to implement as Basecamp, and provides most of the same features — including most of the features smaller organizations are likely to need. If your organization is already using Google for staff email or calendaring, putting together and navigating a Google site will be a familiar process, and may lead to better staff adoption and comfort.

If cost is your primary decision factor, let your needs guide you. A make-do system that uses free tools and software you already have can be purpose-defeating for organizations with a number of projects or more complex projects. In such cases, it might be worth the expense of a purpose-built system that helps you accomplish your project-management goals — otherwise, what you don’t pay in money you may end up paying in other ways, including your time and aspirin for the headache the wrong solution might give you.

Related

• Six Views of Project Management Software (Idealware)

• Options for Collaboration Software (Idealware)

• Project Management Tools That Nonprofits Should Know About (Idealware)

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Tell your nonprofit’s story with budget-friendly tools

Editor’s note: Lauren Major of Socialbrite just completed a three-part webinar series on video storytelling for the Alliance for Children and Families.

Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, video producers, digital marketers, educators, storytellers, general public.

Everyone agrees about the increasing importance of multimedia storytelling and getting the nonprofit message across.

There are many choices today for nonprofits when deciding how to tackle advocacy videos for online fundraising campaigns.

If a budget allows, the experts always recommend hiring a professional media company with the experience of producing with high quality video equipment and distributing in a way that gets the nonprofit’s message heard.

Using DSLR cameras, the film technology that offers a more cinematic look, we created a video for The Midnight Circus, a Chicago nonprofit that rebuilds parks in underdeveloped neighborhoods.

However, for smaller nonprofit projects such as thanking volunteers, creating quick updates of activities on social media and creating a portfolio of  video clips for a digital library, nonprofits may decide to produce multimedia stories on their own.

Many media companies profess that nonprofits can accessorize the iPhone to shoot videos and create nonprofit stories, and while it’s possible, we disagree that it’s the most cost-effective way. Here are the four reasons why the iPhone is not ideal for video shooting:

Reason #1: It is difficult to focus and zoom with an iPhone.

Reason #2: It has limited capacity to store video files.

Reason #3: There is no control of lighting.

Reason #4: Audio is not acceptable if more than a few feet away.

With the help of experts at B & H Photo/Video, we’ve put together a complete package at a similar cost as the accessorized iPhone. We feel these tools will be much more effective at creating compelling multimedia stories:

Canon VIXIA HF R400 HD Flash Camcorder

1While a DSLR may be too costly and often too complicated for most nonprofits to use, the advanced but simple-to-operate Canon VIXIA HF R400 is a good substitution at a very reasonable cost. Features include a 3.28 megapixel sensor, image stabilization lens, genuine Canon Face Detection and easy Web sharing. This camera allows for professional, crystal clear audio interviews with a few inexpensive accessories.

Rode VideoMic – Directional Condenser Mic

2The VideoMic from Rode is a cost-effective shotgun microphone that can easily be mounted on any video camera. Its super cardioid polar pattern attenuates sounds from the sides. Even when filming in noisy environments, it effectively signals the sound from the interview subject. Moreover, its rubber O-rings protect against movement and handling during shooting.

Bescor VB-50 Universal Shoe Mount Adapter Kit

3The Bescor VB-50 Universal Shoe Mount Adapter can mount between camera and a tripod or mount to the camera alone. With the top shoe mount, it also attaches to extra video lights and microphones. And its rubber side grips make it comfortable to use for the camera holder.

Pearstone OMNI Lav Mic with Mini Plug

4This small and inexpensive Pearstone OMNI Lavalier Mic provides quality sound pick-up with its omnidirectional pattern. The 20-foot-long cable provides flexibility for in-the-field shooting.

Tiffen/34mm UV Protector Filter

5The Tiffen 34mm UV protector filter eliminates UV light that obscures distant details on film and videotape and ensures greater accuracy of color with its ColorCore glass. It also functions as a lens protector, guards against fingerprints, dust, scratches or any other accidental damages. Some people refer to it as “cheap insurance.”

Hoodman HD-300 Video Hood for Camcorders with 2.5-3′ LCD

6The Hoodman HD-300 Video Hood fits all camcorders with a 2.5-3.0-inch 16×9 LCD monitor screens.The hood is made of water-resistant nylon and folded quickly and easily for storage. It minimizes the distractions and provides more accurate viewing.

Sandisk Extreme SDHC Class 10 (30MB/s) 16GB

7The Sandisk Extreme SDHC card delivers class 10 performance with up to 30 MB /sec read/write speeds and stores up to 4 hours of H. 264 high definition video for camcorders and video-enabled DSLRs.

