Schipul Articles RSS Feed

Accelerating Fundraising through Social Media By Ed Schipul as Published in Nonprofit World May 2010

Dan Keeney — Sat, 01 May 2010 17:00:00 GMT

There hasn’t been much cause for celebration at many nonprofits lately. The public has been distracted by the faltering economy, volunteers have been hard to find, and donor databases have dried up.

One bright spot has been the emergence of social media tools that can boost fundraising. Organizations that are testing social media strategies are realizing how much potential these tools have. Fundraisers can click the mouse a few times and connect with people passionate about their cause, helping them spread the word, volunteer, and donate.

We’re still early in the adoption curve. According to Blackbaud’s analysis of Giving USA data, online donations amount to only 5% of the contributions nonprofits receive. And it’s not a panacea. Only a small fraction of the 180,000 organizations that use Facebook Causes have raised more than $1,000.

But wasn’t it just a few years ago that people couldn’t imagine shopping, watching movies, and making friends online? What makes us think online donations to charitable causes are any different? In fact, in the first five days after the Haiti earthquake struck in January 2010, the top Facebook Cause for Haiti earthquake relief – benefiting Oxfam America – had raised over $100,000, signaling a significant shift is upon us.

The Best Fundraising Punch

For now, the social media tool that delivers the greatest fundraising punch is Facebook Causes, which empowers people to mobilize their social networks to benefit U.S. registered 501(c)(3) nonprofits or Canadian registered charities. Every single Facebook user has the tools to create a Cause for an issue or campaign, recruit others to join, keep everybody informed with updates, and raise money.

Facebook Causes processes donations automatically via credit card, tallies the results, and reports donation activity via a public "scorecard." The Causes platform works because it’s deeply embedded in the world’s leading social networks (there’s an application for MySpace, too), and it can:

• Create community, and spread awareness.

• Connect people and ideas in new ways.

• Attract new donors and raise money for specific projects and programs.

How to Get Started

How does it work? First, your organization becomes a Causes partner. You receive a profile and access to a dashboard, where you can track donations and download donor contact information. When you’re ready to start your own Cause, you can use the Facebook Causes application. Since Causes is a third‑party application, you can have Causes, a Fan Page, and a Group on Facebook, if you so desire.

Keys to Success

How do you make the Facebook Causes application really sing?

• Choose an attention-grabbing title. Think of it as a headline. You want to captivate potential supporters.

• Convey a sense of urgency so people know you need their help now.

• Make your case in three points or less. As with other fundraising communication, the case needs to be simple and to the point.

• Provide a concise description of where the Cause is currently, where the Cause is going, and what your goals are. Remember to include relevant links.

• Use an evocative photograph that inspires people to take action.

• Recruit, recruit, recruit. Use the recruiting tools associated with the Facebook Causes application to invite the maximum number of potential supporters every day, which is 60. But don’t stop there – take your recruiting outside the Facebook borders to newsletters and e‑mail, too.

Facebook Causes is a great way to connect with and mobilize believers in your cause. Successful nonprofits of the coming decade will find ways to aggressively leverage this and other social media tools.

Resources (www.snpo.org/members)

How to Make Social-Media Fundraising Work for You (Vol. 27, No. 2)

Also see Learning Institute programs on-line: Resource Development and O for Opportunity: Exploring New Revenue Opportunities for Nonprofits (http://www.snpo.org/lino).

1-May-10 12:00 PM

April 2010 Schipul newsletter - tips, updates and more!

Katie Laird — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 16:00:00 GMT

Hello!

Spring time has arrived here at Schipul and with it, brings exciting new projects and news that we would love to share. A lot has been going on so let’s jump right in!

Social Media Tips, Tricks and News just for You!

The internet changes faster than the speed of light and we know that it can feel tough to stay ‘in the know’ around what’s happening on the Web. Check out the latest news below!

1. Do you use Twitter as a marketing tool? If you plan on connecting with clients on Twitter, be sure to read this official Twitter 101 for Business guide for great case studies and the best practices to help you Tweet your way to success!

2. No it’s not a playground game – the hottest mobile application these days is FourSquare, a free tee tool that let’s you (or your clients!) check-in from any location around town. Read this piece on the business potential of location-based services like Foursquare and check out this fun article on the ‘5 Stages of Foursquare Use’ to learn how you can get the most out of this interactive tool.

3. Speaking of great online marketing tools, Facebook has launched a new weekly email update feature to help you track you Facebook’s page’s marketing success - read this great Facebook marketing blog post for more info!

4. Shooting you next podcast or video blog doesn’t have to be a Hollywood production. It can be as easy as shoot-and-uploade using Qik video. Qik is mobile video tool that allows you to upload videos shot from your cell phone. Schipul client Congressman Culberson has pioneered the way Qik is being used on the political scene. How can you revolutionize YOUR industry with video?

5. One last thing…. If you own an iPhone (or iPad!) and need to organize your world, consider downloading the Evernote iPhone App. This allows you to create notes, Snap photos, and record voice memos from your iPhone and sync them with your computer at home or work. One cool feature is you can take photos of business cards and it will recognize and record the text automatically. Be sure to download it!

Join our Get Satisfaction client Community!

We have started a new online space to share your thoughts, needs, ideas and feedback on our Schipul services and products: the Schipul Get Satisfaction community!

Have a request for an update you'd like to see in Tendenci? Want to see a new training on our calendar? Have some ideas you'd like to collaborate on with another Schipul client? Chime in on Get Satisfaction!

The Schipulites will be posting regular discussion topics and will be monitoring your updates and feedback.

While this won't replace our regular customer Support services, this will be another great resource for you to gain new insights, see our latest company announcements and see other Schipul clients frequently asked questions.

Client Congratulations Corner

We're so proud of our great clients—here are just a few exciting new site releases! Congratulations, we are honored to call you part of the Schipul family.

Carbo Ceramics

www.carboceramics.com

CARBO Ceramics is the world’s largest

manufacturer of ceramic proppant

and works hard to make petroleum businesses more efficient. Our team we helped CARBO make their Web presence more efficient by using both Tendenci and Drupal Modules!

Cinco Energy

www.cincoland.com

Cinco is an Energy service company offering GIS mapping and energy services In the Oil and Gas, Renewable, Financial, and ROW industries. Their new Tendenci-driven site makes it easy to keep in touch with clients and market their progressive services.

North Carolina Assoc of Women Attorneys

www.ncawa.org

The North Carolina Association of Women Attorneys (NCAWA) connects female attorneys with networking and personal development opportunities, with the goal increasing participation of women in the justice system. We love their new site!

Upcoming Schipul classes and speaking events

Webinar: Intro to Web Analytics
Day: April 14th 1:30 - 2:30pm
Location: Online Webinar

Webinar: Intro to Twitter
Day: Thursday, April 15th 1:30 - 2:30pm
Location: Online Webinar (www.gotomeeting.com)

Recipess for Social Media Success
Day: Friday, April 16th 8:30 - 10:30am
Location: Kenny and Ziggy's (2327 Post Oak Blvd Houston, TX)

PRSA SW Conference - Is Twitter a Time Waster or Brand Builder
Day: Friday, April 16th 2:00 - 3:00pm
Location: Sheraton Oklahoma City, OK

Webinar: Intro to Facebook Marketing
Day: Thursday, April 22nd 1:30 - 3:30pm
Location: Online WEbinar (www.gotomeeting.com)

Connect with the Schipul Crew Online!

Let's face it, Schipulites live on the Internet. Come hang out with us out on the web! We love our clients!

As always, thanks for your business and happy Spring!

=

8-Apr-10 11:00 AM

Schipul and Drupal: How the Open-Source Community Helped Realize the Dreams of our Clients

David Stagg — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:00:00 GMT

At Schipul, we believe the cheese often moves. Our proprietary software Tendenci has been the bread and butter (in terms of revenue) for our company each year, but we know the Tendenci software specifically may not always be the best fit for a client. Sometimes, if the client wanted a simple site, using Tendenci would be like trying to force a square peg through a round hole.

