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Web 2.0 for the voluntary sector

By Anne Stevens

An overview of what web 2.0 means, example sites and how the voluntary sector can take advantage of this type of user interaction

Introduction

Web 2.0 is a commonly heard catchphrase these days but what does it actually mean, and how can the voluntary sector make best use of these new trends in user behaviour and interaction?

Wikipedia defines web 2.0 as a “second generation of web-based communities and hosted services — such as social-networking sites, wikis and folksonomies — which aim to facilitate collaboration and sharing between users.”

Web 2.0 sites allow users to store and share content, to interact with that content and with each other, and to create and join groups based around a particular interest.

Examples of web 2.0 sites

Content creation and sharing

There are lots of sites that allow users to share their content with each other.  This type of content is generally known as “user generated content”.  Two of the more well known examples include YouTube and Flickr.  Anyone can upload a videos or pictures to these sites. Other users can then rate, tag and comment on them and even include them in their own blogs or sites, thus sharing this content around the internet so that it has a life beyond the original site.

Social networking

There are many social networking sites out there but some of the best known are Facebook, MySpace, and Bebo. What all social networking sites have in common is that users can create their own profile to represent them online and then interact with other users.  This interaction may include sending messages, chatting in real time, posting links to sites and content that may be of interest, creating groups and planning events.

Blogging

Setting up and publishing your own blog is very easy and there are several sites out there which will allow you to do this. It won’t cost you anything and you don’t need your own website or any technical skills.  Try Blogger, WordPress, or LiveJournal. Blogging is an easy and informal way to make your voice and message heard.  Readers of your blog can add their own comments so it’s very easy to get a debate going.

There are also lots of examples of mainstream sites that have incorporated aspects of web 2.0 interaction. Many well known content providers such as the BBC, The Guardian, and The Times allow users to interact with their content in some way, be it rating, commenting or uploading their own content. They also offer their journalists an informal way of communicating with readers by creating blogs such as The Guardian’s Comment is Free  and the BBC’s Newsnight.

Practical applications within the voluntary sector

The voluntary sector is especially well placed to make use of these new developments in user interaction with websites.  By their very nature, voluntary organisations tend to be centred around a theme or topic of some sort. People interested in this theme will naturally be drawn towards others who share this interest and so community and collaboration online are an ideal way of leveraging this. Some practical ways of kick starting this interaction follow:

Knowledge sharing

Where more than one organisation is working for the same cause, or one organisation is working in multiple locations, social networking gives people the opportunity to share knowledge about their activities and so collaborate more easily. This is especially useful in cases where it may not be practical to hold face-face meetings due to geographical location or physical difficulties. Social networking sites present the opportunity to form useful contacts, share ideas and spark debates.

Raising awareness and recruiting supporters

Web 2.0 technologies provide a very easy and cost effective way for voluntary organisations to raise their own profiles or that of the causes they champion. By creating a MySpace page or a Facebook group you can draw attention to yourself and gather together a community of like-minded individuals. Creating a blog is another great way of getting your message out there. Your readers can comment on anything you post and so topics of interest can be debated.

It’s also very easy to self-publicise by using sites like YouTube and Flickr.  Promotional videos or pictures can be created and posted to these sites.  Interest can then be spread if users link to these materials from their own profiles on social networking sites.

Existing examples

There are several organisations that are already using web 2.0 sites to promote their cause. Some of these are below:

• NSPCC on Bebo: By creating a page on a Bebo, which is a popular site with teenagers, the NSPCC not only raised awareness of their work but also provided an easy and accessible way for children to contact them.
• Cancer Research on MySpace: This site promotes the work of Cancer Research and raises the profile of events such as Breast Cancer Awareness month.  Perhaps most importantly it also gives people who have been affected by cancer in some way a chance to make contact with each other and share experiences and support each other.
• Oxfam on Facebook: Anyone can create a group on Facebook and it’s a great way of gathering together people with a shared interest. It also allows you to send messages to all members of your group and so the group can also act very much as a newsletter. Here Oxfam are using the group to link to their videos on YouTube and to promote campaigns they are running. (You need to be registered on Facebook to view Oxfam on Facebook but registration is free).
• Oxfam on YouTube: Another example of Oxfam making use of a Web 2.0 site. Here they have posted a video promoting fair trade. Users can interact with this video by rating or commenting on it or posting it into their own blogs or profiles.
• Passionately Pink for the Cure on Flickr: This is a group that has been created on Flickr to promote breast cancer awareness. Users posted their pink themed photos and for each photo uploaded Yahoo (owners of Flickr) contributed $1 to the charity.

Legal Considerations

When publishing anything online there are some important legal points to consider. Issues of both copyright and privacy are very important. Remember that anything published online can be seen by a worldwide audience. Key points to bear in mind are:

• Be very careful about copyright. Never publish any material you don’t own without crediting it.  This includes video, images, words and pictures. If you produce a video, do not include any music in it that you do not have the rights to use.
• Respect other people’s privacy. Do not feature anyone in a video or photo without their consent. Do not post personal information about other people unless you have their permission.
• Guard your own privacy. Do not give away too much information online. Professional information may well be useful to share but be careful when it comes to personal information such as your date of birth, mobile number, address etc.  Information such as this should never be made freely available.
• Make use of privacy settings.  When you create a profile, group or blog you can often limit who can see these and only allow access to trusted users.

Conclusion

Web 2.0 offers the voluntary sector a fantastic opportunity. Promoting your cause and getting your voice heard has never been so easy. Sites such as the ones discussed above offer the chance to reach a worldwide audience, raise the profile of your organisation and gather together like-minded people to share ideas. All that’s needed is a little time and effort and a few creative ideas and soon your organisation will be seen and heard all over the web.