Canon BP-110 Battery Pack (1050MAH)

8The Cannon BP-110 Battery Pack is compatible with Vixia HF R20, R21, and R200 high-definition camcorders. It’s also compatible with Canon Legria models HFe26, R28, and R206. The small Lithium-Ion battery powers the camcorder for up to 85 minutes and communicates its charge level to the camera to be displayed on the LCD screen.

Pearstone ONYX 1040 Shoulder Case

9Designed to carry a compact DV camcorder and a digital still camera, the Pearstone ONYX 1040 Shoulder Case is made from heavy-duty, weather-resistant 600 denier ballistic nylon and protective interior padding. Its removal, adjustable shoulder strap and soft, padded carry handle make it easy to carry. Other features also includes a exterior mesh pocket, a front zippered pocket, full-width inside mesh pocket, and two memory card pockets.

Canon NS-10 Neck Strap

10Canon NS-10 Neck strap is compatible with all Canon Camcorders. It provides comfort when carrying the camcorder and prevents misplacing the camcorder.

NEW 2-YR Protection Plan

11The NEW 2-Year SAGEMAX Protection Plan covers any mechanical and electrical breakdowns of the camcorder with 24/7 toll-free phone support and zero expense.

Do you have your own favorite video or storytelling gadgets? Let us know in the comments!

The post Advocacy videos: Digital storytelling on a budget appeared first on Socialbrite.

Should your organization incorporate audio into your digital communications toolkit?

Guest post by Will Coley
Producer-Founder, Aquifer Media

If nonprofits want to learn how to create content that both engages audiences and creates devoted supporters, we need look no further than the gold standard offered each day by public radio. Think about it: Radio producers can create stories that keep us in the car for “driveway moments” even when we’ve reached home, just so we can hear the ending.

Public radio has created legions of devotees who give money for something they can already get for free. At the same time, we’re in the middle of a renaissance of digital audio online and via mobile technology.

To take advantage of this exciting and pivotal moment, nonprofits should consider adding audio storytelling to your digital communications toolkit. Here’s why.

Listening (or why audio is special)

Listen to this 3 1/2 minute clip from WNYC and think about what you can see in your mind’s eye.

Can’t you almost see what reporter Marianne McCune is experiencing? Radio requires listeners to use their imagination, bringing us emotionally closer to the story. Add to this that audio is often more intimate than other media. We often listen alone or on headphones, putting these voices directly inside our skulls. Audio is also better suited to our busy multitasking lives: I can listen at the gym, while washing dishes or checking email.

Another thing to consider about the WNYC story above: I doubt that Margaret Maynard would have let the reporter into her apartment with a video camera (she was in her house dress after all). A microphone is far less intimidating and in some ways offers a level of confidentiality. Without a camera in the way, it’s far easier for the interviewer to maintain eye contact with the person being interviewed. Because of this, I think people open up in different ways and get to the heart of the story even more quickly.

Storytelling

Listen to this one-minute “sonic i.d.” from Atlantic Public Media on Cape Cod.

Even in these 60 seconds, there is an anecdote that reveals the mechanics of effective storytelling.

Our brains are hard-wired for stories: We can’t stop ourselves from listening or watching a compelling story. But what is a good story?

Ira Glass says that the structure of every story on “This American Life” is a “series of actions where someone says ‘This happened, then this happened then this happened’ and then there’s a moment of reflection about what that sequence means and then onto the next sequence of actions.” This “moment of reflection” also interests Harvard professor Marshal Ganz because it reveals shared values that knit us together. Because of this, he argues the personal stories of individuals responding to challenges (“Story of Self”) is the bedrock of effective community organizing.

Character is most important to independent radio producer Samantha Broun, who has worked on multimedia projects with nonprofits. “I have found that the most powerful testimonial I can provide for nonprofits is a story of someone (a character) whose life has been effected by that organization. No talking heads. No scripted bits. But real, raw, emotional tape from a person whose life has been changed.”

To tell the story of your organization’s work, look for the individual experiences of a program participant or a supporter that illustrate the values you’re working for. At the same time, respect their ownership of stories and think of “facilitating” others in telling their stories directly to a larger audience online.

Producing

Listen to this story I made about Antoine Jenkins canvassing for Barack Obama in Las Vegas, Nev.:

Like many other radio producers, I used a digital recorder, headphones and an omnidirectional microphone. Many reporters are now using smart phones to record audio, especially in situations where bulky recording equipment isn’t feasible. SoundCloud’s app on iPhone and Droid is an incredibly easy way to record and post directly to the Web and other social media (think Instagram for audio). This could be a great tool for nonprofits to use at community events or gatherings.

