Where Significant Change Occurs Using Social Media
1. Where Significant Change Occurs Connect 2.0: Using Social Media for Workforce and Economic DevelopmentMarch 8, 201010:30-11:45am
2. Objectives Learn what is Social Media Understand why your organization should use Social Media Hear how your peers are successfully using Social Media Learn practical tips regarding how you can effectively use Social Media
8. Social Media is . . . “Social mediais media designed to be disseminated through social interaction, created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. ~ www.wikipedia.org, February 2010 ”
9. Simply stated. . . “Social Media is people having conversationsonline.”
11. Facebook Statistics. . . Facebook currently has in excess of 350 million active users on a global basis. Six months ago, this was 250 million… meaning around a 40% increase of users in less than half a year. ~ Econsultancy, January 2010
12. Social Media Rules . . . Openness Participation Community Conversation Connectedness
13. Social Media Rules continued . . . It’s a Dialogue…NOT a Monologue “I really enjoyed the NAWB conference.” “I agree. Maybe next year I will volunteer.” “Yes, the sessions were great and the volunteers were very helpful!”
14. Who is Your Audience? Matures Gen X Boomers Millennials/Gen Y 1925 - 1945 1946 - 1964 1965 - 1980 1981 - 2001
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16. CoP: One Social Media Solution 1) domain “Communities of Practice are groups of people who (1) share aconcernor passion for something they do and (2) learn how to do it betteras they (3)interact regularly.” Dr. Etienne Wenger, educational theorist & practitioner 2) practice 3) community Source: http://www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm
34. Why Social Media? Kirven Todd Phillips, 42: A lot attendant at Gresham Dodge in Oregon before being laid off. For the first time in his life he is having trouble finding work. Though he has a computer at home, he likes to come to the WorkSource center to get help with his job search. "I like the people that work here," he said. Put a “face” on workforce development Edward "Doc" Parker, 58: A buyer and inventory manager before losing his job. He's hoping his work experience and skills in customer service will help him find a new job, but he admits it's been a tough road. "My biggest drawback is that I don't have a college degree," said Parker, who was at the WorkSource center to attend a job club. Evan Byram, 26, was working in construction and is now pursuing an associate's degree in criminal justice and looking for a job with a local police department. He says he probably wouldn't have gone back to school if he hadn't lost his construction job, but he's hoping this will mean that things are better for his family in the long run. Customers tell our story
Make this a Poll—Raise your hand if you use:FacebookTwitterLinkedInCommunity of PracticeOthers not mentioned?Of those that raised hand—ask one or two why they use the particular Social Media?
--This definition is from wikipedia. However, if you were to check the definition on wikipedia a year ago or 2 months from now, it is likely that you will see a different definition. This is exactly what social media is all about-real time information that is continuously changing and being built upon.
Focus is CONVERSATIONS.
Popular Social Media PlatformsPopular Web 2.0 platforms…Social Network: interests -> community -> connections -> collaboration/interactionsMultimedia Hosting: content (audio, video, graphics) -> web host -> embed code -> shareRSS-generated syndication: subscribe -> feed -> read Blog / Microblog (Twitter): post -> read -> comment -> feedPodcast: post (audio, video) -> feed -> podcatcher -> multimedia playerWiki: create (content) -> collaborate -> edit -> save
Here is an interesting fact regarding how many people are using Facebook and how the use of this, and related social media tools, is growing at an exponential rate.
What is Social Media?: an e-book by Antony Mayfield from iCrossing updated 01.08.08Participationsocial media encourages contributions and feedback from everyone who isinterested. It blurs the line between media and audience.Opennessmost social media services are open to feedback and participation. They encouragevoting, comments and the sharing of information. There are rarely any barriers toaccessing and making use of content – password-protected content is frowned on.Conversationwhereas traditional media is about “broadcast” (content transmitted or distributed toan audience) social media is better seen as a two-way conversation.Communitysocial media allows communities to form quickly and communicate effectively.Communities share common interests, such as a love of photography, a political issueor a favourite TV show.ConnectednessMost kinds of social media thrive on their connectedness, making use of links to othersites, resources and people.
What does this mean? The key is dialogue and conversations. Rather than pushing a controlled message on your audience, the key is that you encourage and cultivate an open communication amongst your audience (customer).
