2012 Homelessness Marathon Social Media Guidelines

2012 Homelessness Marathon Guidelines
and Plans for Social Media


Content -

  1. General Social Media Plans
  2. Social Media Guidelines
  3. Build a “Homelessness Marathon Media” Team
  4. Social Media Terms of Use

1. General Social Media Plans

The promise of using social media for social change is that it allows organizations to engage individuals in ways traditional media does not -- directly, democratically, transparently, and at low cost. The kernel of social media is two-way communication, a conversation. Social media allows groups to build a following, and possibly communicate and coordinate towards collective social action.

Our goals in making better use of new online communication tools are to:

  • Increase awareness of homelessness in the US and Canada
  • Empower homeless individuals and homelessness support organizations
  • Expand and strengthen the Homelessness Marathon’s listening and viewing audience

The information in this section describes a general approach to utilizing social media to promote and publicize the broadcast.

  • Build a core social media team
  • Focus on different geographic areas (regionally or by city)
  • Work with different groups focusing on the homeless issue (homeless individuals, advocacy organizations, social service organizations, media outlets, etc.)
  • Recruit individuals that already do this work like @thatpovertyguy, @project5050, and @invisiblepeople

Current social media spaces used by the Homelessness Marathon

Use Twitter to communicate updates on homeless news and marathon activities
  • Develop a goal of 1000 followers (last year the number was 300)
  • Develop an “Underheard in Kansas City” group in the host city similar to last year’s Underheard in New York project. This effort would provide phones to 3 or 4 homeless individuals that allow them to tweet their situation or activities.

Use Facebook to share photos, videos, and marathon updates
  • Rebuild Facebook Page with a goal of 3000 people that like the page. Last year it reach 650 in 5 weeks with 150 liking the page around the time of the marathon.
  • Connect with community radio and TV stations
  • Connect with homeless individuals and advocacy organizations

Find and share YouTube videos created by homeless individuals, like Mark Horvath (invisiblepeople.tv)
  • Create and add videos to the Homelessness Marathon YouTube channel
  • Connect with community radio and TV stations

2. Social Media Guidelines


The following items describe ways Homelessness Marathon staff and supporters can improve the use of social media sites to increase the publicity and promotion of the radio broadcast.


Be authentic
  • use your own “voice” to communicate with your social media network
  • use conversational tone
  • use proper spelling and grammar
  • use an open privacy setting to match the transparency of the organization

Examples of effective Facebook conversation by WeAreVisible -

Happy Monday everyone! Has anybody heard of the homelessness marathon?

 What kind of homeless myths have you heard?

 Homelessness Myth #18: The Police Will Solve It

 I am curious to see what you all think about the homeless count.....

 I think this story just goes to show that homelessness can affect anybody, anywhere!

 AOL News Inspires Sherri Shepherd to Help an 'American Gladiator,' Debbie Clark, in Need

 I admire this young lady very much!

 In High School and Alone in a Homeless Shelter - Neediest

 Lots of folks are upset about a shelter moving into their neighborhood. How would you respond?

 Planned Manhattan Homeless Shelter Leaves Alexander Hotel Residents In Uproar, Authorities MIA

 I do think that HUD needs to get in touch with the real numbers of homelessness, what do you think?

 Looking for Homelessness in All the Wrong Places | Poverty in America | Change.org

 So what did you all think of the State of the Union address the president gave?

Ok so I just had another conversation with an individual who said that every homeless person he has met didn't want to do anything to get out of homelessness to which I of course replied "Well then you need to be around more homeless people because a snapshot does not make up the whole picture, does it?" What do you think?


Be responsible
  • acknowledge contributors on the home page
  • place your name or initials in the body of the post or update
  • information shared should be honest and fair; stuff your grandmother would not be ashamed of

Consider your audience
  • Share updates about radio/TV stations that are Homelessness Marathon broadcast affiliates
  • Share updates about individuals and organizations that have been guests on past broadcasts

Bring value
  • include one topic per update. Facebook updates are limited to 420 characters. Use the Notes application to create a longer update -- think “blog” when you use Notes. Twitter updates are limited to 140 characters.
  • provide updates within 24 hours or as close to the inquiry, event, or activity as possible
  • limit FB updates to 5 per day maximum
  • post on staff changes, board of director changes
  • post on program schedule changes and special programs
  • post on special events and fundraising
  • post on items or topics that listeners are interested in
  • re-post items or topics that listeners or supporters have posted.
  • always include a photo, video, or web link with a post
  • frequently refer readers back to main website

3. Build a “Homelessness Marathon Media” Team


This is a proposal to enlist contributors for non-radio content.


