When did you succeed or fail at sparking conversation

hosted by Ariel Zirulnick

• hashtag campaigns: the key is combining easy use of technology with a moment that is ripe. Example, #votingbecause in Seattle in the days and weeks leading up to November election. So many residents yearning to share their hopes/fears and used a meme generator that was seamless.

• Led to discussion on tools that are accessible to shoestring orgs such as: Vox meme generator which is open source; lunchbox; NPR’s audiogram

• Facebook convo starters: modeling is one good way to stir conversations. Example, a popular author book giveaway, asked readers to fill in: “Seattle is home for me because…?”, we had the author fill in the first entry and I filled in the second, before we even opened it up to readers. Led to more comments bc we models what a response might look like.

• don’t be shy about having colleagues, friends and stakeholders to share posts on FB

• Choosing partners that have existing audiences

• A painful fail: A public radio outlet that was asked by a network to partner on a panel about a local ethnic community. But there was no homework on, or questions put to, community in question, leaving a lot of frustration and even anger in the local community after the network left. Which local station now has to heal. Underscores need to know why you are meeting. What is the point; what specifically do you hope to gain.
• partner with nonprofits and other partners with their own valued audiences
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