Who is Your Customer / Audience? For the first time in history, there are four generations working together in today's workplace: Matures (aka Veterans), Baby Boomers, Generation X, & Millennials/Generation Y. Each was/is exposed to specific teaching methods and media during their formative years.Matures (1925 – 1945) 5% of the national workforce (currently 64 – 87 y/o)Learning Methods: rote memorization, extensive study, bricks-and-mortar classroom- Somewhat uncomfortable with technology in today’s workplace.Baby Boomers (1946 – 1964) 45% of the national workforce (currently 45 – 63 y/o)Learning Methods: Lecture, workshops, course-based learning, books & manuals, filmstrips- Harbor tacit knowledge. Considered the originators of collaborative work and consensus-based leadership; cautiously pro-technology.Generation X (1965 – 1980) 40% of the national workforce (currently 28 – 44 y/o)Learning Methods: PowerPoint, discovery learning (hands-on), learning games, role-playing, eLearning, videos, computer-based training (CBT)- Embrace technology & enjoy working in study groups & in teams.Millennials/Gen Y (1981 – 2001) 10% of the national workforce (currently 8 – 29 y/o)Learning Methods: software, reusable learning objects, Web-based training (WBT), videos, mobile technology (smartphone, media player, etc.), distance learning (synchronous/virtual classroom, asynchronous), Web 2.0 technologies – wikis, blogs, podcasts- Have digital DNA. Do NOT know the world without computers, DVDs, media players, wireless access, cell phones, etc. Enthusiastically embrace new technologies, communication tools, and user-generated content.
Emphasis that your current and future customers are using social media and will use social media as their primary method of communication –getting and receiving information.
Rick introduces the concept of a CoP as one social media toolCommunity of Practice…DefinedDr. Etienne Wenger, often credited with coining the term community of practice, defines CoPs as “…groups of people who share a concern or passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. He identified three crucial characteristics of a CoP: domain, community and practice.Domain: A CoP is not merely a club of friends or a network of connections between people. It has an identity defined by a shared domain of interest. Membership therefore implies a commitment to the domain, and therefore a shared competence that distinguishes members from other people. (Wenger). Practice:Members are practitioners, developing a shared repertoire of resources: experiences, stories, tools, ways of addressing recurring problems. This takes time and sustained interaction. (Wenger)Community: In pursuing their interest in their domain, members engage in joint activities and discussions, help each other, and share information. Members build relationships that enable them to learn from each other. A website in itself is not a community of practice. Having the same job or the same title does not make for a community of practice unless members interact and learn together. (Wenger)Source: http://www.ewenger.com/theory/index.htm
Rick turns over to Chad Create a network of RA partners and stakeholdersEmployers, Labor Unions, Apprentices, Field Staff
Chad: Discuss here why and how you decided a CoP was the right choice to meet OA’s goals
“Home” PageInterchangeable “Pods” include Latest Blogs (Top / Recent), New Videos (Top / Recent), Discussions, In the News, Newsletter [not shown], Contributors (Top / Recent), Login box. These can be rearranged or hidden as desired.“Share your Content” button provides an interactive user interface allowing users to easily upload their resources for sharing with the Community. All content is vetted, tagged, and posted by the CoP manager.
Chad:--Can you add more details regarding the # of community members (has it grown over the last year?), specific examples (stories) of successes RA is reaching a 21st century audience that communicates in a 2.0 language (maybe talk here about how you are using FB, Twitter and CoP)(Rebecca added—is this true? Do you have examples?) Provides real-time answers and best practice to community member questions and challengesTurn back to Rick
Briefly describe Worksystems and my background (non-communication). Workforce Boards are hard to define – and our work is not very sexy from a communications standpoint.Evaluating/enhancing the effectiveness of the public workforce systemProgram design and implementationResource development and managementData tracking and reportingCompliance and technical assistanceBusiness expansion and recruitmentConvening, coordinating and facilitating partners around initiativesThese are often “behind the curtain” activities and while important, are difficult to articulate. As a result, our work is often overlooked and our identity confused with other more well known partners (WorkSource One Stops, Employment Department, Community Colleges, etc.). We looked to social media to raise our profile.