It would be incredibly imprudent to believe that one shoe fits every consumer. Because of this, Schipul has come to embrace the open-source community. There are incredibly intelligent developers creating and modifying flexible content management systems like Wordpress and Drupal daily. In turn, their hard work gives Schipul the opportunity to present options other than Tendenci to our clients. We can create highly custom platforms for our clients at a cheaper cost to them and with a more direct focus on their business's workflow and consumers.

Drupal Development with the Web Entertainment Guide

At the beginning of 2009, a woman named Michelle Mower came to us with an idea: She wanted to be the go to Web site for all things relating to Internet TV. She wasn't talking about watching normal television shows on the Internet like your favorite sketch from this weekend's Saturday Night Live; rather, a very specific niche of television which actually doesn't involve television at all. Webisodes are individual episodes of a sitcom or drama that are only released on the Internet, and she wanted to create a resource for them and their fans.

Everyone knows of IMDb—you can go find out next to anything you could possibly want to know (and more) about a particular movie. But where do you start when it comes to this new breed of Web Entertainment? Michelle was already knee-deep in the webisode community having been Program Coordinator Houston's SWAMP (Southwest Alternative Media Project) for quite some time, but she wanted a place to disseminate the information, quickly and easily. This is where the Web Entertainment Guide was born, in collaboration with Michelle, Schipul, and the Drupal community.

A Drupal site was the perfect choice. For example, Tendenci didn't come with a Webisode module, and it certainly wouldn't make business sense to write and implement one that would only be used by a very small subset of our clients. But what did make sense was to take the Drupal development platform and utilize its "from the ground up" customization:

We could create a Webisode content type using Drupal's community-submitted CCK (Content Creation Kit) module, that contained any fields Michelle wanted.
We could tag and organize Webisodes any way we wanted to allow for complete search capability. Want to view all Webisodes by Horror genre (like myself)? No problem.
We could create four separate blogs within the Drupal framework she could have writers contribute to.
We could extend the Webisode reach by creating an Interview content type where all Michelle had to do was put the Interview information into the system once, and Drupal could spit it out in a number of places throughout her site without her having to do anything.

Moving Forward with Drupal Development

Don't hear me wrong: Tendenci still serves its purpose and is a wonderful product option for protential clients and is one that continually satisfies current customers. But when the project doesn't fit the Tendenci bill, Drupal and Wordpress have been go-tos that will impress even your hard-to-impress friends.

It's important to give thanks to those out there in the Drupal community who put in the hard work to make our jobs easier. And if you're looking for a custom project, let us know. Give us a call and we can talk about Drupal sites with you. We love it and know you will too.

23-Dec-09 8:00 AM

Web 2.0 in the White House: What is the impact of Social Media on the American Government?

Margaret McDonald — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:00:00 GMT

When President Barack Obama was just another hopeful on the campaign trail, we saw him embrace Web 2.0 technologies in a way that has morphed the old way of campaigning into something new and unprecedented.

Now that President Obama is in office, he has taken his use of technology to an even higher level with his special town hall titled "Open for Questions" that aired online last Thursday on the WhiteHouse.gov.

Ed Schipul recently weighed in on the topic of Obama's town hall meeting in an article by David Beizer published on Federal Computer Week.

“What’s interesting is you usually see innovation in local communities and [then] working its way upward in society,” said Ed Schipul, a social-media expert and chief executive officer of Schipul – The Web Marketing Company. “What is surprising is that we are now seeing innovation from the executive branch going down.”

A marketing professor at Saint Joseph’s University, Scott Testa, thinks Obama's town hall will lead to the adoption of similar practices by other agencies.

“The lead is definitely going to be the president’s office and the administration, and it will filter out to other areas of the government,” Testa said. “Historically, governments have been late adopters, so I think it will be a wait-and-see situation as some of these early initiatives come online.”

While Schipul agrees with Testa that Obama's green light for the use of Web 2.0 will be a wonderful outlet for the government, he does warn that it may take some time for all of the agencies who adopt these new policies to understand exactly how to use them.

“We’re not out of the woods yet because we don’t necessarily have a way to respond to 92,000 people [during an online town hall],” Schipul said.

According to Tom Kellermann, vice president of security awareness at Core Security Technologies, security is also going to be a big issue on the Web 2.0 frontier.

Agencies, for example, should test Web applications for security vulnerabilities and their user communities for their susceptibility to client-side application attacks to manage the risks posed by Web 2.0, said Kellerman.

For more information on President Obama's town hall, check out his reca p on the White House website.

30-Mar-09 9:00 AM

March 2009 Schipul Newsletter

Margaret McDonald — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 17:00:00 GMT

Hello [firstname],

Welcome to the Schipul newsletter - our very first in this exciting new year! Read on for upcoming training classes, tips/tricks and the very another installment of our Schipul Book Club.

Year of the Story: A Brand New Schipul Web Site!

Have you checked out our freshly updated Schipul Web site yet? You should, because it's all about you!

Our shiny new homepage features a 'Stories' section where we post Community-focused events, news and announcements that we want to share with you. If we're excited about it, chances are it will end up on our homepage!

Is your organization doing something exciting you'd like to see on the Schipul homepage? Shoot Maggie an email with a graphic and it will be your turn!

We've also made it easier to see our updated Blog posts, as our homepage also automatically updates whenever we contribute new content to our Schipul Blog, Tendenci Blog and SEM Blog.

What else is going on around Schipul? WE'VE EXPANDED!

Now that the expansion is complete, we have an extra sales wing to help us better serve our awesome clients!! This expansion will also enable us to continue to improve our Web marketing services and help our clients connect, grow and profit online.

The team is actually moving into the new space this week, but here this a special sneak peak just for you guys. You should stop by and say hello!!

Web Marketing Tips, Tricks and Other Cool Stuff

Tell your story any way you'd like.... with Empressr!

Here is what our very own Fayza thinks of the tool.... "I learned about Empressr, an online rich media presentation application, at the SXSW Film & Interactive Trade Show. It’s probably one of the best things to happen to my professional workflow. As someone that does a great deal of presentations, both online and offline, I am never working on my presentation in the same location. It’s a hassle to transfer a presentation from one computer to the other, and have to worry about the presentation’s format from computer to computer. Empressr eliminates that worry, and prevents me from being tied to any particular machine! My favorite attributes about Empressr are the familiar, easy-to-use interface, and the ability to easily import media files from Flickr, Google, Yahoo, or YouTube with a mere drag and drop."

Wordpress Tip: Dominate Google with All In One SEO!

As the Schipul Wordpress family grows every week, we want to be sure that clients are still keeping a close eye on their site and blogs' search engine marketing friendliness. Enter the All in One SEO plugin!

This little plugin (which is basically just an addition to your behind-the-scenes site controls and functionality) helps you optimize your post and page titles, automatically generates your meta information and let's you fine tune just about everything search engine related on your Wordpress site.

So be sure to keep your site and blog updated regularly with fresh and relevant content (and lots of links!) - and look to great tools like All In One SEO to give you that extra kick. Questions? Call our amazing SEM team at (281) 497.6567, ext. XXX.

You're STILL not on twitter?! Here are some twitter tips and tricks to convince you to join!!

Twitter is a social networking service that allows users to publish short micro blog posts called tweets. While Twitter is growing in popularity and definitely causing a lot of buzz, what does it mean to your organization?

3 ways your organization can use Twitter :

Build a base of followers! Use tools like search.twitter.com to find people tweeting about topics relevant to your business or organization. Reach out to them! Follow them and start a (real, transparent) conversation!
Customer service! Use Twitter as another avenue to take care of your customers or members! Respond to questions, complaints, and compliments!
Get the word out! Spread the word about upcoming events! Link back to blog posts or other points of interest on your website!

Want to learn more? Be sure to check out Fayza Elmostehi’s online webinar “Introduction to Twitter” April 16 at 1:30 PM CST. Tendenci clients attend FREE!

Check out Schipul on Twitter at twitter.com/Schipul

Other friends on Twitter:
Client - Houston Zoo
Client - Kolache Factory
Houston friend of Schipul – Houston Museum of Natural Science

Client Congratulations Corner

We love our clients! Here are a few Schipul full design and Wordpress clients that recently went live:

YMCA Houston

Reality Spikes

Beau Rivage Poker

Schipul Book Club: Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

It is time again for the Schipul Book Club! Every newsletter, you'll be seeing a new book that we're digging and offering you a chance to get on (for free!!).

