REPORT from the FIELD :: Social Media Leaders Share their Secrets

Social media success! Representatives from community organizations throughout the city and neighborhood advocates (individuals curious about how social media can give greater voice to their neighborhoods) braved the menacing weather outside for last night's social media roundtable.

From the sleek Steelcase WorkLife Center, our social media mavens shared their insider tips with an enthusiastic audience. Here, a brief recap and a peek at photos from the evening! Attended the event? Take the survey; tell us what you thought of it!

Following a welcome by LW!'s Cristiana Peña, our moderator, NearSay.com's Trevor Sumner kicked off the roundtable, facilitating discussion among our six panelists*:

NearSay - Trevor Sumner, co-founder & CMO. Roundtable moderator.
(Trevor on Twitter: @trevorsumner; NearSay on Twitter: @NearSayNY and @NSayUpperWest)

LANDMARK WEST! - Cristiana Peña, Senior Director of Preservation
(Cristiana on NearSay; LW! on Twitter: @landmarkwest)

Flatiron BID - Jennifer Brown, Executive Director
(Jennifer on Twitter: @FlatironBID)

Fashion Center - Ryan Daly
(On Twitter: @FashionCenterNY)

34th St. Partnership - Tricia Lewis, Director of Digital Media
(Tricia on Twitter: @34thStNYC)

Fourth Arts Block- Tamara Greenfield, Executive Director; and Shaun Newport, Program Manager
(Tamara and Shaun on Twitter: @FourthArtsBlock)

*Listed in order of seating, left to right, in accompanying video and photos.

Drawing on their social media adventures, panelists clued the audience in to how they've embraced social media outlets to broadcast their organizations' messages and reach a wider audience. Weren't able to make it? Never fear -- you can watch video of the discussion on LW!'s YouTube channel. Metaphors seemed to be popular last night! Some of our favorites:

Trevor, NearSay.com: Twitter is like a cocktail party with friendly banter. If you meet someone you're interested in knowing better, you invite them back to Facebook, which serves as your clubhouse. And if someone in turn then wants to know more about you, they can visit your website, which is your library, the place you store your wealth of resources.

Shaun, Fourth Arts Block: Twitter is like a coffee shop, where you can strike up a casual conversation. But not everyone there wants to know the finer details about you. Those that do, you bring to Facebook, where you can store things like photos that say more about who you are. For those who really want to learn about your organization, there's your website!

As the panel progressed, the discussion ranged from how organizational protocol fit into social media, how organizations address negative feedback, and more! All said, a great evening with lots of food for thought. Each panelist shared their innovative tips for reaching out and activating community participation. See more photos on Flickr! And stay tuned to LW!'s YouTube channel for the full video of the social media discussion.