Social Networking Grows Up

A social networking site is an online destination where a user can create a profile and build a personal network of other users with common interests. In the past five years, such sites have gained a following in the tens of millions. More than half (55 percent) of all American youth ages 12–17 who use the Internet use social networking sites, according to a national survey of teenagers conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project (see sidebar, “Teens & Friends on Social Networking Sites”).

Tweens and teens aren’t the only ones taking advantage of the potential of social networking on the Internet. Targeted social networking sites are inviting people of varied ages. Parents, in particular, have been attracted to these sites, but their methods and reasons for leveraging social networking technologies differ significantly from those of their children. Rather than develop new friendships through shared interests, adults go online to cultivate existing relationships and seek advice. In the process, busy adults save time by melding online and real-life connections to address day-to-day issues, from parenting to running households to job seeking and more. Social networking for adults is also very practical.

Family-oriented organizations that connect local communities such as PTAs, faith-based groups, and service clubs have sought to harness the power of the Internet, including social networking technologies, to provide more ways for their members to enjoy meaningful engagement. But while groups benefit internally from balancing online and in-person interests and goals, the establishment of online group space has had an even greater impact on physical communities at large.

Ainsworth Elementary PTA increases involvement

At the start of the 2007 school year, Ainsworth Elementary PTA in Portland, Oregon, set out to revamp the way it communicated with the parents of the nearly 500 elementary students enrolled at Ainsworth Elementary School. Like most PTAs, the majority of Ainsworth PTA’s communication had been rooted in print.

The printed PTA directory, back-to-school packets, and weekly newsletters were one-way communications that were time-consuming and expensive to produce.

Today, 96 percent of the school’s parent base, including 300 PTA members, and every teacher and school staff member, are communicating online via a free, private social networking platform. Parents and teachers can join forces to discuss key issues on a daily basis—from school improvement projects and curriculum enhancement to increasing safety for morning student drop-offs. Materials previously provided in hardcopy only, such as back-to-school packets, now are uploaded to the school’s site.

“There was a time when busy parents had to physically attend board meetings to discuss issues important to the district and community, or were limited to parent-teacher conferences and open house events to interact with faculty,” said Lee Rumaner, president of the Ainsworth Elementary PTA. “Communicating online is bringing everyone together in new, more meaningful ways in far greater frequency.”

Taking Ainsworth online also has enabled the elimination of the PTA’s weekly, hardcopy newsletter. Parent feedback indicates a strong preference for the new online version, which fosters more two-way dialogue; helps the school save time and money on preparation, printing, and mailing; and allows it to “go green” by saving up to 90,000 pieces of paper annually.

Opening the lines of communication for Ainsworth parents to reach all teachers and other parents has sparked a renewed appreciation for narrowed communication. Online subgroups have been designed for every classroom—21 in all—making volunteer coordination and communication about specific room events more efficient, relevant, and personal for parents. An online, integrated calendar provides event alerts and allows parents to RSVP, and an automatic “news feed” each week summarizes and updates important information and events in a single e-mail.

This kind of initiative represents a major undertaking. But anyone with a passion to enhance the solidarity and accountability of their school communities can make it happen. Through the right mix of technology and foresight, Ainsworth PTA has fostered dynamic, personalized, and meaningful communication—all for the good of the students.

Anne Arundel County Council of PTAs offers support.

At 83 years young, the Anne Arundel County Council of PTAs (AACCPTA) is the oldest council in Maryland. Representing 80 local PTAs, AACCPTA seeks to ensure the success of each group by providing training, support, and procedural guidelines.

Anita Owens, president of AACCPTA, points out that even the simplest technologies, such as e-mail, have increased participation and advocacy efforts of PTA members and the community. “Today, people don’t have to stand in front of the board of education to have their voices heard,” Owens says. “In fact, they don’t have to leave their homes at all. E-mail is a powerful tool for expressing our views, but we wanted to take that to the next level.”

Anita points out that e-mail correspondence doesn’t always promote two-way dialogue, and can rarely accommodate real conversation among many different parties. A social networking platform allows her group and local chapters to connect outside of monthly meetings to reinforce their agendas and track their progress. Gone are the days when they relied on one-off e-mails to discuss key initiatives, like an alliance against teen smoking or school redistricting. Now, two-way dialogue—amplifying shared ideas and best practices—can take place 24-7 with a much broader network of members.

“We have nearly 15,000 members, and if they all spoke up, just imagine what a difference we could make,” says Owens. “Social networking technology is a vehicle to make those voices heard. In my opinion, interactivity is the key to advocacy.”

Mid-Peninsula Parents of Multiples find strength in numbers

Alongside PTAs, nationwide community groups made up of moms and dads are finding new uses and value in social networking. Working mothers groups are going online to discuss everything from professional networking to potty training. Military families have created clubs where parents with deployed spouses connect. And the 400 members of the Mid-Peninsula Parents of Multiples (MPPOM), most located on San Francisco’s peninsula, share the daily joys and challenges of parenting twins and triplets.

“I joined at 25 weeks (pregnant) to talk to other families in the same situation about labor, feeding, sleeping—you name it,” says Dawn Chatham, mother of three-year-old twin boys and president of MPPOM. Members peruse forums, blogs, and newsletter features to receive timely advice in a private, secure, online setting where they feel comfortable sharing emotions, questions, and ideas within their trusted community.

Not only does social networking technology provide a way for the group to stay connected and organized, it is enabling the leadership team to wrangle the behind-the-scenes business of retaining members and increasing enrollment. Having streamlined the administrative burdens of running the group, MPPOM has evolved to include philanthropy as a primary initiative.

Internet interactivity and inspiration

Ainsworth Elementary PTA, Anne Arundel County Council of PTAs, and Mid-Peninsula Parents of Multiples are shining examples of how organizations can use today’s social networking technologies to inform, connect, and inspire their members. Technology can help transform the way groups serve their communities and act for positive change. The most vital ingredient in achieving this transformation is a belief in the power of community.

Laney Whitcanack is cofounder of Big Tent Design, Inc., a free, online social networking platform that helps real-world groups, like PTAs, preschools, clubs, etc. across the country stay connected and organized. For more information, please visit www.bigtent.com.