New and Digital Media #12

10 years time: Social media and the future of fundraising




In 10 years' time social media will have been around for 30 or so years. Online communities began in the mid-90s and blogging a little later. Accessing sites like Facebook and Myspace in the office was frowned upon in those early days and most IT policies had strict restrictions forbidding what were then deemed non-work-related activities. People tended to hide behind avatars and nicknames on social media rather than being themselves.

Since that time, only a few short years ago, the growth both in usage and functionality has been extraordinary.

Social media is now far more firmly embedded in daily life with people far more likely to post using their real name and personal profile. Today it is individuals rather than brands that are playing a strong role in building influence and many charities actively encourage their staff to engage onTwitter and Facebook as they've realised the potential.This erosion of boundaries between professional and personal has implications for how teams will be managed and structured, particularly those teams that communicate externally with service users and supporters. Everyone's a spokesperson now, so give them the tools to be a good one!

this shows the online impact in the coming years, how charities will have to find the flexibility and nimbleness to use the tools that are available, get better at sharing the video contents which would raise a very high awareness. As people in a decade will definitely be more immune to using technology. The 'service delivery' charities today have been using technology such as Skype to deliver services online. In a decade this will grow very higher and will have a huge effect as charities will be able to reach more people, regionally and nationally. Social media is very useful for raising awareness. Especially as the fact that the social networking site are typically noisy and in a sense crowded.