Here’s a sneak peak of HSUS’s dashboard and what they are “listening” for.
- Brand – mentions of your nonprofit, including acronyms, misspellings, etc.
- Current Issues – what people are talking about that involve your nonprofit right now.
- Detractors – people or other nonprofits you know dislike your nonprofit or issue but talk about you (the opposition).
- Competition – nonprofits or people in the same space as your nonprofit.
- Staff Mentions – prominent people in your organization like your Executive Director.
HSUS Monitors Their Brand Via:
- Google Alerts
- Tweetmeme – tracks the most popular tweets about a subject.
- Technorati – tracks blogs that mention certain keywords.
- Blogpulse – a blog monitoring tool.
- Digg – highlights most popular articles on the web.
- Boardreader – shows forum posts by keyword.
- Filtrbox – a paid monitoring service that tracks social media conversations.
Carie’s Tips for Getting Started:
- Start with a blank iGoogle page.
- Choose the 3 column layout.
- Open a new browser window. Do a search on Technorati for your org name. You’ll see a “subscribe” link. Click on it.
- A window in Google Reader should open. Copy the feed URL in the top left corner.
- Go back to iGoogle, and click on “add stuff” and add feed or gadget.
- Paste the URL into the box and save.
- You’ll be taken back to your iGoogle page, where you should see a new box with the content from Technorati mentioning your org name.
- Repeat these steps for each site, then each tab and voila you have your own dashboard to monitor your nonprofit’s brand.
