People much smarter than me (than I?) have written reams on the meaning, purpose and use of FaceBook and Twitter in our lives, at work and at play.  People like me tend to say, “Why, six months ago I didn’t even know what FaceBook was and now I use it all the time!” and that’s about the extent of my analysis of these programs.   All kidding aside, what I have managed to figured out so far about social media, and in particular Facebook, is that for a nonprofit arts organization, they are great promotional and informational tools.   (I’ve also figured out, as has everyone else, that they are great ways to connect with your past – best friend from middle school, first love from high school…but that’s the subject for another post.)  FaceBook allows a robust, ongoing, and multi-faceted conversation to take place on important (and sometimes not-so-important) issues, with an engaged and passionate constituency that expands every day.  This kind of conversation and contact is a boon to advocacy, service and development organizations like Arts Wisconsin, because it allows us to share ideas, provide services, get reactions, and understand what’s happening locally and globally in very comprehensive ways.

I confess that I am more hesitant about Twitter, because I feel like I haven’t quite grasped the essential idea of that service.  But I’m trying to learn!

Arts Wisconsin has almost 2000 members of our “Cause” page (and we’ve received over $200 in donations through that page) and has just established a “Fan” page that will enable us to more fully interact with our constituents.  We’ve gained several hundred fans in less than a week – I call that a pretty good way to connect!  If you are on FaceBook (and I’ll bet you are), become an Arts Wisconsin Fan today at www.facebook.com/artswisconsin!