The Power of Social Media

Media in Action Workshop – Montreal March 26, 2010

Overview: Social Media

What is ‘Social Media’

A new way of communicating The sharing of media; films, photos, music & ideas ‘Social’ refers to ‘people to people’ activities

- >Web 1.0 = Linking documents- > Web 2.0 = Linking people

It’s all about conversations

» Social Media is interactive, allowing people to share ideas, opinions, and insights rather than just communicating one-way.

» Social media include things such as blogs, wikis, discussion boards, Facebook, MySpace, YouTube and Twitter.

» People want to be social…we have always drawn strength from each other. New technologies and near ubiquitous Internet access now make it easier than ever to connect.

More than ever before people have the tools to create/record, share and manipulate media

» We’re using social media sites at a rate of : • 73% of online teens and young adults use social networks

• 77% of all Internet users read blogs

• 200,000,000 users log onto Facebook at least once a day (half of that via mobile devices)

• 32.4 billion videos watched online in the US in January 2010

• 50 million tweets per day on Twitter, 75 million accounts as of January 2010 (about 15 million active tweeters)

Web 2.0» A second generation of the web where

interactivity is key» An easy and accessible means of

communicating with one another» A whole world of social-networking sites,

services, and tools that make sharing easy

Social Media emerged from and thrives in the Web 2.0 environment

Some Tools of Social Media

» The embed link - a fundamental aspect to social media

» RSS feeds; the oil that lubricates the Web 2.0 experience.

» Facebook – building a ‘community’

» Tweets; follow the trends, get information live, as it happens (the #tag)

Context and ExamplesWhy social media is important for community

projects and social action initiatives

Social Media helps organizations to…

» communicate more effectively and efficiently» let people know about you or your cause and

to actively participate. » help people (which is probably why you exist

as an organization)

Context and ExamplesWhy social media is important for educational

and classroom based projects

Social Media helps teachers and students to…

» Share information and discuss work together» Get’s students excited about creating for an

‘audience’ (classmates and/or wider public) » help people learn in an engaged and reflexive

way (in line with Pablo Freire’s approach to education )

CitizenShift encourages and supports community based initiatives and makes people more aware of the issues.

Picture This: A photovoice project» Mothers of Children with FASD

1 video, over 23,000 views, global network using this piece as their showcase to raise awareness of the issue and offer a community of support for people touched by FASD.

http://citizenshift.org/picture-this

OutreachCommunications, support and

cross channel promotion

The importance of Outreach - it’s all about making connections

» Doesn’t just ‘happen’ by itself» You have to be your communities’ first and most

active contributor (same thing in the classroom, teacher has to participate!)

» Have a dedicated person(s) working exclusively on social media outreach & marketing: The Community Manager

Social media outreachCreate a buzz or newsworthy events around your film or project (facebook and twitter, blogs, targeted press releases)

Build ways that enable “fans” (students, community members) to participate in your project. This can be at any stage of your project’s production cycle, from storyboarding to shooting, to final distribution.

To be successful, social media campaigns must fully engage and respect the users.

Before you jump into social media activity, set out a plan with clear points of measurement along the way…

Ask yourself: - what do we need to achieve?- Which audiences are important for this?- where are those audiences online; which

platforms are they using?- do those platforms & tools fit with the kind of

content we have or can create?- can we sustain what we start?

Most Importantly… Outreach with social media is not like traditional marketing; it requires a new way of thinking. A more opened approach must be adopted.» Listen, be accessible, be self-aware, reach out

It is about building relationships, the fundamental difference between broadcasting and conversing. » Traditional one-way marketing is shouting, social

media is about conversations.

Credits… For a full list of references used in this presentation, please see:» http://citizenshift.org/workshops/media-in-action-re

sources

» Join us on CitizenShift, and jump into the conversation.

» http://citizenshift.org

Reisa Levine Producer - CitizenShift

reisa@citizenshift.org