UMWCC Social Media Presence

126166172885 — for those wondering, that’s the number that matters.  (Actually, that’s up for debate).

That number is our regional church’s facebook page ID.  Normally you wouldn’t see it — it’s not referenced in the page’s address (http://www.facebook.com/umwcc), nor is it listed as people search for “Christian Church in the Upper Midwest.”  But it’s what makes the link.

So how was I, a peon in the social media universe, supposed to link my Facebook page to my employer?  I wasn’t the only one with that question, so with the help of a blog article, I connected the dots.  Hopefully Facebook builds this in to the ajax-suggesting text box so it doesn’t take a hack to identify your employer (or college, or favorite non-profit projects) correctly.

Here’s the social media checklist I used for my region:

• Facebook page
  • Make sure Facebook Page has address (http://www.facebook.com/umwcc)
  • Link my profile and other staff members’ profiles to our page rather than the community-based, auto-generated topic
  • Create a custom profile picture + avatar so the page has our identity (see this article for the photoshop template)
• Twitter
  • Follow our hashtag (#umwcc) in Tweetdeck so I can follow conversations during events.
  • Buy umw.cc domain name
  • Create our bit.ly pro account for free and link it so our shortlinks look like us and still go to the regional website (example: http://umw.cc/dEbDty)

Next up: retrofitting the regional website to link to and integrate with our social media presence.  Also next up: teach ministers and congregations how to use it!