Malcolm Gladwell is a master storyteller; he leads readers down winding yellow brick roads and provides them with insight into the mystifying and foresight into their future. He explains those “simple truths” about life and society usually kept secret by Sociologists in a way that your average Joe can understand and embrace them.

In Outliers, Gladwell irrevocably proves that there is no magic potion for success. Success is a beautiful balance of nature, nurture and quite a bit of luck…. Combine those three things with the 10,000 hours Gladwell insists you need to obtain “expert status” and it looks like an insurmountable hill to climb.

Want to win a signed copy of Outliers? Leave a comment on ________________ about who your favorite Outlier is and why.

Upcoming Trainings from Schipul

Introduction to Social Media presented by Maggie McDonald

WEBINAR

Tuesday 31-Mar-09 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM CDT

Social media this, social media that. What the heck is social media already?! Well, guess what? It’s debunking time! Join us while we introduce you to one of the greatest new worlds out there – the Great Wide World of Social Media.

Introduction to Twitter presented by Fayza Elmostehi

WEBINAR

Thursday 16-Apr-09 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM CDT

Everyone is atwitter about twitter! Interested in learning what a little more about twitter? Then attend this webinar that will cover topics from the basics to a little hard core twitter etiquette.

Recent Articles from Schipul

Social Media Programs: Cultivate, Don't Control as published in PR Tactics January 2009

This article was published in the January 2009 PR Tactics publication. Written by our CEO, Ed Schipul, this article was written help public relations professional wrap their brains around the 4 basic pillars of a Social Media program: 1. Planning 2. Recruiting 3. Training 4. Promotion. A few years ago, it could be a bit lonely when I hit the road to spread the word about the impending impact of social media technologies on the practice of public relations. How times have changed....

Recent Press Releases from Schipul

Schipul – The Web Marketing Company to Guide Social Media Strategies to Promote Beau Rivage Resort & Casino’s Spring Break Poker Classic

MGM MIRAGE Mississippi Operations has selected Schipul – The Web Marketing Company to design and execute a comprehensive social media strategy to promote the Spring Break Poker Classic. The collection of 21 poker events begin on March 27 at MGM MIRAGE’s Beau Rivage in Biloxi, Miss.

Ed Schipul explores the Social Networking Explosion on KPRC's Beyond the Headlines

KPRC TV in Houston devoted a half hour to social networking on its program, Beyond the Headlines, which featured Ed Schipul of Schipul - The Web Marketing Company, Ashley Minor an independent consultant, and Laura Mayes of kirtsy.com.

Stay up to date with our RSS feeds.

26-Mar-09 12:00 PM

Social Media Programs: Cultivate, Don't Control as published in PR Tactics January 2009

Ed Schipul — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 17:00:00 GMT

A few years ago, it could be a bit lonely when I hit the road to spread the word about the impending impact of social media technologies on the practice of public relations. How times have changed. Today, you can’t find a professional development seminar for PR that doesn’t concentrate on social media. Everyone seems to have guidance regarding the best ways to implement a social media communications program.

Many in the public relations community have jumped on the social media bandwagon thinking it puts the PR practitioner in control. Countless articles and blog posts argue that the public relations function should be in charge of designing and implementing corporate social media programs. It has turned into a turf battle, pitting PR against marketing.

All of this completely misses the central point of social media. Any effort to “control” a social media initiative is almost certain to doom the effort.

Jazz and Social Media

The most important person in an orchestra is the conductor, whose job is to guide the preparation and execution of a symphony. To their credit, many in public relations think of themselves as conductors. They know what they want to accomplish and set out to accomplish it with precision.

A completely different mindset is necessary for social media.

While research and strategy continue to be essential for successful social media programs, flexibility and improvisation are equally important. Instead of thinking like a conductor, a PR practitioner needs to think like an improvisational jazz musician. You may have an idea where you would like a piece of music to go and you can help to get it started, but nobody can dictate how the piece of music will develop as everyone in the group collaborates on the fly.

Staples of public relations planning such as linear step-by-step implementation timelines may help you sleep better at night, but they are completely irrelevant for social media. Instead, plan for unpredictability and accept that successful social media efforts are largely driven by people outside your control or influence, some of whom are suspicious of or oppose what you stand for.

Accepting and even embracing their opposition can add to the credibility of your initiative.

The Proper Role of PR

Instead of seeking to control social media initiatives, public relations practitioners should concentrate on the four pillars of social media success. These include: planning to assess whether social media makes sense for your organization and integrate the efforts with the rest of the public relations program; recruiting social media participants from within the organization; training the organization’s social media participants to ensure high standards and mitigate risks; and promotion to build awareness of your initiative.

Notice that none of the four pillars describes actually participating in the social media effort itself, let alone leading it. Instead, the PR person’s role is to cultivate an environment in which social media activities can blossom and succeed organically. In some organizations, the PR person is the only one who has the time or inclination to be involved in blogging or posting photos or videos online.

Here are some tips to implement each of these ideas:

Planning – Define what you want to accomplish through social media and what role the social media initiatives will play in your company’s overall public relations program. Realistic objectives can include establishing or strengthening the company’s position as industry thought leaders, driving qualified leads back to your corporate Web site and reinforcing personnel recruiting efforts. Take time to listen to customer feedback, which should guide your planning, and examine the best ways to measure results so you can adjust course as the effort progresses.

Recruiting – Even though you will be inclined to take the reigns and implement the social media program, it is essential that you step back. Instead, identify internal experts who “get it.” If you look closely, you will probably find some who are blogging, connecting on Facebook or posting videos on YouTube. These are the social media mavens in your ranks who will drive your program. Don’t be discouraged if these are not C-level executives – your leaders probably don’t have the time to devote to the effort. Even front-line personnel can help your effort be genuine and real. If your search hits a dead end, describe your interests to human resources and your corporate recruiters so they consider social media activities when assessing job candidates throughout the organization.

Training – Participating in social media activities requires a great deal of trust and autonomy. You can’t have a committee meeting about how to respond to every comment posted on the company’s blog. Therefore, the public relations counselor’s role is to accurately assess where best to devote time and attention, and build consensus for the initiative internally. Even if the CEO isn’t personally participating, the company’s leadership needs to be briefed. Finally, before going live with the effort, educate everyone involved about the subtle nuances of online interaction such as the importance of disclosure and being generous with credit and links. This work offline can ensure high standards and mitigate risks.

Promotion – Learn where the individuals with whom you intend to connect are congregating and have your mavens participate. Did you catch those three important points? First, social media is intimate, enabling interaction between individuals. You can reach a large audience, but never lose sight of the individual. Second, you should not be in dissemination mode. These are dynamic interactions in which what you receive is probably more important that what you send. Third, it is all about participation. Remember, it is PR jazz and everyone is collaborating in what is created.

Ultimately, social media initiatives are about connecting in thoughtful ways. See an interview in your local business paper about a client? Have your maven post a congrats message on their Facebook wall. Heard a prospect speak at a recent conference? With your guidance, your maven can shoot them a Twitter or a brief mention on your blog about the knowledge they shared. It is not about your organization – it is about your connections with others.

Through it all, the most appropriate role for public relations is as a strategist, facilitator and promoter.

5-Jan-09 11:00 AM

November 2008 Schipul Newsletter

Alexis Hamil — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:00:00 GMT

Untitled Document

Happy Thanksgiving! Well, almost. It doesn’t take a holiday for us at Schipul to say we are thankful for you!

Here are some recent updates from the Schipul team on new services and exciting announcements. Hope your holiday season is off to a great start, we'll be thinking about you as we nibble on turkey legs and sip homemade eggnog this week.

Brand new! Wordpress Blog design and hosting services

The Schipul team is very excited to announce a new line of services to help you grow your online marketing campaigns – Wordpress Blog design and hosting! We can help you set up your Wordpress Blog, hook you up with a template or custom Blog design and even provide $20/month hosting!

We have already guided prominent Community organizations just like yours through the Blogosphere, like the Houston Zoo’s Frog Blog, Houston Arts Alliance and our own brand new Schipul Blog.

