Social Media Roundup - Online Town Hall Meetings

Social Media Roundup
Online Town Hall Meetings
Using social media assets to host virtual meetings

Agenda
This week’s Social Media Roundup examines ways your organization can host a town hall meeting online.
Introduction
Online town hall meetings
Army online town hall meetings
Why organize an online town hall?
Making a town hall a success

Introduction
Town hall meetings have been around for generations. They allow people in the community to speak their mind, listen to what others have to say and ask questions of officials or community leaders.
Town hall meetings are common in both small and large communities, universities and often organized during political campaigns.
In the past, people typically attended town hall meetings in person, but now that social media use has become so pervasive, town hall meetings are now happening online.

Online town hall meetings
Many organizations are turning to online resources to host town hall meetings.
Facebook and other platforms allow town hall organizers to connect with a much larger audience while soliciting questions and input from participants who may not be able to attend the event in person. Facebook Live and other similar sites help facilitate discussions and bring content to much broader audiences.
YouTube has also brought the town hall setting online and officials like Admiral Mike Mullen, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, use it frequently to connect with interested audiences.

Army online town hall meetings
Several military installations use the online town hall setting to address post issues.
There are multiple approaches to executing an effective town hall meeting online.
Some installations use the wall on Facebook to conduct a town hall meeting by soliciting questions and then answering them directly. Others use the discussion board to facilitate a town hall meeting.
The most important thing to consider when organizing a town hall meeting is to make sure you effectively promote the meeting and explain on multiple occasions how the town hall will run. Poor explanation can lead to confusion among participants.

Why organize an online town hall?
Organizing an online town hall meeting helps bring installation or organization leaders closer to the public.
A town hall hosted in a building may only draw a few dozen people, but an online town hall event allows people to participate from the comfort of their own home or office.
In addition to allowing for increased participation, online town hall meetings provide a permanent record of the questions asked and the answers offered. Individuals who missed the town hall can access the organization’s Facebook page at a later date and read through the questions and answers.
Looking for more examples of installations who have used social media to conduct town hall meetings? Check out these links to read recent virtual town hall meeting news coverage: http://goo.gl/64T1H, http://goo.gl/Qgzc7

Making an online town hall a success
Advertise the virtual town hall meeting in advance. Make sure you promote it on Facebook, Twitter and other installation media and social media assets.
Explain how the virtual town hall meeting will work before you open the town hall for questions. Describe where questions can be submitted and explain who will be present to answer the questions.
Have multiple subject matter experts on hand. Be prepared to have multiple people from multiple organizations monitoring the town hall so all questions can be answered.
Make sure you open the virtual town hall with a statement including key messages and themes.
Even if the virtual town hall is scheduled to run for only a few hours, make sure all questions are answered, even if that means working long after it concludes.
Make sure to correct misinformation. In an online town hall setting, other participants may be inclined to answer questions before the subject matter expert. Make sure to thank them for their input and participation, but make sure the correct information is posted.
At the conclusion of the town hall meeting, be sure to thank everyone for their participation and indicate that you will answer all the questions that were not addressed during the event.
Be sure to conduct an after action review with all of the town hall administrators and subject matter experts. This will allow the team to make adjustments for future town hall meetings.

Contact information
Have questions? Please feel free to reach out to us at the Online and Social Media Division
Email:
Ocpa.osmd@us.army.mil
To review and download past editions of the Social Media Roundup, visit our Slideshare site at: http://www.slideshare.net/usarmysocialmedia. All Social Media Roundups are authorized to be distributed to a broader audience.
5/18/2011
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS
PENTAGON

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Social Media Roundup - Online Town Hall Meetings

by U.S. Army

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Social Media Roundup - Online Town Hall Meetings Presentation Transcript