A giant catching up and a local trying to reach out

So David being both a thespian and Microsoft alumnus forwarded to me these two emails on the same day. One had to deal with the Microsoft Alumni Network finally getting organized and using social media. The next had to do with the local Taproot Theatre getting on the ball with social media to expand its outreach into the community (and hopefully ticket sales).

What caught my interest in these two emails was the fact that you can have two different types of companies and industries utilizing the same free on-line Social Media tools to send out the word - their words, their mission, and their needs. You have an organization consisting of people associated with a company worth billions of dollars and another organization that struggles on donations and ticket sales. One giant and leader in the Internet and software fields (a Goliath) and one smaller company (a David) trying to maximize every cent they have. Social media tools can be used by pretty much any company no matter what their size, budget, or industry. They may be late adopters to this medium but they have recognized the power behind Social media tools, the ease behind using them and the multiplier effect they have in getting ones message out to the world.

From the email from Scott Nolte at Taproot Theatre:

• We’re ramping up our presence in the world of social media, through services and websites like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter adn Flickr.
• Through our website and others, we’re cultivating bloggers – people who regularly write about the plays they see and accumulate a following of readers who trust their tast and opinion.

From the email from the Microsoft Alumni Network:

We are very excited to announce that in mid-May MSA will begin the transition to a new community platform featuring state-of-the-art social network features.  Phase one of the all-new MSA site will be live on May 15, 2009.  New features will be released over a 90 day period from launch and include:

• Groups with Document Libraries and Photo Galleries
• Enhanced Directories and Connections
• Profiles that support the attachment of resumes and other professional documents
• Member-to-member notes
• Enhanced Opportunity Center (jobs, volunteer and mentorship positions, contract positions, etc.
• Blogs
• Rich media

Tags: giant . social media, late adopters, Microsoft, Taproot Theatre