A swift kick in the pants

This kick in the pants is not coming from me, but from one of the smartest business/marketing bloggers and book authors I have read. Yes, its Seth Godin- in a great rant about how non-profits need to get with the innovation program, take risks, and yes CHANGE.

*For another perspective check out Beth's Blog- more good points! What do you think?

The problems with a free market economy

Name calling has become pretty standard in politics lately, so I am a little weary of saying anything against a free market society for the sake of some uniformed person calling me a socialist.

This article caught my attention, and pretty much stopped me in my tracks. You see my befuddlement comes in two parts: first) according to a Gallup poll 61 percent of American's do not believe in the theory of evolution and second) US film distributors will not be importing a British made film about Charles Darwin based on the market. CRAZY. A movie about one of the most significant people in our relatively recent history (you know because humans have been around in some form for HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS and the earth itself formed 4.54 BILLION YEARS AGO) to unveil secrets of animal and human life- the evolution thereof.

Whether you believe his theory or not, his scientific theory, inquiry, study, process, published writings have made an impact of how Americans live and view their lives in the context of the rest of the world. The very notions of the 'survival of the fittest' are underlying American values. Yet a film version of this man’s life will not be available in the US because of perceived market.

Is this censorship? A free market economy at its worse?

As far as I see it the issue is that important pieces of work- art and history- will not be shared because someone isn't making a buck. This isn’t a new issue facing the arts or information. Galleries don't necessarily share important work if they won't make money from it, important news doesn't make it to the air (or is hidden in a paper or online) if it doesn't sell ad space. Commerce drives the information we have access to as people, and can become an excuse for censorship. What do you think?

Abstract Art: Making way in the White House

President Obama has made some good progress for the arts in the first 9 months of his presidency: see stimulus package. He can do more, and I am sure he will- once this Health care reform business is on its way into being, the economy is fixed and you know he has resolved two horrific wars. Or shall I say WE- cause after all it takes two to tango- and 51% of the voting public to elect a president.

This could very well be a post about volunteerism- which is more valuable now when more people need- access, educational opportunities, and hope... but it isn't.

This is just a fun blurb about how President Obama is making some changes to the permanent collection of the White House- which has been lacking in modern art- not to mention art made by people other than affluent, old, dead, white men- not that they are bad artists, just not representative of the arts, by any means. OFF THE SOAPBOX. I am excited to share with you this blog post, about what is a big step forward in arts in the white house:

By bringing works by the likes of Diebenkorn, Thomas, and Albers, as well as Jasper
Johns, Robert Rauschenberg, and Louise Nevelson, into the White House, Obama is
symbolically ridding the executive mansion—and, by extension, the U.S.
Presidency—of the xenophobia that has informed the American rejection of
abstraction. Our national fear of abstract art— “I don’t get it”—and the anger
that it can provoke—“You call that art?”—are, at least in large part, vestiges
of the anti-foreigner attitudes of the forties and fifties, which informed those
fundamentalist congressional objections to abstractionism, and gave rise to such
blots on our history as the House Un-American Activities Committee, McCarthyism,
and the electrocution of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg.

Obama’s selections also demonstrate that we are smart enough to “get” abstractionism.
He’s smarter than we are, and more eloquent—and, as a graduate of Columbia and
Harvard Law, as much a member of the Ivy League elite as is President Bush. But
President Obama has repeatedly endeavored to make himself, and even his
heterogeneity, relatable. A person from a blended family, a background colored
by loss, with the problems, struggles, internal conflicts, and flaws familiar to
so many other Americans. Perhaps if one ordinary American is willing to take the
time to appreciate and understand abstraction, the rest of us may find ourselves
inspired to do the same.

Now, doesn't this give you hope that we have a president that will support the arts?

strategy not tacticts

Seth Godin is one of the smartest men who blog, I don't know about him in real life but I enjoy his blog and his books, most significantly Tribes.



