Live-tweeting an event sounds pretty daunting, but it’s actually pretty simple and fun, and a great way to stay relevant and maintain a strong presence on your followers’ feeds.

I have always been terrible at math. As an organizer, I've learned to love the numbers because I like to win, and if you want to win, you have to know your numbers. We invest a lot in the numbers for our work at CREDO Action, because the numbers give us power to make decisions based on what we need, what we know works, and where we want to go. Here's just one small example of why it's important to know the numbers.

Most online organizers are familiar with classic metrics to watch when sending mass emails: your open rate (how many people open an email), click rate (how many people click on one of your links in an email), and your action rate (how many people then complete the action). But there are more, perhaps better, numbers to watch.

Whether you're writing an email (or knocking on a door, or standing in front of a crowd) your ability to get someone to take action often depends on making a clear, confident ask. That can feel uncomfortable, right? But it's crucial to achieving your goal. Here's an example, not related to organizing, to illustrate my point.

It's Friday! If you're on Twitter, you know that means #FF (Follow Friday) tweets are popping up all over the place. #FF is more than just a way to give shout-outs; it's one of the best ways to build connections and community on Twitter. Here are a few of the ways I like to think about, and use, #FF:

If you really want to get the most out of Twitter, you need to cut down on the noise so you can focus on making connections that will move you toward your goals. The best way to do this is by creating lists. Don't be fooled by the name; Twitter Lists aren't just static listings of names, but rather curated Twitter streams from a specified set of individuals.

I recommend that you sign up for email alerts and newsletters from a wide variety of organizations, and here's why:

If you're like me, your Gmail account has tens of thousands of emails in it. You filter many, but there are times when you just need to find that specific email and just aren't sure where to start looking. But fear not! Google has some great search features, you just need the shorthand to use them. Here are some I find handy:

Many people will tell you to send email at specific times and on specific days (Tuesdays-Thursdays, late morning or early afternoon, most commonly said). The idea of "best times" often overshadows the most important consideration: timing. When news breaks, it's better to be the first organization to send out an email than to send an email at some "best" time. Here are a few things to consider when a moment arises:

While the technical tricks for increasing Facebook influence by boosting Edge Rank and Affinity can give you a boost, it's also important to remember that content is still king. And some of the best lessons in curating content on Facebook come from an unexpected source: George Takei.

How many apps and programs do you use every day? Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, Pinterest, a weather app, a music player... While new programs and apps can make life easier in many ways, they can also make life more complicated and fractured. For example, I might take a photo I really like using Instagram. But if I want it on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and saved to my computer, I might have to take 4 separate actions.

One of the newest social media tools that's actually generating some buzz is Pinterest. Lots of organizations are starting accounts, but many are confused about what to do with them. I hear a lot of people say, "OK, we have a Pinterest account, now what?" Here are a few suggestions: