Attending a recent 300 guest D.C. dinner party, I expected to see about twenty personal friends and another two dozen familiar faces who were media pundits and political figures. I didn’t plan to stay long; chat it up with friends and introduce myself to some of the celebs. So much for my plans.

I entered the room and felt like I already knew everybody… and oddly enough, I felt like they knew me. It was amazing! The people and faces from my social networks had come to life!

To “LibertyMatt” I asked about his coaching duties for his son’s soccer team. I talked to “MStevens912” about her new job and shared grad school stories with “Jason912”. These were people who I had never met and yet felt like they were old friends. Conversations flowed. We just picked up where we had last left them… on Twitter and Facebook!

Fast forward to last week. On Wednesday I sat down to my computer with my morning cup of coffee and discovered the nice folks at Twitter had decided to give me a timeout. My account had been temporarily suspended for reasons unknown. As I contemplated the possibility of being cut off from my friends and my conduit for news and information, I was forced to think how the tools of social media impact my life and my organization.

My timeout lasted 48 stressful hours, during which I identified three important lessons about my growing dependency on social media tools. Consider these lessons as you further integrate these same tools into your organization’s communications strategy.

1. Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube have become an integral part of how I grow my brand, share ideas, and communicate with the world.
Without those tools, I feel completely isolated. With little or no cost, I can reach out to tens of thousands of potential customers and collaborate with hundreds of like-minded vendors and activists. Leveraging these tools is both powerful and cost effective marketing.

2. Do not take social networking sites and communities for granted.
You are at their mercy. Without warning they can unplug you and your organization from your community. Unlike paid services like your cable provider or wireless carrier, social networking sites are free. And what they giveth, they can also take away. Your problems will get solved on their time, not yours. Keep this in mind as you plan your mission critical communications efforts.

3. Don’t put all of your social media eggs in one basket.
I mention Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube because these are the tools I use. But these are not the only tools; they just happen to be new Big Three. Consider other tools and invest the time to develop a robust presence within those communities. A healthy diversification will prevent the whims of one social network from crippling your ability to communicate with the world.

Last week the California Republican Party held a “Technology Summit” that represented what I hope is the first of many conversations about the role of technology in campaigns, party building, GOTV efforts, fundraising, and communication. I was asked to speak for a few minutes and used the time to help the audience viualize the difference between the “web 1.0″ and “web 2.0″. As a student of new media who actively learns about and embraces new technology, I realize we are already taking our first significant steps in the the era of “web 3.0″. However, in the world of Republican politics… first things first.

My brief talk included two slides (left and below). The first slide highlights the overlapping and interdependent nature of web 2.0’s tools of communication. It contrasts those tools with traditional media tools like television, radio, and direct mail.

The second slide built upon an understanding that numerous communications tools are now available — none a silver bullet — that allow organizations like political parties to impact the national dialogue. Not long ago, producers, editors, and publishers were the gatekeepers to traditional media. They determined who received the coverage… how much, and how fair. Today, organizations have options. They can use tactics that embrace the MSM to reach large audiences while also deploying tactics that focus on narrow slivers of new media niches made possible by the wonderful convergence of technology and politics.

I am constantly looking for better ways to communicate the relationship of new media tools to those who are just now dipping their toes in the water. Fortunately, I StumbledUpon the featured image in this post. I like it because it is clear, comprehensive, and easy to understand. I hope these visuals are helpful.

While at Red County, we would use the service to stream editorial content from the contributors of our 30+ blog communities. I would often augment the feed with personal comments to keep things a bit more interesting. Unfortunately, unlike my close personal friends, @aplusk (1,825,141), @ryanseacrest (1,037,533), and @oprah (1,019,191), our followers numbered in the thousands, not millions. Regardless, Twitter was a very valuable tool in our new media toolbox.

The Proliferation of Hashtags

There are thousands of hashtags, each of which help to better define a tweet and the intended audience of that tweet. According to the Twitter Fan Wiki site, hashtags were popularized during the San Diego forest fires in 2007 when Nate Ritter used the hashtag “#sandiegofire” to identify his updates related to the disaster. My first recollection of using hastags in a meaningful way for political purposes was during last year’s #DONTGO movement (www.dontgomovement.com), during which the #DONTGO hashtag was used to focus public attention on leaders of the U.S. Congress who preferred to adjourn for recess rather than finish working on important energy legislation. Use of that specific hashtag has diminished, but it spawned a movement and it did engage new activists.

Since then, those who participate in political discussions on Twitter have many hashtags from which to choose. #POLITICS is the most broad. Other examples include #TEAPARTY (discussion about the Tea Party movement), #HHRS (Hugh Hewitt Radio Show), #ICON (independent conservative). However, one of the most prevalent in conservative circles seems to be #TCOT (Top Conservatives on Twitter). While not particularly intuitive, its growth seems to coincide with conservatives flocking to new media in the wake of the 2008 election.

There seems to be some dispute over who started #TCOT, but it was made popular through the efforts of Rob Neppell (@rneppell), founder of The Truth Laid Bear and proprietor of Kithbridge. Rob is ubiquitous in conservative new media circles and he deserves a ton of credit for helping the political Right embrace new media.

Like most things in new media, that which gains traction and becomes moderately successful is quickly spoiled by the mad rush of spammers, self-promoters, and profiteers to get onboard the next big thing. In my opinion, #TCOT is suffering from this phenomenon and its relevance is slowly being diminished.

#RIGHT: Inclusive & Intuitive

My frustration with #TCOT led to my suggestion to friends that #RIGHT would be an outstanding alternative. It is broad and inclusive. It is highly intuitive. It is not tied to a party or personality. It is not likely to be co-opted or commercialized. Most importantly, it clearly and concisely states to Twitter pros and newbies alike, the nature of the content with which it is associated.

Of course, this is not a competition. I am simply advocating on behalf of one hashtag over another for the reasons cited above. People can use Twitter however they like, write whatever they want, and tag their tweets however they feel is the most appropriate. As I write this, the Obama administration is still focused on taking over the auto and financial industries. Until their mission is accomplished and they have time to turn their attention to Twitter, the service should remain a fairly pure example of a free marketplace. Good ideas will rise to the top. Weak ideas will not.

I would welcome your thoughts on the matter, either here or via a Twitter discussion. Feel free to follow me at @scottwgraves. For more information about Twitter and hashtags, visit the Twitter Fan Wiki page here. For a definition of specific Twitter hashtags, or to establish a new one, visit, @tagalus.

For organizations wanting to tiptoe into the tools and tactics of digital media, it is important to make an accurate assessment of the starting point. Where is the organization relative to its competition and its industry? Who is the audience? What tools do they use? What kind of resources (time, human, and money) are available for digital media? Is the organization resistant to change? Who within the organization will advocate on behalf of adopting new technology? Does that individual have the ear and respect of the executive management team?

Early on in the process, there are more questions than answers.

While preparing a recent presentation titled, “New Media Tools & Tactics” that was delivered at the Heritage Foundation’s annual Resource Bank, I decided to leave the audience a handout with a list of action items. The goal was to offer specific advice about what an individual, on behalf of their organization, could do today, this week, this month, and long term to become more savvy in the tools of digital media.

Outlined is that list of key action items. Some are very basic. Some require careful consideration. For those who are already comfortable with tools like Facebook and Twitter, skip down to items that are more relevant to you and your organization.

ACTION ITEMS

TODAY

• Setup a Facebook account
  • Establish at least 300 “friends”
  • Join various political Facebook groups and causes
  • GET INVOLVED
• Setup a Twitter account
  • Follow at least 1,000 like-minded political activists
  • Use #TCOT (www.topconservativesontwitter.org)
  • Send Tweets and reply to others
• Learn about YouTube
• Create a checklist of all channels through which your message is delivered

THIS WEEK

• Identify a tech leader/advisor for your organization
• Create a checklist of all channels through which your message is delivered
• Ask your kids about the appeal of text messaging
• Do a Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com) search on the terms found in this presentation.
• Read Online Politics 101 at www.epolitics.com

THIS MONTH

• Reach out to influential online journalists and bloggers
• Identify individuals to write fresh, newsworthy content on behalf of your organization
• Identify a technology advocate within your organization
• Conduct a tech audit
  • Website (features, functionality, content, and design)
  • E-Mail (size, relevance, and list management software)
  • Survey your audience
• Get a smartphone (iPhone, Blackberry, etc.)

LONG TERM

• Embrace change (Like politics, technology is highly dynamic)
• Give tech leader a seat at the table
• Allocate more funding to technology
• Commit to continuing education
• Hire tech-savvy staff
• Experiment (adopt new technologies)
• Pay attention to new trends
• Take action!

You can download a complete PDF version of the handout here. Let me know if you have any questions. Special thanks to Nicole Williams from the State Policy Network and David Kralik from American Solutions for their feedback and insight. I am available for presentations to your organizations about the benefits of adopting the tools and tactics of digital media. Please contact me at scott@scottgraves.com.

During the coming years, I will be focusing much of my attention on educating the Right and implementing new technologies on their behalf. It is an exciting time and long past due.