Blogging is a cost-effective way to communicate with a large audience on a very personal level. Schipul has a team of experienced Bloggers that can’t wait to get you started!

Be sure to check out our customizable line of Blog service and design offerings – and keep an eye on our training calendar for upcoming Blogging and Social Media classes. We love our client Bloggers!

Coming soon! Drupal-powered Web sites from Schipul

Options are good - strawberry, chocolate, vanilla.... oh wait, we're talking about Web sites here, not ice cream. Well, good thing we like Web sites so much too!

In the spirit of appealing too all flavor preferences (and to help you power your organization's Web sites in the best way possible), Schipul will soon be offering Drupal hosting services in addition to our Tendenci software.

So what exactly is Drupal anyway? Drupal is an open source software that helps you power your site with Content Management, blogging utilities, powerful analysis tools and much, much more. Drupal is popular with non profits and entrepreneurs because of the Drupal Community and its amazing flexibility and customization. Stay tuned for more details!

Coming soon! Tendenci Software Support Forum

The Schipul gang is hard at work on a brand new resource for our Tendenci software users - a Tendenci Support Forum!

The Tendenci Forum will be an online place for users to seek Web site support, a spot to facilitate discussion between users and a super resource for Tendenci tips and tricks. Look for more information on our Tendenci Support Forum soon -- we expect to launch in early December!

Congratulations to Kim Hodgson on Mazzy! (the newest Schipulite)

Production team member Kim Hodgson and her husband Josh recently welcomed their beautiful daughter Mazzy to this world on September 18th. We are incredibly excited to have a sweet little future Internet geek and wish the new parents much love and luck (and hopefully a little sleep too).

The Schipul team welcomes new members!

Albert Hughes, Production Team Member

In 2001 I graduated from Clear Brook HS in Friendswood, TX and then decided to enroll at Prairie View A&M University to pursue a degree in Business Management. After 4 long years of doing what people do at college I walked across the stage in May 2005.

After graduation I worked at various places such as an elementary school, a landscaping company and a facilities management firm. In March of 2008 I made the decision to search for a company that would help me learn more about web marketing, content management systems and business management. Five months later the decision paid off unbelievably as I found out about Schipul The Web Marketing Company. After a few thorough interviews and prayer I had finally found THE place for me.

I am now a member of the Schipul Production Team where I field support requests, manage projects and instruct clients on how to use the Tendenci Software.

My favorite tools of the trade are Dreamweaver, Fireworks, and the Firefox add-on Firebug. When not at work you can find me recording music, taking pictures or filming something for independent artists or my Church. I am still very passionate about the internet, sports, music and business and his career goal is to eventually combine them all into one.

Alexis Hamil, Communications Intern

I was born and raised in Houston, Texas. I graduated from Cypress Springs high school in 2002 and expect to graduate from the University of Houston this December with a double major in English and psychology. I’ve been told my psychology background will help me understand the Schipulites, but everyone seems amazing (and sane) so far!

As a self-proclaimed bibliophile, I am blessed to have found a company that encourages such bookish behavior. Reading and writing are two of my passions and my long term goal is to become the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress. Until then, I hope to absorb everything I can at Schipul and be a productive part of the team!

Derek Key, Production Team Member

I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota and spent the first few years of my life there. Around the age of 10 or 11, I escaped the insanely cold winters and headed for the warmer weather of Texas. Other than a few years spent getting my degree in Advertising from the University of Texas in Austin, I have lived in Houston since.

I dig old records, music that makes you move (even though I can’t), movies, spending time with my family and friends, creative inspiration, bad television and turkey sandwiches. I am an Internet nerd and technology geek and am excited to learn and grow at Schipul.

Dave Wrangler, Production Team Intern

Dave is another one of our latest Schipul additions on the Production Team. Currently Dave is a student finishing his Entrepreneurship/Marketing degrees at the University of St. Thomas.

In his non-Schipul hours, you can find Dave making beautiful music all over Houston and beyond. His mad musical skills were recently featured on a Berlin radio channel and you can find him spinning classic Country records at his regular Vinyl ranch Houston music event.

Stay up to date with our RSS feeds.

25-Nov-08 1:00 PM

Physicians Can Use Social Media Tools to Bond With Patients

Alexis Hamil — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Physicians, to their patients' delight, have caught the social media bug. An increasing number of physicians are taking advantage of networks such as Facebook and Twitter to enhance communication with their patients.

While the authority of an M.D. provides a platform from which to speak in face-to-face interactions, doctors who are social media newbies must first hone their listening skills.

Ed Schipul was recently quoted in an article on Physician's Financial News entitled, Physicians Can Use Social Media Tools to Bond with Patients:

“Doctors approach social media as if they know everything, and it’s just not like that,” says Schipul. “Doctors are brilliant, but just because you’re brilliant doesn’t mean I’m going to have you repair an engine on the airplane I’ll be flying, because you’re not trained in that area. First, you have to walk in the room and listen.”

The room, in this case, is virtual, and Schipul says that social media are phenomenal tools to enable listening.

The article also offers Jennifer Texada's, program manager of digital and new media at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, insight:

At M.D. Anderson, listening is helping patient advocacy staff assist patients with problems they have, such as being lost in the hospital or understanding a particular diagnosis. “We listen to what the conversations are about in social media, and we pass that on to patient advocacy,” says Texada, adding that physicians are active, too.

Ed Schipul offers a creative solution for physicians who are wary of embarking into social media themselves, but want to better connect with their patients:

“If I was a doctor and was doing social media outreach, one of the first things I would do is send an e-mail to all of my employees and ask if any of them are already blogging and active in social media,” suggests Schipul. “They’re already on my payroll. And if they’re doing [social media] and they’re excited about it, then all I have to do is change their job responsibility.”

Physicians' Financial News offers information on managing personal and professional business and finance matters that medical school's seven year curriculum forgot to cover.

31-Oct-08 10:00 AM

Schipul Featured in Houston Chronicle for Crisis Preparedness

Dan Keeney — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 13:00:00 GMT

As the response to Hurricane Ike continues, all the employees of Schipul - The Web Marketing Company tip our collective hat to the first responders and volunteers who are working hard to help Houston regain its footing. Thank you so much for all you are doing for our community, our families and friends.

In the hours leading up to Ike's landfall, CEO Ed Schipul spent some time talking about crisis preparation with the Houston Chronicle's L.M. Sixel. With responsibility for maintaining the Web presence of a number of important community assets, such as the Houston Chapter of the American Red Cross and Reliant Park among others, Schipul takes business continuity and disaster preparedness very seriously.

The article that resulted from the discussion, "Workers play a variety of roles during a storm," describes Schipul's approach to disaster preparedness:

At Schipul, a Houston-based Web services provider whose clients include the Houston Red Cross and Reliant Park, founder and CEO Ed Schipul has to keep the computers working and asked for five volunteers.

They definitely have a sense of pride, said Schipul. And when it comes time to consider promotions, their extra effort will be recognized.

But who is on deck during the hurricane doesn't necessarily mean they're the most essential, said Schipul.

"Technically, I'm a non-essential person," said Schipul, who was hunkered down in his office Friday. But he's got his network administrator there just in case servers go down.

And the programmers, while reachable remotely, aren't in the office. The very fact they're good makes them non-essential in a storm because they've written the programs well, he said.

Read the entire article here. After the Chronicle interview, Ed expanded on what he considers to be the fundamentals of cultivating a team that can be counted upon to keep the business operational through even the worst of circumstances:

Hire good people, train the heck out of them, and let them run – this means that perhaps even the upper management is “non essential.”
"Essential" is defined by only one thing and that is your crisis response plan. Be prepared, and pick the team that can respond to unexpected consequences.
Work hard to eliminate or at least minimize inefficiencies and duplicative work by doing work "once for all time for all users." By doing this, a good employee, depending on their job responsibility may not be needed in a crisis either.
Leaders must work themselves out of a job.
At Schipul, the emergency response team overlaps the “essential” employees who respond in a crisis.
The emergency response team, and volunteering for a position that is critical in a crisis is DEFINITELY a way to differentiate yourself and receive higher pay and/or promotions in the future.

