In the beginning, if you wanted to be part of the conversation, you just had to know what was going on. You had to know about emerging platforms, you had to listen to the conversation and respond when necessary. But that was the old minimum. The new minimum is participation.

Many foundations and philanthropies are using social media to talk to their stakeholders. If you are a nonprofit seeking foundation funding, make connecting with foundations using social media part of your overall development plan - and your engagement strategy.

You have to commit to social media maintenance. Social media profiles are your organization's online homes, and you can't close up shop for a while, take long vacations, or fail to maintain them. This post examines the necessity of social media maintenance, and the repercussions of not maintaining your online homes.