| Social media is an interactive communication tool with the potential to strengthen organization-member relationships and contribute toward the achievement of organizational goals. Yet many nonprofit organizations use social media for one-way information delivery and do not take advantage of its dialogic potential. This study aims to contribute to the business case for investing in dialogic social media. Three nonprofit organizations that use social media dialogically were studied to identify the factors that set them apart from others. Walther's social information processing theory (1993) and Buber's philosophy of dialogue as a relational form of communication (Arnett, Grayson, & McDowell, 2008) were used to frame this study, which included in-depth interviews, observation of relational activity on the organizations' social media sites, and a survey to measure the quality of relationships with and between members. The results confirmed that organizations that use social media dialogically enjoy a positive relationship with constituents, help them connect and become friends with each other, and gain the commitment and trust needed to meet organizational goals. |
