This blog is for volunteers, webmasters and administrators of associations and nonprofits. We discuss issues and trends in web technologies that help your organization do more with less. The blog is brought to you by Wild Apricot. Our web software helps you manage the 'boring stuff' like membership and contact records, payments, donations, website updates, event registrations, mass emails and more. Wild Apricot starts at just $25 a month (flat monthly fee; tech support and version updates are free). Take 10 seconds to sign up for a free trial and see for yourself.

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• 09 February 2010

  Twitter Maps to Promote Your Events 

  Do you use Twitter to remind your members of a meeting or fundraising event? Here's a free tool that easily creates a special map to go with your tweet, so people will be sure to find your event. Twitter users can even RSVP or add a comment, if you choose to allow those options. Read More... Posted Tuesday, February 09, 2010 3:08 PM by Rebecca | 5 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, events, Twitter, maps, event management, application, social media

• 11 January 2010

  Association Chat (#assnchat) Blog Launched 

  Launched today, Association Chat’s new blog helps association folks to connect with colleagues in the weekly #assnchat Twitter chat, and extends the conversation's reach from Twitter to the wider Web. Could your own organization and its chapters (or a network of nonprofits that share a common cause) do something similar, to help amplify your own online message? Read More... Posted Monday, January 11, 2010 5:29 PM by Rebecca | 2 Comments Filed under: Associations, Non-profit technology, nptech, online community, Blogging, Social networking, Twitter, chat, social media

• 23 December 2009

  Got Klout? Great Twitter Metrics for Nonprofits 

  Whether your nonprofit is new to Twitter or you’re simply looking for fresh insights, Klout is a excellent (free) service worth a try. Not only does it give you a host of useful metrics in one tidy package, it actively helps you understand what the numbers mean and what you can do with them. Read More... Posted Wednesday, December 23, 2009 9:45 AM by Rebecca | 5 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Social networking, Twitter, analytics, social media

• 17 December 2009

  GraphEdge Twitter Analytics: Focus on Your Networks 

  GraphEdge is a tiny company with a new social analytics tool that's primarily designed for organizational use, rather than individuals, and nonprofits may want to grab a free trial while it’s still available. Here's why. Read More... Posted Thursday, December 17, 2009 5:21 PM by Rebecca | 2 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Social networking, Twitter, analytics, social media

• 16 December 2009

  FeedBurner Gets Social 

  Google has just added two new features to help you take advantage of social media: a URL-shortening service and the ability to feed your blog posts automatically to your Twitter account from FeedBurner. Read More... Posted Wednesday, December 16, 2009 3:07 PM by Rebecca | 4 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Social networking, Twitter, RSS, Feedburner, social media

• 15 December 2009

  Skip TweetPsych... but Watch the Webinar 

  Among the new Twitter analytics tools, TweetPsych stands out for its very different perspective — it analyses the language of your tweets to create a "psychological profile" and to suggest other Twitter users who "think like you." Read More... Posted Tuesday, December 15, 2009 2:30 PM by Rebecca | 1 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Social networking, Twitter, webinar, analytics, social media

• 13 December 2009

  What Can StreamGraphs Tell You About Your Nonprofit's Twitter Strategy? 

  Twitter StreamGraphs is a Java-based visualization tool that gives you a colorful overview of the last 1000 tweets that come up in a search for any keyword, username, or list on Twitter. Pretty, yes, but is it truly useful for nonprofit organizations looking to improve their Twitter strategy? Read More... Posted Sunday, December 13, 2009 12:26 AM by Rebecca | 6 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Social networking, Twitter, analytics, social media

• 09 December 2009

  Better Twitter Analytics for Nonprofits 

  The importance of measuring the effects of your organization’s social media outreach is not in question. But what metrics should you track? How? And what can you do with those numbers? Let’s look at Twitter, for example. Read More... Posted Wednesday, December 09, 2009 6:16 PM by Rebecca | 12 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Social networking, Twitter, analytics, social media

• 28 November 2009

  What Do Twitter Lists Say About Your Brand? 

  How do other people see you and your organization? MustExist’s free List Tags tool generates a word-cloud picture of how others view your brand, based on the names of the Twitter lists you’ve been added to by other Twitter users. Read More... Posted Saturday, November 28, 2009 11:53 AM by Rebecca | 1 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Social networking, Twitter, application, social media

• 24 October 2009

  How to Find (and Map) Local People on Twitter 

  In June 2009, Nielsen reported nearly 21 million unique visitors to Twitter.com. How can a small nonprofit organization, with limited time and resources for social media, find the right people to connect with in that microblogging crowd? Try your TPS... Read More... Posted Saturday, October 24, 2009 11:11 AM by Rebecca | 3 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Web 2.0, Social networking, Twitter, maps, application, search, social media

• 16 October 2009

  Twitter Lists 101 

  Okay, yes, Twitter did ask its beta testers not to tweet about the new Lists feature just yet... but who really expects to keep a secret on Twitter? The news is already widespread online - so let's go ahead and take a look at Twitter Lists, how they work, and what they can do for you. Read More... Posted Friday, October 16, 2009 4:20 PM by Rebecca | 17 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Web 2.0, Social networking, Non-profit Communications, Twitter, social media

• 07 October 2009

  Why and How to Preview Shortened Links 

  Link-shortening services are more widely used every day, and very useful to turn a very long website address into a tiny URL that’s a better fit for social media, email, and mobile use — but shortened links can also hide a security risk. Stay safe by knowing how to preview a shortened link's destination before you click through to a bad web page. Read More... Posted Wednesday, October 07, 2009 4:17 PM by Rebecca | 4 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Twitter, security, social media

• 16 September 2009

  Twitter Replies by Email - Alternatives to TwitApps 

  What do you do when a favorite web application goes away? That’s what some 4000 users of TwitApps are wondering, now that the Twitter-to-email tool is being dropped by its developer. Sure, the code is going open source — inevitably, a new tool will come along — but what alternatives to TwitApps are out there right now? When Christine Datillo tweeted, “ One of my favorite apps - Twitapps is shutting down. This kept me off twitter 24/7. I was emailed all replies. Anyone know of substitute? ” I suggested Read More... Posted Wednesday, September 16, 2009 3:04 PM by Rebecca | 6 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Twitter, RSS, application, social media

• 14 September 2009

  Twitter 101 for Nonprofits 

  You know how, every so often, you come across a presentation you wish you’d created? For me, this week, it’s Twitter 101 for Nonprofits . In this slideshow introduction to the “fastest-growing social media platform in the world,” Frank Barry (@franswaa) and Jeff Patrick (@commonknow) hit a strong balance between overview and detail, how to and real-world case studies. In brief, here’s what the 58-slide presentation covers: What is Twitter and where did it come from? How does Twitter work? How big Read More... Posted Monday, September 14, 2009 5:09 PM by Rebecca | 4 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Social networking, Non-profit Communications, training, Twitter, social media

• 31 August 2009

  How to Post Twitter Updates on Your Facebook Page 

  A Wild Apricot reader left a comment on our post about how to publish your Facebook Page to Twitter, asking: “Is there an application out there to update a Facebook Fan Page’s status from Twitter?” The short answer is, yes, there are several ways you can do this. Here are three different tools that will do the job. Read More... Posted Monday, August 31, 2009 4:15 PM by Rebecca | 3 Comments Filed under: Non-profit technology, nptech, Social networking, Facebook, Non-profit Communications, Twitter, application, social media

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