Lunchtime Links: Do You Really Have to be on Social Media?

What’s your Twitter handle? How many Facebook pages do you have? How do you measure ROI on Pinterest? These rapid-fire questions have become commonplace in an age when “everyone who’s everyone” is on social media (starting next week, even the pope  (opens in a new tab)). But there are four big brands that haven’t quite dipped their toes in yet. Is it time for them to take the plunge? That and more in today’s Lunchtime Links:

What’s in a name? Almost everyone is on social media, save 24 percent of Americans who just refuse to sign up for Facebook. But on a larger level, brands have taken over the social media arena to give it new direction and much more business-savvy. But according to Mashable  (opens in a new tab), there are still four household names that don’t yet have an “official” account for social media: Trader Joe’s, Marlboro, Viagra, and Apple. Are they smart or stupid? If you’re already a household name, do you really need four other handles?

Trend report: Take a hint from the president’s super-personalized approach, his data mine of voters, social media campaigns, and fast-moving technology.  The end of the year is a good time to take a deep breath and do some learning. In a post on NTEN: Your Nonprofit Technology Network, Sarah Durham, principal and founder of Big Duck, talks about the best fundraising trends of 2012.  (opens in a new tab)The big takeaways include being transparent and having a crisis-management plan before the crisis hits. What lessons have you learned this year about managing your donors? Is there anything you’ll change in 2013?

Lego land: Sometimes, a story tugs at the heartstrings so much you have to share it. Such is the case of  James, an 11-year-old from Massachusetts who saved for two years for a train set from Lego, only to find out it had been discontinued  (opens in a new tab). Prices were out of reach on eBay and Amazon, so he wrote a plea to Lego executives to help him out. The company pulled through just two days before his birthday, making a lifetime fan out of James. How has your organization gone above and beyond lately?

If you’re reading something great over lunch, let us know in the comments.

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