Earlier today, I was interviewed by Winter Casey over at the National Journal about the relaunch of the congressional Republican website, www.gop.gov. It is a significant leap forward in design, content, and ease of use. Other GOP organizations should take note and keep looking for new ideas and new technologies to advance their message more effectively.

Excerpt:

The House Republican Conference has launched a new GOP.gov, the official Web site of House Republicans in the 111th Congress. The updates are meant to enhance citizen engagement through blogs, a legislative digest, interactive features, video, radio addresses and the option to receive automatic updates when content is published.

Scott Graves, a publisher of Republican blogs, said it looks like the GOP is taking a “play from the playbook of the Obama campaign.” The site’s designer clearly recognized that what Democrats did in 2008 worked, he said. “The Republicans over the last few months have finally recognized that they are going to need to focus real attention and real resources on their online communication efforts,” Graves added. He said he hopes the GOP will look to emerging technologies in 2012 rather than relying on what worked in 2008.

Casey’s article can be read here. Read the National Journal’s Tech Daily Dose here.

Joshua was also co-founder of Red State, the popular conservative blog owned by Eagle Publishing. If you have never had the opportunity to read Joshua’s work, I highly recommend you visit his website (http://joshuatrevino.com/). Rarely will you find such a thoughtful writer who better understands the complex dynamics between the tools of new media and the challenges of the conservative movement.

I identified with Joshua’s latest piece because I can relate to the challenges of building a conservative brand and a robust user community through my experience with Red County. Although the fate of Culture11 has not been shared by Red County, the realities of building a new community centered around traditional conservative values, are the same.

Joshua’s analysis is spot on. Abridged paragraphs and lessons learned can be read below. Read the full article here.

Culture11: The End
By Joshua Trevino
January 27, 2009

[Culture11] would leverage the Internet, rather than grasping toward a print model that would only guarantee financial crisis from day one. Most important, it would have serious financial backing from serious people: chief among them William Bennett, but also, rumor said, Steve Forbes. That backing was solid for at least two years. Was I interested?

Yesterday evening, I received a rather shocking e-mail. It read, in part: “Today the entire staff of Culture11 was laid off. The news was quite unexpected. Because of the poor economy, we just weren’t able to secure additional funding to keep us in business. I’m not sure what the future holds for the site, but for the staff the outlook is rather dreary.”

Beyond the fate of the staff are the lessons that Culture11 holds for the online sphere in general. In no particular order, I believe they are as follows:

Grow your Communities Organically
The great evil of The Huffington Post (beyond everything it has ever published on any topic) is that its existence encourages the notion that a multifaceted, influential, and lasting online community is something that may be purchased. This isn’t a total fiction, as HuffPo still exists (and the Daily Beast might well make a go of it), but the only people with the Rolodexes (Rolodices?) and deep pockets of Arianna Huffington and Tina Brown have already started their websites. Ordinary and semi-ordinary people, by contrast, have to work to get big. Whether quality results is debatable, but the record is clear enough: of the big sites today, the overwhelming majority began as, well, small sites.

Don’t Depend on Funders
Every longtime blogger dreams of the benefactor who will come along, recognize his work, and hand over the cash. Certainly I’ve cherished those hopes myself. Those benefactors are rare, and where they do exist, they are unreliable — as Culture11 knows well now. The cold reality is that the only reliable income stream in the online world is the one you generate yourself.

Stick With It
It is impossible to know whether Culture11 would have emerged a self-supporting entity after the purported two years of funding ran out in August 2010, but its chances would have improved as time went on. As a friend at The New Ledger pointed out, Culture11’s subject matter was perfect for, say, summer 2000: heavy on pop and principles, light on policy and prescriptions. But it launched in summer 2008, when the national conversation was focused on war and economics. In that sense, it was marginalized from the start

The Right is Not the Left
Sure, Culture11 did “not toe a party line,” but it was a conservative endeavor, with conservatives’ money, and conservatives at the helm. It was also one of a handful of right-of-center online communities presently having a go at engagement with the popular culture. Its surviving peers include Sam Karnick’s The American Culture, Mike D’Virgilio’s The Culture Project, and Andrew Breitbart’s Big Hollywood. There’s considerable overlap here (Karnick, for example, is involved in all three), but I suspect that Culture11’s fate may suggest more writers than readers in this sphere. From a purely market perspective, it seems unlikely that online conservatism can support more than a couple of these cultural-engagement sites. Contrast this with the left, which teems with them.

This isn’t the end of the lessons we’ll derive from the short, unfortunate tale of Culture11.