Social Media in Ireland for Charities

Setting the scene for charities:
Social Media in Ireland & how to get involved with social networking
By Nathalie McDermott (On Road Media)

96% of internet users in Ireland use
A few stats...
Is the world’s 2nd largest search engine
YouTube has over 130,000 Irish users per day
Almost half of Irish YouTube users are between 25-44

More Stats...
has 400 million users worldwide
& 1.58 million of them are in Ireland
There are around 191,000 Irish profiles on
150,000 Irish people on

Static sites were web 1.0
Blogs, wikis, podcasts, social networks...
...any site where ordinary people create content, network and socialise...
= web 2.0

Twitter

PHOTOS
PHOTOS

PODCASTS & VIDEO BLOGS

SOCIAL NETWORKS

Source: Beth Kanter

Find out more by joining:www.socialanimalsireland.com

The web has changed how we communicate
It’s gone from this
To this

What’s so different about web 2.0?
It is fundamentally different from previous forms of media
Social media platforms provide a framework for people to connect directly to each other – the architecture has permanently changed, though technologies will continue to evolve
People are using social media to glean information from each other without relying on organisations
This shift is permanent! Get involved or lose out!

This doesn’t mean we replace offline activity!

The best users of social media blend online and offline activity in marketing
Example: If you’re running an awareness or fundraising event for your organisation
Create a network or start a group around the event
Write blog posts in the run up to the event
Invite people to post their own photos onto your site, ask them to post their feedback etc
Those who took part will feel like part of a team
Those who couldn’t be there will feel like they haven’t missed out

Social Networking
Nothing replaces face-to-face contact

But...
Social Networking can facilitate conversations between much larger groups of people

What is Facebook?
Facebook is a “social networking platform”
People “live” online there
It’s not just for kids (half of you are there!)
The average Facebook user views 45 pages during a session
There are different kinds of FB pages: personal, groups, companies or organisations like yours

Starting with Facebook
Sign up for a personal account
Find your friends, look at what they are doing
Join some groups
Search with keywords relating to your organisation’s mission
Start contributing and creating

To really make social networking WORK, organisations MUST:
Let go
Facilitate conversations, don’t control them
Involve people, don’t ‘own’ your cause
Allow people to get involved: Volunteer or employee on social network does not equal messer!
Try things and be patient
Aggregate content for your audience

Be realistic
Social networking isn’t a miracle cure
It may take a while for your social networking investment to pay off
It might even never pay off in the way you originally intended

Social Networking is just one communication tool
Don’t over-invest in social networks
Who are your audiences(current and future)? Court them appropriately
If you turn your back on conventional media (notice boards, newsletters, local press etc.), you might leave out your core audience / supporters
But don’t under-invest in social networks either

Learn to relax a little
Of course not all information on social networks is exactly right but the bulk of it is generally right (see wikipedia)
SO...
Or at least be a little ‘zen’ about it 

“But what if we’re attacked?!?”
People are (hopefully!) talking about you whether you like it or not
Better they have these discussions where you can see them and respond
Not all comments will be favourable
How you react to the negative ones says a lot about you
Pick your battles and don’t be afraid to say sorry or admit when you’re wrong

Power and Control
You won’t always be able to control things or place yourself at the centre of discussions.
You will have to give up some control to gain more friends, followers and influence. This is a good thing.

Savvy Chavvy & the power of bespoke social networks

Savvy Chavvy
A social network for young Gypsies and Travellers in the UK
3500 members
Won the first Catalyst Communities award in July 2008
‘Chavvy’ is a Romany word for ‘child’

Savvy Chavvy
Young Travellers use the network as a safe place to learn, have discussions, find family members, make friends and arrange events

Rosina Hughes is 17 from Wareham, Dorset. She says:
"It's great to have a site where you feel comfortable and safe discussing these things”
"They have Gypsy hate groups, so it's important that we have our own space."
“You're all dirty” and “you're all scum”, are some of the racist responses she says she has received on other social networking sites.

You can set up your own network for your community or organisation by using free networks like:
www.ning.com
www.socialgo.com
www.grou.ps
www.webjam.com
We set Savvy Chavvy up using Ning

Some examples of other bespoke social networks
http://heartsounds.ning.com
Hundreds of people in the UK with mental health problems use the network to share information with professionals and other service users in Uganda
www.harringayonline.com
2500 residents of this town in London use it to share information, launch campaigns and build community spirit
www.tudiabetes.com
Over 6000 people with diabetes use the network to support each other and share information

TOP TEN TIPSto start your own social network
Firstly, you need to consider the purpose of your network – who will be your members and why will they use this website above others? What need does your network address?

Set Up
Go to a platform like Ning, SocialGo or Grou.ps and set up your network, choosing a catchy name and web address. It’s very simple; all you need is an email address and it takes a couple of minutes

Privacy
Choose how public or private it is going to be – can everyone on the web see and contribute to your network or will it be closed and private for your members only?

Tagline
Give your network a tagline and short description - what’s it all about? The tagline should consist of one pithy sentence, E.g. www.savvychavvy.com: ‘A social network for young Gypsies and Travellers in the UK’

Features
Next, add features to your network. You can drag and drop functions like ‘forum’, ‘chat’, ‘blog’, ‘video’ & ‘photos’ into the front page.
You might, for example, place the ‘forum’ function prominently in the middle of the page if having discussions is the main purpose of your network

Design
Choose a design – Bespoke social networking platforms will give you lots of templates to choose from and you can customize one with your own choice of images, logos, fonts and colours

Content
Your network is now ready for content – help to define the network’s identity by starting discussions, posting photos, adding videos etc that are relevant to the purpose of the website
Behaviour – YOU set the tone of your network. You set the house rules define how you want people to behave in your space

People
Invite people to the network – start by inviting relevant people and welcoming them by writing a note on their pages.
If you’re trying to attract a certain community don’t send out blanket invites to attract a volume of members – the quality and relevance of your members is what will help it grow and develop into a sustainable space.
You can support this by writing your own relevant joining up questions

Engage
Keep the community active and interested – once you have a working network, keep your members engaged by making small changes to the site, adding new content and sending them relevant information (without spamming them with constant messages!)
MODERATION: Make sure your network is looked after, little and often works best.

Extras
A lot of services are free but platforms like Ning are now starting to charge a compulsorymonthly fee. You can also pay extra for optional services like the removal of ads, the ability to use your own domain name and extra storage

Find out more by joining:www.socialanimalsireland.com

Contact nathalie@onroadmedia.org.ukTwitter @natmcwww.onroadmedia.org.uk

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Social Media in Ireland for Charities

by Nathalie McDermott on May 12, 2010

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Social Media in Ireland for Charities — Presentation Transcript