Schipul will be conducting an after-incident assessment to determine what aspects of the crisis response worked well and what can be improved. All of this is intended to ensure the safety of our employees and their families, to eliminate or minimize downtime for our clients, and to provide clients the excellent customer service they deserve and expect.

13-Sep-08 8:00 AM

Social Media Strategy: Step Back and Let Others Take the Lead

Dan Keeney — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 18:00:00 GMT

PR Week, the only weekly publication that directly targets the public relations industry, this week is featuring an article authored by Ed Schipul, founder and chief executive officer of Schipul - The Web Marketing Company. The article, "Social Media Programs: Cultivate - Don't Control," takes issue with conventional wisdom in the marketing and communications fields. While many so-called social media experts suggest that PR, marketing and advertising professionals can and should take an active role in implementing social media strategies, Ed warns that doing so can squelch the greatest positive impact of social media, which can only come through true authenticity.

"Any effort to “control” a social media initiative will doom the effort," says Schipul, who is scheduled to speak at the 2008 PRSA International Conference in Detroit. "successful social media efforts are largely driven by people outside your control or influence."

He says that instead of trying to control all aspects of social media strategy, PR practitioners should concentrate on the following four pillars of social media success:

Planning – Set realistic objectives (i.e., positioning the company as an industry thought leader, driving qualified leads back to your corporate Web site, and strengthening recruiting efforts). Take time to listen to customer feedback and examine the best ways to measure results so you can adjust course.

Recruiting – It is essential that you step back. Identify staff members who are blogging, connecting on Facebook, or posting videos on YouTube. These are the social media mavens in your ranks who should drive your program. Don't be discouraged if these are not C-level executives – your leaders probably don't have the time to devote to the effort.

Training – Participating in social media activities requires a great deal of trust and autonomy. Assess where best to devote time and attention, and build consensus for the initiative internally. Before going live with the effort, educate everyone involved about the subtle nuances of online interaction such as the importance of disclosure and being generous with credit and links. This work offline can ensure high standards and mitigate risks.

Promotion – Learn where the individuals with whom you intend to connect are congregating and have your mavens participate. You can reach a large audience, but never lose sight of the individual and remember that these are dynamic interactions in which what you receive is probably more important than what you send.

Schipul - The Web Marketing Company offers a range of Social Media Consulting services, providing a powerful double-punch of tech savvy public relations and effective communication technology to your organization's Web marketing plan. Schipul's Social Media Consulting expands your organization's outreach to an enormous online audience and enables you to interact with your visitors through engaging rich media and online conversation.

Strategic brainstorming do determine if this the right course for you
Connecting you with good online and book resources
Teaching online culture
Blog set up and content collaboration
Help building a presence on social web sites
Strategic and spamless e-mail marketing to existing network
Integration with Search Engine Marketing
Reporting to configure tracking and analytics
Consulting on how to monetize your activity
Guidance in how to set up a podcast
Cross promotion of video and audio assets you may already have
How to balance design for beauty with design for entertainment and design for sales

PR Week has a weekly circulation of nearly 17,000. See the entire article here.

12-Sep-08 1:00 PM

Schipul office closed September 12th for Hurricane Ike - stay safe!

Katie Laird — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:00:00 GMT

Hello there!

As Hurricane Ike approaches the Houston area, we are hard at work buttoning down the hatches and getting ready for a weekend of weather excitement!

The Schipul office will be closed tomorrow, Friday September 12th, as our employees will be with their families. We will have a Core Team physically in the office to handle anything that comes up.

However, we do not anticipate any Web site or email outages. You may have limited access to some development sites, but again we do not anticipate any outages.

If you have an immediate need, you can call us at the office tomorrow (281) 497.6567, ext. 0. All training and general support issues will be resolved next week when the office is back open.

Please keep an eye on our Tendenci Blog for updates this weekend: blog.tendenci.com

Wishing you a safe and dry weekend!

The Schipul Team

11-Sep-08 12:00 PM

Web Marketing and Social Media Questions to be Answered at 2008 Tendenci User Conference

Dan Keeney — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:00:00 GMT

If your organization is like most associations and businesses, you are finding it challenging to keep up with the latest technologies. It can be tough enough just keeping your Web site updated, let alone thinking about how to use Social Media strategically to accomplish your business and communications objectives.

That’s why each year, Schipul – The Web Marketing Company, the folks who develop, marketing and support Tendenci^® online management software, offer the Tendenci User Conference. The event is designed to open a dialogue between the users of the software and the teams that are responsible for developing, improving and servicing it.

Did we mention that it's FREE for everyone who pre-registers?

The 2008 Tendenci User Conference is packed with two days of great information, scheduled to run October 2^nd and 3^rd. A complete agenda is available here, but the following are a few of the high-impact sessions that are getting lots of buzz:

The 2008 Tendenci User Conference will be especially valuable for anyone with a Web site powered by Tendenci software. Currently, Tendenci serves as the software platform for more than 300 organizations around the world, including nonprofits, associations and businesses large and small. But you don’t have to be a Tendenci user to learn a lot at the Tendenci User Conference; everyone with a desire to achieve more from their Web marketing initiatives should register.

The fun, interesting and fast-paced sessions will deal with the major challenges and opportunities faced by Web marketers today, including strategic uses of social media, the latest best practices in search engine optimization and the latest tools and techniques to measure the effectiveness of your site through Site Analytics.

We’ll tackle the most common questions, such as:

- What are the latest trends in Web marketing?

- What do Web users expect from a Web site today?

- What are the best ways to ensure an excellent experience for site visitors?

- Can you keep your site from becoming outdated as Web habits change?

- What are the best ways to get more people to participate in events?

- How can you cut through the clutter and get people to read your e-newsletters?

- What are some methods to prevent spam filters from blocking your e-mails and e-newsletters?

- Is possible to create my own social networking community for my customers or members?

- How can you measure the results of social media efforts?

- What are simple ways to improve your search engine rankings and make your site more visible?

If you are not familiar with Tendenci, it is a suite of online management software that enables you to maintain your Web site, connect and communicate with your visitors and grow your business online.

What is really great is that Tendenci is community-based software, which means that it is constantly evolving and improving. Every organization benefits as the software improves and every organization has a voice in helping to shape the evolution of the software. The teams that develop, improve and service Tendenci rely on and appreciate the candid feedback and participation of the Tendenci user community to grow the capabilities and usability of the software.

We hope you will consider joining us for the 2008 Tendenci User Conference so we can all work together to grow your Web site and online presence.

The 2008 Tendenci User Conference is free and will be held at the University of Houston Main Campus in the University Center Houston Room. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. and the programs begin at 8:45 a.m. both days.

10-Sep-08 4:00 PM

Ed Schipul quoted in 'Business of Blogging' article in QSR Magazine

Katie Laird — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Embracing Social Media could enhance your corporate identity and appeal to younger audiences

With businesses turning to their marketing sights on the Social Media world as a relevant and cost-effective communication channel, many are seriously considering starting a company Blog to aid their outreach and campaign efforts.

Ed Schipul was recently quoted in a QSR Magazine article entitled 'Business of Blogging':

Keep in mind, too, that a good blog means a frequently updated blog. “The worst blogs are the dead ones that haven’t been updated regularly, and comments are disabled,” Schipul says. “Consider a blog a living document.”

In addition, before jumping feet first into the blogging world, businesses should be aware of the possible risks with blogging. Content that borders on libel or discrimination, discloses trade secrets, or leads to a hostile work environment can lead to serious legal woes for the corporation.

The article also mentions a couple of heavy hitting restaurant-related corporate blogs to outline different ways that a large company can interact with their customers in a very real and meaningful way - McDonald's Corporate Social Responsibility blog: http://csr.blogs.mcdonalds.com and Stone Creek Coffee's blogs: http://sccv3.stonecreekcoffee.com/blog.cfm.

Have questions on how your company can incorporate Social Media Marketing into your marketing strategy? Give us a call at (281) 497.6567 or email at info at schipul.com!