To follow up on my post that blogs aren't dead, they are the foundation of your social media strategy- his post today nails on the head why we are more interested in tools/ tactics than we are in strategy.

Most of us are afraid of strategy, because we don't feel confident outlining one unless we're sure it's going to work. And the 'work' part is all tactical, so we focus on that. (Tactics are easy to outline, because we say, "I'm going to post this." If we post it, we succeed. Strategy is scary to outline, because we describe results, not actions, and that means opportunity for failure.)

This is why every organization wants a Facebook page: because every other organization has a Facebook page. A Facebook page might be exactly what you need- but you better have a strategy to manage it, much like the editorial calendar you already have for your blog! But don't go starting a Facebook page until you have a strategy...



If you have a Facebook (twitter, youtube, myspace) page but no strategy- don't delete and start over when you feel like it either- keep doing what you are doing and build and implement a strategy based on what you have learned so far! We are nonprofits, we have budgets, just because these are free tools we have to build these into our existing marketing, fundraising, donor relations, new audience acquisition, board engagement, etc... programing. Your social media strategy should fit your demographic, your mission and vision. You should have measurable goals, a timeline and evaluative mechanisms.



Sorry to burst your bubble, but to do this stuff well you have to think ahead. Nothing is worse than starting something then not engaging with in. The expectation is you are in these spaces, think carefully how you will allocate the resources. And test the waters, thoughtfully making decisions as you learn.

So you think blogs are dead

I had this fascinating conversation with a Seattle nonprofit a week ago, and we were talking about Social Media strategies. You know, being thoughtful and having a plan about how you integrate Social Media into your existing programs and mission for your nonprofit.



First, we have to think of Social Media as something other than a broadcast system. I qualify you- your organization has information and news and content that is of great value to your constituents: your audience, patrons, donors, volunteers, fans, etc... So why aren't you making this information accessible to them? Why are you making them work so hard to love you? Well... get a blog. Get those people who visit your website to get information happy, and keep them coming back by blogging. Arts organizations have an amazing amount of content to share- whether this be events, company news or even community news- be the news source for your followers.



This is in-part what social media is about, adding value and fostering your relationships, but you have to give to get. Make it easy by having a blog on your website. This is where strategy comes in handy: create an editorial calendar and decide what you are going to post, when it will be posted and who is responsible for posting this information!



Next, make it easy for people to share that information, this is where social media really comes in handy. Add a basic share tool to the bottom of your blog, you can do this by entering a simple line of code on your blog, you can get this here. This way people who read your blog can share your information to their social networks.



Yes, of course you are going to want to create your own social networks- but this is a whole strategy we will go over in time. Start blogging!

Arts and Communities

As you may know, I am wrapping up the practicum component of my Masters in the upcoming week, on how arts organizations can and should leverage social media in order to sustain themselves and their communities. I come from the philosophy that art is good for community, good for the individual and (damn it) even good for the economy!



I am apologizing for the last time about my lean posts here- I here by swear I will make it my priority to push all the energy I have spent writing a manifesto into this here blog (as well as my other pursuits). The thing about blogging is, there is more than enough information to share; it is my goal to distill this information in a way that adds value to your life, builds a collective knowledge base, and eventually can be a cornerstone of a community of highly engaged arts professionals. Right? So taking time to find and share quality information regularly is the goal.



To kick this off, please consider joining me on Wednesday August 12th, Balagan Theatre @6:30pm as I present my practicum- on how arts organizations can leverage social media strategically. My very brief presentation will be followed up by a panel of 5 very smart and dedicated arts professionals who use social media for their arts organizations. There will be a cash bar and plenty of opportunities to network.



In the mean time check out this awesome article I found about a month ago on social networked arts communities.

What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later

Here is the more up to date presentation. The numbers shock me- but the opening slide comparing social media to teenage sex- cause everyone is doing it is one of the biggest problems I face. Just because everyone has a facebook page doesn't mean its the right strategy for your organization.

What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later

View more documents from Marta Kagan.