Non-profit will use social media to educate parents and volunteers, improve the health of babies

White Plains, NY (PRWEB) December 8, 2008 – The national non-profit organization March of Dimes, in conjunction with the public relations professionals at Barkley, has selected Radian6 as their social media vendor. March of Dimes will use the platform to find and take part in online conversations revolving around pregnancy related topics.

Across the online space, the nature of the conversations and questions can be posted in a multitude of social media formats or channels. Trying to manually search for these conversations on a regular basis can prove daunting for many organizations. The Radian6 social media monitoring platform helps automate the collection of these conversation points and tracks viral and influence metrics to assist with sorting and prioritization.

The social Web provides us with great opportunity to help our community find the resources and information they need. By monitoring with Radian6, we can pinpoint conversations revolving around relevant issues, engage people, and direct them to educational material.

“The March of Dimes works to give all babies a fighting chance against threats to their health. Our community is passionate and involved, so it’s incredibly important for them to have as many channels as possible to connect with us and our work,” said Patty Goldman, vice president and chief marketing officer for March of Dimes. “The social Web provides us with great opportunity to help our community find the resources and information they need. By monitoring with Radian6, we can pinpoint conversations revolving around relevant issues, engage people, and direct them to educational material.”

Radian6′s social media monitoring platform gathers real-time-as-discovered information from across the social Web, including blogs, video sharing sites, boards and forums like LinkedIn Answers, and emerging media such as FriendFeed and Twitter.

“Community engagement is the lifeblood of any non-profit organization, and the Web is transforming how these groups can fulfill their missions,” says Marcel LeBrun, CEO of Radian6. “The breadth and depth of coverage from the Radian6 platform allows these groups to listen carefully at the point of need for their community, wherever they may be and in real time. By proactively engaging online, organizations like March of Dimes can carry their message and mission directly into the community and connect with people when they’re most needed.”

“In addition to providing an invaluable conduit to parents, volunteers, and donors, listening to conversations with Radian6 gives March of Dimes insight into how much impact they’re having in their communities,” adds Jeff Risley, vice president of public relations and social media analyst at Barkley. “We’re able to track the issues that have a direct effect on the well-being of babies, and understand how and where we should be focusing our resources to make the biggest difference. Seeing March of Dimes’ mission through the eyes of those that need them most is critical to our success.”

About March of Dimes

March of Dimes is the leading organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies®, March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit www.marchofdimes.com or www.nacersano.org, for information in Spanish.

About Radian6 Technologies

Radian6 provides the social media monitoring platform for marketing, communications and customer support professionals. The company’s flexible dashboard enables monitoring all forms of social media with results appearing in real-time as discovered. Various analysis widgets give users the ability to uncover the top influencers as well as which conversations are having an impact online. Visit www.radian6.com for more information.