3-Sep-08 11:00 AM

Schipul and client HTC featured in article on Houston tech community

Katie Laird — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Schipul and client Houston Technology Center were featured in an Opportunity Houston magazine article entitled 'Hot Spot: Information technology flourishes in Houston' (view a PDF version of the article here). From the article:

"Houston is really becoming a pillar of the Internet scene," says Marc Nathan, who came to HTC first as an investor, then accepted a position as the center's director of Entrepreneur Development with a concentration on IT. "I say the Internet specifically because that's a subset of all the IT sector, of course. We're getting a tremendous amount of interest from outside the region - specifically from the West Coast and the East Coast. They're really looking at Houston for emerging leaders."

The article also touches on Mayor Bill White's WeCAN Intitiative and featured Houston-grown tech organizations recognized by the Rice Alliance including:

Additech - fuel systems systems for retailers
Makeido - Mobile software providing geographically based info
qtags - text messaging service provider
Merrick Systems - oil and gas production software provider
Kirtsy - Community-driven site for women
Smart Imaging Technologies - Image analysis software
SnapStream - Media monitoring for PR pros
Tritaur - Web 2.0 community creators (OpMom)

Also mentioned in the article was Katie Laird's recent participation as panelist for the 'Blogging for Business' program at the Houston Technology Center entitled 'The Path to Blog-lightenment' (featured below):

Panlist Katie Laird, a strategic advisor for Schipul, a Houston-based Web marketing company, and an avid blogger (www.happykatie.com), presented "The Path to Blog-lightenment", giving tips on managing the chaos of so many social media options, harnessing the passion of social media campaigns, keeping blog magic alive by posting at least twice a week and "having fun while getting smart."

Blogging for Business with the Houston Tech Center
View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: business blogging)

3-Sep-08 10:00 AM

Understanding the possibilities: Web widgets for beginners as published in PR Tactics July 2008

Glen Zangirolami — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:00:00 GMT

This article was published in the July 2008 PR Tactics publication. Written by Schipul staffer Glen Zangirolami, 'Understanding the Possibilities: Web Widgets for Beginners' was written as an introduction into the world of widgets for PR professionals.

It’s not every day that a software developer like me writes an article for PR practitioners. However, the continued rise of social media gives everyone a platform to communicate and has made it essential for the PR community to stay on top of emerging trends in technology.

One such trend is the booming popularity of Web widgets, applications and plug-ins. Before your eyes glaze over, understand that these are essentially the same thing, but various media call them different names. In this case, let’s call them widgets.

The basics
A widget is a piece of code that can be embedded on your desktop, blog, Web site or social media profile. Many of the most popular widgets add or deliver content that is automatically updated.

Widgets are designed to make your life easier and enrich the Web browsing experience of visitors to your Web site. By automating time-consuming tasks and creating entertaining diversions, widgets allow you to strengthen bonds with Web users and build your company’s brand.

For example, at Schipul, we created a widget that manages and promotes a Facebook user’s various online identities. The idea for the widget spawned as Schipul employees promoted their personal brands. This widget helps people easily link social media profiles in sites like Del.icio.us, Digg, Flickr, LinkedIn, MySpace, Technorati, Twitter, Virb, Xbox Live and YouTube.

Web Identities makes it easier for friends on Facebook to easily access your photos, videos and blogs, or even link on Xbox to play games online.

You or your company may be using widgets already without even knowing it. A stock ticker on the company Web site is a widget, so is a download from the Weather Channel that automatically delivers the forecast to your desktop. Free widgets are available to download, though developing or customizing a widget does have costs.

PR practitioners should experiment with widgets, and social media in general, so they can knowledgeably advise their companies and clients about conceivable uses.

Widgets can be used two ways

Post an existing widget. This allows you to add value through the widget’s functionality, but doesn’t always further your brand.
Create (or hire someone to create) your own widget. Crafting a unique widget allows you to embed your company’s brand, which is virally passed as the widget is adopted by Web users.

Either approach can contribute significantly to an organization’s relationships and online brand.

Post an existing widget
To see what is available for download, visit sites like Widgetbox, Widgipedia, Yahoo! Widgets and Google Gadgets.

Simple and valuable downloads at Google Gadgets include a map widget that enables you to pinpoint addresses and a search widget that makes it easy for a visitor to search your site.

Many free widgets carry baggage. Google Gadgets include Google ad listings, which a lot of companies don’t like. Other widgets may prominently feature a logo or brand name, such as CNN’s news widget. But there are plenty of free widgets that are sleek and clean with no demands or identifiers attached.

If you like a widget but want it tweaked for use on your site, contact the widget developer. Many developers are happy to customize for a much smaller price than it would cost to create a whole new widget.

Create your own widget
In recent months, more marketers and communicators have ventured into widget development to engage their audiences and spread buzz about their brands.

Media outlets and sports teams have created widgets delivering news or entertainment. Consider creating a widget that people interested in your brand can download and post to their Web page.

If your organization or product provides unique value, consider creating a widget that showcases its special nature. For instance, an art museum can create a widget featuring different works of art from its collection each day. The museum’s Web site members can download the widget, post it on their site and feel more connected than ever.

Alternately, a paint company could offer a widget that lets users virtually paint a home, seeing how colors match or clash. This type of interactive widget builds your image as a fun, friendly company while also delivering your messages.

Ultimately, it all comes down to understanding the possibilities. Widgets are yet another method of reaching and engaging your audience.

Glen Zangirolami is a Web developer with Schipul — The Web Marketing Company, which helps organizations succeed online.

7-Jul-08 8:00 AM

Schipul teaming up with Houston Nonprofits featured in the Houston Chronicle

Margaret McDonald — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:45:00 GMT

Shannon Buggs with the Houston Chronicle wrote a great article entitled 'Nonprofits Should Make Use of Social Networking' on nonprofits and Social Networking in Houston. From the article:

"[Social Networking Sites] work great when the people, nonprofits and companies producing the stuff I like have up-to-date technology on their Web sites that allow fans to easily post information and photos to their Facebook pages.

But too often that technology — RSS formatted feeds — is nowhere to be found, especially on the Web sites of nonprofits."

Ed Schipul was quoted in the article as well:

"I can't actually do it for you," said Ed Schipul, founder and CEO of Schipul, a Web marketing firm that has a lot of nonprofits on its client list. "I can consult with you and help you recruit people within your organization, but I can't actually produce social media for you. I can only be your coach."

He advises nonprofits new to social media to start by asking every board member, staffer and volunteer if any blog or participate in other forms of social media. If any answer yes, those are your go-to people.

She continues:

Then, Schipul says, you're ready to start attending meetings of , NetSquaredan organization with chapters throughout North America that help nonprofits enter and navigate the social Web

Houston based blogger and co-founder of PR firm Vinyl Creative, Monica Danna, was also featured in the article and says "this is the time for nonprofits to get into social media while there is not a lot of traffic there [because] early adopters get the most benefit."

For more information on how your nonprofit can kick start its social media plan, visit Stag's Head the Second Tuesday of every month for NetSquared Meetings, where "self-proclaimed tech geeks attend the free meetings to advise and encourage nonprofit leaders."

Thanks to the Chronicle for supporting non-profits and the arts in the Houston Community!

Other Nonprofits in Houston that are rocking the interwebs in our opinion are:
Collage Art for Cancer
Orange Show
Caroline Collective
MD Anderson
Technology For All
Houston Zoo (a Schipul client)
CathARTx

4-Jul-08 8:45 AM

Schipul's disaster preparedness featured in Associated Press article

Joyce Rosenberg — Tue, 27 May 2008 16:00:00 GMT

Ed Schipul was featured in an Associated Press article entitled 'Disaster Planning for Small Businesses' by AP reporter Joyce Rosenberg. The piece took a look at how organizations are planning for natural disasters and other major business-altering events. An excerpt from the story:

Obviously, there's a lot more that goes into a comprehensive disaster plan, such as planning for an evacuation, or stocking up with food, water and other necessities in case you need to remain on your premises.

Ed Schipul's Internet marketing company held a daylong drill last month to practice dealing with a disaster that would render the company's Houston headquarters unusable.

Schipul acknowledged that he wasn't happy with the results. First, some staffers froze and weren't able to perform the tasks expected of them. One staffer forgot her cellphone and no one could reach her. There was an emergency plan detailed in binders, but no one had any of the binders off-site.