We heard from Rick about how the communication model has changed. The old model focused on pushing information out and now it’s about drawing people in and engaging them in a conversation. People want to feel personally connected. Social media presented an opportunity for us to talk to people directly about what we do and explain it in a new way. It let us put a “face” on workforce development and demonstrate our positive impact on the community using the words of our customers. SHOW Flip Camera – doesn’t have to be too polished or produced.We’re also working with a student at the NW Film Center to shoot a video showing a “day in the life” of a One Stop from various customer perspectives.
First off - you shouldn’t use social media unless you have strong “foundational” communication pieces in place – a good website with robust content that is kept current, an email distribution list, collateral material describing programs and initiatives, performance reports, etc. Social media doesn’t replace these – it enhances them. We picked a few tools and use them extensively: Blog, Twitter, and YouTube/Videos. We also actively contribute to other workforce blogs (Workforce Developments blog picked up my NAWB posts) and participate in other social media sites (like the Community of Practice that Chad discussed).
Demo and briefly explain what Twitter is, and how to use it in a business context. Discuss who is following our tweets.Quick Story #1: Mayor and other elected officialsQuick Story #2: Media (Green Jobs grant and Summer Jobs program)Quick Story #3: WorkSource Computer ClassThink of Twitter as an opportunity to whisper 2 short important sentences (140 character tweet) into the ear of your most important stakeholders while handing them a supporting document with more detail (link). They like it and pass it along.Best if used as a mix of business and personal (hawk webcam and Ducks/rosebowl examples) - helps to give us a public personality.
Blog demoOur blog is a companion to our website. The website gives information about our organization, the WIB, our programs/initiatives, our funding, our performance outcomes, etc. The blog is the face of our customers, the story of how our programs impact their lives. The posts are very short and the stories are told through photos and videos whenever possible. Most of our visitors are “lurkers” – they want to read our content but don’t leave a comment. That’s OK, they are interested in what we have to say and are gaining a better understanding of how our work is impacting the community. However, a handful want to talk to us – and we respond immediately. Be prepared for negative comments too – and respond. It’s an opportunity to educate someone about what you do. The good news is that they are talking to you. Share examples: (Randy who participated in our Summer Jobs program, Kelly featured on NBC Nightly News)Phase 2 – guest bloggers! Get our WIB engaged.
Highlight examples around these: Raised our profile with our Board and Opinion Leaders (Mayor RTs us regularly to his thousands of followers, Board members are engaged and interested) Generated media stories. Media follows us on twitter and we had a TV crew covering our story within 1 hour.Created community advocates including those outside our direct sphere of influence (i.e. Young Professionals of Portland – 4,500 members).Staff are rallied around key messages and everyone wants to participate – communications is a consideration in everything that we do.Positions us a forward thinking and innovative – the same image that we are trying to foster in our programs.Stakeholders actually contact me to complain if I haven’t posted something in a while…! We launched our blog and twitter account in February, 2009 so we are 1 year into it. Our blog has received 2,600 unique visitors but it took time to build a following. The graph shows how people are finding us – it’s a mix of direct subscribers, referring sites (mostly from our website, twitter and other blogs) and search engines. Demonstrates the importance of having a variety of communication tools.Hand back over to Rick
Rick transitions here Tricia is looking for a report regarding how tweeting occurs most on Tuesdays
Rick will facilitate a discussion with Chad and Tricia regarding Lessons Learned, Challenges, and Practical Tips.Chad and Tricia, please feel free to add your thoughts to this list.Get over the fear: You do not need a marketing, communications, or IT background to successfully use social media. Leverage your mistakes (Flip camera example).Key is relationship building: The success of social media is driven by relationship and conversation building rather than the tools themselves.Takes dedicated time and effort: Creating successful social media networks is very time intensive, but the Return on Investment is well worth the work.Respond to every comment – positive and negative.Don’t try to use every tool out there: Pick a few and use them well.Don’t use social media until you have strong foundational communication tools in place (website, branding)Have to find the right mix of business and personal – if people feel like they know you, the tools are more effective. Primer questions: For Chad-how as the use of Social Media changed your office’s work processes? For Tricia—I understand you were awarded two Recovery Act Grants. CONGRATS. How will you use social media to help ensure the success of your grant activities?
Switch to Twitter Feed
Here we will add contact information and URLs to OA and Worksystems Social Media sites.