Here are two practical tips I’ve learned from recording interviews:

1. Get close to what you’re recording but not too close. It’s best to place your microphone or smartphone four inches below the mouth of the interview subject, aka ice cream cone distance. This helps you avoid recording the popping that the P sound often makes.
2. Be aware of surrounding noise. Ambient noise can often be an important part of radio stories, especially when you’re capturing live action. But for interviews not directly related to action, it’s best to record in a quiet non-echoey space and later gather ambient sounds. Carpets and drapes often help absorb sound. Wearing headphones helps ensure that you get great sound with digital recorders.

To edit the audio you gather, you’ll need audio editing software. GarageBand and Audacity are free. I use Hindenberg but many radio producers prefer Pro Tools or Audition. To learn more about producing great radio stories, check out Transom.org and Rob Rosenthal’s Howsound podcast. Rob teaches the excellent Transom Story Workshop (which I attended in 2011 to start learning the art of radio storytelling).

Sharing

Listen to this one-minute story “First Love and 27 Other Firsts” by my radio-producing friend Whitney Jones.

This story has been a hit on Cowbird, an online story sharing community. Whitney also shared it on SoundCloud and thePublic Radio Exchange. You can embed tracks from these sites on other websites like blogs.

As part of a project funded by SoundCloud, I embedded stories on this website to honor Studs Terkel’s book. I see these as “audio blog posts” or “audio posts” rather than a “podcast.” Not only does it sound less intimidating and time intensive, a “post” or “story” implies a one-off that’s part of a larger content strategy using other media. Also with SoundCloud, listeners can subscribe for updates via RSS and iTunes.

Public Radio Exchange is a great platform to get your stories directly on public radio. Whitney sold his story to the Public Radio Remix, KFAI and Third Coast Festival/Re:sound. Obviously stories from your organization won’t sell if they’re straight up promotions or advocacy. To help navigate journalistic concerns, you could invite an experienced independent radio producer to help tell your story and market it through PRX.

So in short: Just do it! Experiment! Start listening, storytelling, producing and sharing audio stories and see if something miraculous happens.

For an even more audiovisual presentation of this information, check out this Prezi.

Related on Socialbrite

• 8 great examples of nonprofit storytelling
• 10 secrets to video storytelling success
• Creating video and media: A roundup of resources
• How to find amazing, powerful stories for your nonprofit video
• How nonprofits should be using visual storytelling
• Visual storytelling checklist

The post What nonprofits can learn from public radio about storytelling appeared first on Socialbrite.

Allow posting, tagging and replies to increase engagement

Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, businesses, marketers, Facebook page administrators.

Most of what you read about creating more reach for your Facebook page either has to do with Facebook ads or optimizing content.

But there are three little settings for your Page that can also dramatically increase reach.

Turn on posting ability

1Allowing Facebook users to post photos and videos to your page increases exposure to their friends.

For example, the friends of the Facebook users who’ve posted these photos of rabbits will see a story in their news feed, exposing them to the National Wildlife Federation.

To allow others to post photos, videos, text updates and links to your page, click “Edit Settings” under the edit page menu item in your admin panel.

Turn on tagging

2Let Facebook users tag themselves and their friends in photos you post to your page.

This way when you post pictures from an event, you can invite your fans to tag themselves and their friends. Tagged friends (who may not be fans) are prompted to visit the photo and like the page.

Turn on replies

3Allowing for threaded commenting helps create more engagement on posts in two ways:

• With notifications to users who’ve been replied to with a comment.

• With threaded comments that organize conversations better.

Once this option is selected you’ll notice a second level of commenting, like in this update.

Go to your page now and make these changes!

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Here’s an easy step by step to glossy custom tabs

Target audience: Nonprofits, cause organizations, foundations, NGOs, social enterprises, businesses, marketers, Facebook administrators.

If you’re looking to create a custom tab for your Facebook page that has complex features, like a donation page or petition, watch my 5-minute video above for an approach that’s fairly easy.

All you need to do is:

1. Create a secure Web page on your website that includes the features you want to render in a custom tab.
2. Eliminate your website header and navigation menu on that page.
3. Add the Static HTML iframe tabs app to your Facebook page.
4. Use the Static HTML iframe tabs application to create an iframe for the page.

(You’d think Facebook would make this a little bit easier.)

Have you created custom tabs on your Facebook page?

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