"The things that failed aren't the things you expect," Schipul said. "But that's why you do a simulation."

The good news for Schipul is that the employees of his namesake firm took what happened seriously, and many were upset by the fact they fell short during the exercise. He's planning another drill during the summer.

This article was featured in over 20 different publications including the LA Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, which together have a circulation of more than three million readers.

27-May-08 11:00 AM

Social Media to-do list for Flickr and Facebook

Kim Lange — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 16:00:00 GMT

There are 2 new help files written for public use on Schipul.com. They are target social media marketing on Flickr and Facebook for Children’s Museum's in Metropolitan areas. However, these new help files can be adapted for general use.

Here are links to the to-do list help files.

The benefits of using social media marketing to market your business online are described below.

More intimate audience: The friends or fans you make on Flickr or Facebook are genuinely interested in your business and tend to be quality contacts who support your brand or else they would not be your fan or friend.
Cost effective: Most social sites are free like Facebook or charge a minimal fee like Flickr. You don’t need a fat budget to peruse these networks as part of your marketing. You just need time.
Communication that is desired: The fans or friends in your network have opted into your content meaning they want you to communicate with them. They have a desire to know what is going on in your organization or business.
Easy organization of offline events: Using Facebook for marketing offline events has been made super easy. In just a couple of clicks you can create an event invitation and invite your fans all in one click!

If you have questions about how Schipul can help your business succeed with a Social Marketing Campaign contact Kim Lange at 281.497.6567 ext.514.

30-Apr-08 11:00 AM

Reaching those on the go: Mobile Web users present next major challenge for public relations

Tim Newton — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 19:30:00 GMT

The following article, written by Schipul's Creative Director Tim Newton, appears in the May issue of PR Tactics.

Last year’s introduction of the iPhone was much more than the launch of the latest high-tech gadget. With its touch screen and zoom-in, zoom-out capabilities, the iPhone was the first handheld device that advanced the Web browsing experience.

It signaled the beginning of a new era for Web marketing: the mobile Web.
In the months and years to come, expect others to follow Apple’s lead, offering easy-to-use handheld Web browsing devices at more accessible prices. In fact, experts, such as Brian Fling of blueflavor.com, predict that 60 percent of mobile phone users will be browsing the Web on their devices at least once per month within the next two years.

Just as Google changed how Web users search for information, Really Simple Syndication (RSS) changed how Web users managed information overload. The emergence of social media also changed how information is generated and shared online. Now, the era of mobile Web browsing devices is beginning to have a profound impact on how PR practitioners communicate with their target publics.

The new normal
Being connected around-the-clock has blurred the line between work and life. Think about it: Some college graduates entering the work force never knew a time when cell phones were not ubiquitous.

Inevitably, mobile Web browsing is going to be the norm and you want to be able to deliver your messages to people on the go.

More people have access to the Web today via mobile phones than through personal computers. Highly capable cell phones with at least some Web browsing capabilities are in nearly everyone’s pocket or purse already.

Therefore, it is a good idea for PR practitioners to start thinking about how their organization’s Web site performs in the mobile environment.

The Web marketing community is still coming to terms with how user behavior is changing and the full breadth of strategic adjustments that may be advisable. However,every organization must be aware of this important trend and begin tweaking their Web site to ensure that it’s accessible to users of mobile devices.

How is it different?
Though the mobile Web is the same Internet on a handheld wireless device, those who think of it as simply a smaller Web browser will not have much success to attracting mobile Web users. Users approach the browsing experience differently. Browsers using personal computers tend to be attracted to a Web site’s content. Eye-catching flash animation and vibrant images can prompt people to spend more time learning about a company’s products and services. They will often read lengthy pages of text if it is relevant to their interests.

Those same elements can have the opposite effect on mobile Web users who tend to be on the go and need information fast. So far, plug-ins such as flash are not supported by mobile devices, so pages with animation or photographs can frustrate mobile Web users.

Immediate needs drive behavior
The best way to approach the mobile Web is to focus on the context of the user at the moment. Users tend to access the mobile Web for information based on their specific circumstances.

For instance, a person heading to the airport might check their flight status, the weather in their destination city or restaurant reviews. Their needs at that moment drive their online behavior. Ultimately, the content on the mobile Web has little value if it ignores context.

What to do?

Focus on the user. Think of what the user needs to do on the site rather than what the association thinks they need. Mobile Web users need you to deliver brief bursts of value.
Test the site in realistic circumstances. Try it with a variety of devices. Ask users what they do and how they use the site on their mobile device.
Think about context. Since the mobile Web is more about the user’s context, think about what is going on around the user. What will they need to find out? For instance, make it easy to get to addresses, phone numbers and event locations. Target the needs of people on the go.
Start over if necessary. Approaching the mobile Web as simply the PC on a cell phone is a bad idea. The two are fundamentally different and demand individual attention. As we grow more accustomed to the mobile Web, the differences will become clearer, so adjust now.
Keep it simple. Limit your links and categories, and prioritize links by activity and popularity. A streamlined site serves the need for easy navigation.

This is the right time for PR practitioners to examine whether their sites properly serve the users who access information on mobile Web browsers.

The era of the mobile Web is here to stay, and it’s going to get bigger. For any Web site to effectively communicate with mobile users, its creators must examine how the site performs on this new platform, listen to the Web audience and move quickly to make necessary changes.

25-Apr-08 2:30 PM

The 3 Motivations of People, Material, Social and Ideological

Ed Schipul — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:00:00 GMT

*** DRAFT ***

It is frequently said that everything in life is a negotiation. Certainly convincing a child to do their homework is both a “sale” and a “negotiation” and neither is easily accomplished. We all have an agenda that changes constantly over the years and even over the course of the day as our need for food and sleep varies.

In the process of this need for persuasion, I propose it is helpful to develop a balanced three pronged approach to persuading people aligned with their motivations. Specifically the goal of this article is to put forth an easy-to-use motivational framework –an actionable framework to design a persuasive system for people.

I am setting out by humbly standing on the shoulders of giants such as Mancur Olson, Hardin and Clark & Wilson. I have not done them justice in that my simplifications omit subtleties of their work. Still I like simple, so we will layer on complexity only after first laying three simple foundation bricks in this article.

People are motivated in three ways: material, social and ideological.

When designing a persuasive system such as a political cause, seeking employment or just a shopping trip, it is helpful to do two steps:

Define the audience.
Build a balanced persuasive system across two, or maybe all three, of our foundation stones of material, social and ideological motivations.

Material Motivations of People

By saying ‘material’ motivations, I am referring to cash, discounts, or benefits with monetary value, such as a politician’s golf trip to Scotland. Another material benefit might be insider information that results in a sure-fire economic benefit.

The good news is that material motivations are the most direct and transparent of the three motivations of people. Pay X amount for Y. A coupon is worth X amount towards the purchase of Product Y. Given company Z manufactures Y and wants A (you!) to buy it; X coupon makes sense. Or just put it on sale. Or give it away. Give A an economic incentive to do your bidding.

Of course daily life is more complex than a purchase at the corner store. And that is the point –material incentives are typically clear. Pay this, get that. Done.

Material incentives include actions that create value in other manners as well, perhaps unrealized by the recipient until revealed. A good example of this is a Blogger linking to your brand thereby helping your Google rank – most likely without you knowing. This is an indirect but very real financial benefit to the linked site.

The time-value of money matters. People who have mastered the basics of economics and can provide for themselves will frequently choose a larger deferred payment over an immediate but lower payment. Money has value in relation to currency and time, but mostly time. So consider timing carefully when putting a material motivation in place.

Transparency matters. Be clear on the price of the goods or services you wish to sell. This can be extended to include educating the consumer so they reframe their understanding of the material value. Advertising does this regularly as does public relations.

Material incentives can be divisive for social motivations. Putting bonuses in place for great ideas is a fine program, but only if the bonuses are small enough that they don’t lead people to cut out their peers. Ask anyone who has ever had to define a commission system. They can tell you the challenges and unusual behavior created by a poorly designed material incentive system.

