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Action Media?BTR11: Social Networking Below the Radar

Big Lottery Fund: LondonAngus McCabe4th April 2012

Why BTR11?

Supported by Barrow Cadbury Trust

Key questions:o Can social media promote and support grassroots

‘below the radar’ community groups and activities?

o Is social media a mechanism for change or chat?oWhat lessons have been learned?oWhere next?

‘Starter’ Questions

From 8th July 2011 ‘kick start’ event

If the policy agenda is about transferring power to communities then:

oWhat needs to happen?oWhat can we do?oWho else needs to be involved?o How could social media play a role?

BTR 11: Activities 1• Beyond the Radar kick-start event: Communities and

Local Government, 8th July 2011

• How can community groups achieve their goals despite the cuts? Live Q&A event: 19th July 2011, Guardian on-line with NCVO, Urban Forum, CLG, Volunteering England and Small Charities Coalition

• What motivates people to act?; 19th October 2011 webinar with NatCAN, St Helens CEN, North West CAN and Home Office

BTR 11: Activities 2• *Civil Society Beyond the Radar; 30th January 2012,

online discussion with Community Matters

• Below the Radar and the unintended consequences of voluntary sector reconfiguration; 1st February 2012, webinar with Barrow Cadbury Trust, CDF, Big Lottery and Trust for London

• *Strengthening civil society through social media; 28th February 2012, on-line discussion with NatCAN, David Wilcox, Social Reporter

*Organiser and facilitator – Globalnet21

How many took part?Civic crowd site 2,217 views , 1,546 visit (70% new)

Video views: 20 – 60 per videoPower points: slide share over 500 views

Guardian Q & A 1,100 views, 126 comments Webinars Natcan, 70 thoughts, 466 views, 146

visitsBLF, 159 thoughts, 26 people, 2,159

viewsGlobalnet21 Community Matters, 21 online

Social Reporter, 35 online

But who took part and what did they gain/do ?

Actions

Proposed actions from the ‘kick start’ event:o Community reporterso Organising mentoring visitso Supporting area based community development

workersoMapping local assets and networks

How do we know what happened next?

Questions

How does this compare with your experiences with other social media in terms of:

The methods used to engage?Level of participation?Characteristics of participants?Ongoing dialogue – beyond ‘event’?Discussion or action?

Lessons learned 1

Time and timingMarketing: the push and pull of social mediaIssues of accessibility: digital exclusion, ‘ease of use’

and ‘comfort zones’‘Competition’: does anything join up in social media?Topics and topicalityGoing viral…..easier said…….From chat to change…..easier said……

Lessons learned 2

‘Mirroring’ the real world. S/he who types fastest….Meetings: both real and virtual – which facilitates

which?Mind the technology gap!Open or structured discussions?Favourite tools for interactionOverload of information and ideasDifferent timing different audience different debate

Discussion questionsIf social media is chat – does this matter and what does

it achieve?

Social media as ‘noise’; the ‘plethora of voices’ – a strength or a weakness?

If social media is about change – what are the triggers and techniques?

Who has power or control in social media?

Social media below the radar

Getting/using social media with and in below the radarcommunity groups:

Does it matter?What might social media do?What’s the strategy for success?How do we ‘measure’ impact?