Local Foundation is Pathbreaker in Use of New Social Media

NEW ORLEANS – The Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF) announced today that it is breaking new ground by using social media tools to listen to and interact with communities across the Greater New Orleans region. Its recently retooled website invites New Orleanians and others to engage conversation-style with the Foundation about community issues.

“As far as we know, we are the first community foundation to interact in this way with the community we serve. We are sharing information about the work we’re doing and encouraging community members to leave their comments and opinions. We want to know if our work is actually having an impact, and there is no better way to find out than to invite feedback,” said Dr. Ruesga, president & CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation.

“The Second Line” is the name of the Foundation’s new blog. Led by Dr. Ruesga, who is a nationally recognized blogger on nonprofit issues, the Second Line will feature contributions from community leaders involved in regional issues. Dr. Ruesga’s first blog post is titled “Are there too many charities in New Orleans?”

Another unique feature is that several pages will have Vietnamese and Spanish translations on grantmaking opportunities offered by the Foundation. “We feel it is very important to reach out to all members of our community and make sure they have the chance to access precious community resources,” said Martha Landrum, the Foundation’s vice president for communications.

Another interactive feature geared specifically for the nonprofit audience is the Bulletin Board. Nonprofits can use this online tool to share news about goods and services available.

For more information, please visit the redesigned website at http://www.gnof.org.

The Greater New Orleans Foundation is the community foundation serving the 13-parish Greater New Orleans metropolitan area. We design and lead initiatives that improve the region, connect donors to community needs, identify and support great nonprofits, and strengthen civil society.

What's a "Twitter?"

AND HOW IT CAN KEEP YOU INFORMED DURING A STORM

Twitter is the newest form of social media that can be set up to send/receive information from the text messaging function of your cell phone at no additional cost. This is why it may be your most useful new communication tool for the upcoming hurricane season.

Here are some important accounts you should follow and receive text updates from to stay informed about the weather as it relates to us:

1. @evacuteer
2. @gohsep
3. @nolanews

Just getting started? Fear not! Here's a simple guide to Twitter:

Get started:

1. Go to twitter.com and click the big green button that says "sign up."

2. Follow steps to create your account.

3. Don't forget to fill out all profile information including a mini-bio, your location and a photo. All of these things can be found in the "settings" tab in the top right corner.

4. Follow people! Start with the three above suggested, and next, of course, you will want to follow @npnnola! Then you can go to our profile and see who we're following. Follow as many or as few people as you want - you can always unfollow them later if you realize that you're not interested in their updates!

5. Update! "Tweet" useful information and updates that you think others will be interested in.
Example of a good tweet: There's going to be a great free music festival going on downtown tonight!
Example of a bad tweet: I'm going to the grocery store

6. Set up your mobile device. iPhone and blackberry have self explanatory applications. If you have any other type of phone, follow these steps:
a. click "settings" in the top right corner
b. click "devices" tab
c. enter and save your mobile number
d. make sure "devices" are on
e. go to the profiles that you want to receive text updates from, click the grey box below their picture and select "device updates - on"

NOTE: THIS SHOULD ONLY BE A SELECT FEW WHO WILL SEND IMPORTANT UPDATES (SUCH AS THE ONES LISTED ABOVE) STANDARD TEXT MESSAGING RATES WILL APPLY - IF YOU HAVE UNLIMITED TEXT MESSAGING, THIS WILL NOT COST ANYTHING.

Glossary of terms:
Tweet - an individual post on twitter
RT - stands for "re-tweet," this is when someone re-posts something you said
@ - this is a 'reply,' placed in front of someones name when you are responding
to one of their posts
# - a hashtag - used to group similar topics together. Ex: #nola means your post
was New Orleans related. Don't overuse this.

Still have questions? E-mail me! web@npnnola.com

NPN Resource Library: Now Open!

The new resource library is now open to all NPN members. Planning and City of New Orleans documents and a comprehensive collection of post-Katrina research are just a few of the many resources available. We also have digital cameras, a video camera and two internet computer stations set up and are looking to expand the library to include a meeting space. Full access is free for members!

If you are a member of NPN, please drop by and check it out! 4902 Canal St. Suite 301 or email Kelly (at) kelly@npnnola.com for more information.



BUT WAIT,OUR LIBRARY STILL NEEDS WORK!
(here is our wish list)

1. Medium sized round table/4 chairs
2. Large dry-erase board
3. Large bulletin board
4. Video and/or still digital cameras
5. Any documents related to: City planning, education, rebuilding, etc.

Donations may be dropped off during regular business hours (9-5, M-F), and you will be issued a receipt for tax purposes upon delivery.

CNOCDC Briefing: 4 Years After Katrina