Bottom line – above a baseline material level, don’t mess with material incentives. At higher levels, humans are far more influenced by social factors. Again – this is above a certain level and definitely varies by personality. So be careful introducing complex material systems without taking social and ideological factors into consideration.

Material incentives dominate the bottom of Maslow’s hierarchy. Money or things of value like arrowheads let you buy a house and a buffalo brisket. You literally buy your way in. This is clear and fair and your first motivational tool.

When material incentives are offered in a transparent and fair manner they are likely the most ethical form of persuasion. Everyone understands exactly what is going on.

Social Motivations of People

Social incentives are by far the most complex of our three. Humans are social creatures. The right relationship can solve all of your material needs. So it can be argued that social motivations are stronger than most material incentives. Above some baseline of course.

Social motivations include:

Identity
Social belonging
Relationships
Sex (and therefore immortality)
Achievement in a public forum
Self-esteem (relating with yourself)
Organized religion (see also ideological)
Politics and political influence
Authority (see Milgram experiments)
Fame

Even our most personal inner thoughts are framed by our social world view. Am I beautiful? Well that depends on if you lived along the Nile 10,000 years ago, were a flapper in the 1920’s, aspired to be Marilyn Monroe or related to Christy Turlington in the ‘80s. It may be your own perception of you, but it is ‘framed’ by your time and social perspective. To identify is social.

Social belonging is best summed up as ‘we all want to be loved’. We want to be accepted.

We are not that different in this respect from dogs. I love my dog and she is a member of our pack. The harshest punishment for a pack animal is to be shunned from the pack. Historically, being kicked out of the pack included material losses such as shelter and food, perhaps leading to very real death. Luckily, in modern times, pack membership is not so life-and-death. Yet it remains a powerful motivator. And a complex one.

Most luxury goods are bought and sold based on social factors – not material.

Social motivations can further be divided as:

You
You and family
You and larger groups

Even for extroverts, self-perception and roles within groups start with ‘you’. So from a persuasive perspective, it is easiest to assume everyone is somewhat selfish and introverted.

The few self-actualized Buddhas in our midst are so used to being approached this way, that it won’t even bother them.

To improve your own standing in a social group, you must provide social or material benefits to other members of the group. Or engage in actions that are aligned with ideological beliefs of others. This demonstrates ideological solidarity creating a stronger social bond.

If you want to encourage the growth of a group, then facilitate this social value exchange. Grocery stores do this by putting flower bouquets near the register. They encourage you to buy flowers for others.

Receiving flowers has a value of X. Receiving flowers at work has a value of X squared! The difference? Social. And clearly not material. Imagine having a courier deliver a one hundred dollar bill to your sweetheart’s place of work. With a note. The note reads “Thanks for last weekend. Love you!” Ya, let us know how that works for you. So flowers are a social incentive. A one hundred dollar bill with a note is simply a bad idea.

Enable identity and encourage aligned communication to engage the power of social forces.

In future articles I will address engaging the listed social forces (identity, belonging, sex, etc.) in greater detail.

Ideological Motivations of People

Ideological motives are by far the hardest to harness. And before even considering leveraging ideological motivations of people, you must carefully examine the ethics of the situation.

Consider the business started by a passionate entrepreneur who has always dreamed of opening an art gallery. For years she struggles, working 70-hour weeks for little to no pay. Her first employee will be paid more than she takes home. Why? Because the art gallery is her dream, not the employee’s dream.

Because people’s dreams and beliefs are so hard coded (Middle East Peace anyone?), it makes more sense to seek out ideological affinity groups rather than try to convert people.

Yes, it is true that a strong charismatic leader with financial resources and a strong social “pack” can impart ideology in people. But consider their tools. Televangelists preach the prosperity gospel (material) to their flocks (social) for a reason. Just how much of an ideological leap is it to convince people that God wants them to be rich? They employ material and social tools to convert listeners to an easy self-interested ideological position. Whether this is true biblically or not, I have no idea. The point is that, as an example, the prosperity gospel preachers successfully leverage material and social powers to a low ideological threshold.

It is better for you to seek out and align yourself with those whose passions are in line with your objectives. If you run a pet store or an animal shelter, advertise at the zoo and on the nature channel. If you manage a sporting goods store, sponsor local athletes. (Remember, Nike didn’t advertise for 20 years – they did sponsorships!)

Two corollaries of ideological motivations of people are 1) that start-up businesses make terrible clients. The founders do not understand why a vendor doesn’t stay up all night working for free like they do! And 2) that hand off from a founder to the next generation in any business is almost always bumpy. Those with strong ideological beliefs find compromising to purely material or social motivations almost an insult. Of course it isn’t, but think of this as a world-view problem. Accept and deal with humility and you will have greater success.

The good news is that with search engines, it is so much easier to find people along ideological lines. Build a database of like-minded people. Help them first. Link to their blogs. Sponsor their events. Be transparent about your motives and build trust over time. Long term, you will gain advocates with one of the strongest motivations possible – shared beliefs. And you may even form a social group!

Other Motivations

For the purposes of this article I have enclosed all motivations under one of three umbrellas; material, social and ideological. Some of these aren’t a perfect fit for all people at all stages of their life. The sex drive is a good example of this where it leads to offspring, which is both a social and ideological incentive. But perhaps also material in cultures where children care for their parents exclusively. So this is complex. For our purposes however, the three motivations framework should be sufficiently actionable.

How to Apply the Framework

Simple. Keep it simple. Take out a piece of paper and:

1) Determine first what you want to accomplish. This is a mini mission statement. Perhaps as simple as I want them to buy widget X.

2) Determine the audience. Who do you want to buy widget X?

3) Write three columns on a piece of paper: material, social and ideological. In those three categories strategize how you can reach out to your audience.

Yes, a piece of paper with the audience (or better yet a persona) written at the top. Three columns labeled material, social and ideological. Your strategies for each motivation written below that. The columns for material and social should have more in them than ideological of course.

Good luck! Having used this for a while now, I can say we have had great results using this framework. I wish you luck as well!

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3 Motivations Mapping
Harding Exceptions to Mancur Collective Action book	Clark & Wilson	Schipul 3 Motivations
Selective Incentives Cash Gift Cards Free Stuff	Material Incentives Tangible rewards (money) Wages Interest Fringe benefits Patronage	Material Cash Discounts Volunteers get free admission to events Linkbacks to your sites Promotion*
Political Entrepreneurship Power Fame Publicity	Solidarity Incentives Intangible rewards derived from association Sociability Status Identity	Social Networking Socialization Identity Certification/validation Professional/Development Sex Relationships Organized Religion (see ideals too) Status Esteem Some politics… Achievement Self-esteem* Promotion
Extrarational Behavior True Ideologues Belief based behavior Fanatics	Purposive Incentives Intangible rewards related to the goals of the organization Satisfaction from working on an election campaign for a candidate whose position agrees with yours Perceived rewards of a pacifist who contributes time and money to antiwar groups	Ideals Belief in a cause Long term political goals Religious / spiritual Self - actualization Art

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References and Sources in no particular order:

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, by Robert B. Cialdini - ISBN 978-0688128166

The Logic of Collective Action, Public Goods and the Theory of Groups, by Mancur Olson – ISBN 0-674-53751-3

Collective Action, Theory and Applications, by Todd Sandler – ISBN 0-472-09501-3

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference, by Malcolm Gladwell - ISBN 978-0316346627

Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne - ISBN 978-1591396192

The Father of Spin, Edward Bernays and the Birth of Public Relations, by Larry Tye – ISBN 0-8050-6789-2

Unlimited Wealth, the Theory and Practice of Economic Alchemy, by Paul Zane Pilzer – ISBN 0-517-58211-2

Thinking About the Future, Guidelines for Strategic Foresight, by Andy Hines and Peter Bishop, - ISBN 13: 978-0-9789317-0-4

How Customers Think, by Gerald Zaltman – ISBN 1-57851-826-1

My Life in Advertising and Scientific Advertising , by Claude Hopkins - ISBN 978-0844231013

No Logo, by Naomi Klein - ISBN 978-0312421434

The Fall of Advertising and the Rise of PR, by Al Ries & Laura Ries - ISBN 978-0060081997

2-Jan-08 3:00 PM