This is an invitation to Homelessness Marathon supporters to contribute your media skills to promoting community radio. New media outlets allow individuals and groups to directly create and publish content -- such as video, photography, and writing. In addition to these formats, Homelessness Marathon is also looking for people to participate in our social media networks, namely, Facebook and Twitter. The purpose of creating content is to increase the number of Homelessness Marathon listeners and supporters towards raising awareness about homelessness.


What types of activities can contributors follow?
  • Cover events and activities focusing on the homelessness issue and organizations
  • Write a story about your encounter with homelessness


What types of media content is Homelessness Marathon seeking from contributors?

How often should contributors share content?
  • To ensure Homelessness Marathon does not expect too much of the contributors, asking volunteers to contribute content once every two months would ensure an adequate coverage of events.
  • To ensure a steady flow of content, Homelessness Marathon should seek 5 people for each format, namely, 5 videographers, 5 photographers, and 5 bloggers.
  • If all 15 contributors shared content once every two months, then the Homelessness Marathon will have at least 7 submissions every month.
  • During the lead-up to the radio broadcast, contributors would be encouraged to develop more content and comments.

Who can be contributors? Who will be editors?
  • So as to not overburden Homelessness Marathon content contributors, the best place to start would be to search for talented individuals from the current list of volunteers and supporters.
  • Individuals representing the host city of the broadcast could “cover” events in that surrounding area.
  • In order to ensure continuity and consistency, one or more editors should be designated to review and “approve” the content.

How can people support Homelessness Marathon social media networks?
  • For starters, Media Team members can comment on Facebook page updates, share Homelessness Marathon Facebook events with Friends, and re-tweet Tweets.
  • Select 1 or 2 people with an affinity for a particular area of the homelessness issue, would help ensure more balanced covered of the program schedule. These people can post Facebook updates and tweet at these particular times.
  • Finding individuals that have a knack for using social media networks.


How will contributors be recognized?
  • Developing a “Homelessness Media Team” will provide a way to recognize contributors on the Homelessness Marathon website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel.
  • Homelessness Marathon can recognize volunteers during the on-air broadcast.

Next steps:
  • Select contact person and develop process to vet contributors
  • Post invitation to website, e-newsletter, Facebook, Twitter
  • Connect Flickr group, YouTube channel, and blog to Homelessness Marathon website; integrate all sites with each other
  • Launch “Media Team” after content has been “seeded” for one month.
  • Discover all Homelessness Marathon social media connections from programmers, others

4. Social Media Terms of Use


Homelessness Marathon encourages a free and open exchange of ideas in a climate of mutual respect. Any action by a user that infringes on another user's right to use the Homelessness Marathon social media network is prohibited.


Specifically, you may not:


  • Provide any information that is false, misleading or inaccurate.
  • Use any portion of Homelessness Marathon for any unlawful purpose or otherwise fail to comply with all applicable domestic and international laws, statutes, ordinances and regulations.
  • Use any portion of Homelessness Marathon social media networks for uploading, posting, e-mailing, or transmitting content that is harmful to others in any way, harassing, harmful, threatening, abusive, vulgar, obscene, defamatory, libelous, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable.
  • Use any portion of Homelessness Marathon for uploading, posting, e-mailing, transmitting or otherwise making available junk mail, commercial advertisements, or any other form of commercial solicitation.
  • Attempt to interfere with any other person's use of Homelessness Marathon.
  • Misrepresent your identity or impersonate any person.
  • Hold yourself out as sponsored by, endorsed by, or affiliated with Homelessness Marathon.
  • Homelessness Marathon has no responsibility for the content on sites linked from our site or social media spaces.
  • To register a complaint about another user's conduct, please e-mail need-email@homelessnessmarathon.org, or write to Homelessness Marathon