What are the key questions nonprofit orgs should ask to help them determine how to prioritize social media training and experimentation as they do their technology and organization-strengthening planning?

 1) Who in our agency is already excited about social media and social networking?

Getting involved in social media as an organization should not feel like a chore. Let staff who already have a passion for this take the leadership in ways that work for them. Consider clearing other responsibilities from their plate so that they can:

• a) train other staff in what it's all about (or suggest online resources, conferences, or seminars for training)
• b) head up a committee to create a social media strategy if one does not already exist
• c) leverage their existing online presence to be a voice for the organization if appropriate (may depend on their online history as an individual!)

2) What type of online presence will bring us the best visibility, how much time will it take to participate, and how much human resources can we commit to that right now?

 It is easier to build a Facebook page than commit to regular blog postings. It's easy to create a Twitter account, but who will send out the periodic "tweets"? Do some research and find out which online networks similar organizations are already using. Maybe there is a Ning group you ought to be participating in.

There are many other questions to ask, but these two can lead to actions that will help your organization get started with social media sooner rather than later.