From broadcast to networks

From broadcast to networks Creating strategies for change in a changing landscape

Aims
Re-cap our vision of the changing landscape and tools for the non-profit sector
Start to set-out our thinking about adapting communication and campaigning strategy to these changes

Part 1: Changing landscape & tools

First, let’s take a step back…

Major shift in landscape…
“ If the late 19th century was the ‘golden age’ of mutual institutions, clubs and societies, the early 21st century is a new golden age of networks and online communities”
- NCVO Report, ICT Foresight: how online communities can make the internet work for the Voluntary and Community Sector

Caused by emergence of social web
Early Internet built by corporations and Government
Emerging social web being built by networks of individuals

Leading to organisational shift “ Organisations are increasingly being by-passed and power is shifting away from top-down hierarchies and towards more fluid and participative networks ” NCVO Report, ICT Foresight: how online communities can make the internet work for the Voluntary and Community Sector

The changing landscape …and its effect on the sector

Emerging key trends
These emerging networks are characterised by two key trends – both social and technological:
Social capital -- > Networks motivated by rewards from social cooperation to achieve shared goals
Self-organisation --> Advocacy networks are being created by self-organised groups
These factors are creating a situation that is fundamentally changing the way organisations operate – both in function and form

1. Social capital
Social Capital can be defined as “shared values” that promote social cooperation to achieve common goals
It’s about creating motivation and reward based on non-financial incentives

This isn’t social capital X

Social media builds social capital
Building social capital in social media relies on ‘social’ interaction rather than ‘media’ content:
“ Content isn’t king. Conversation is king. Content is just something to talk about.
- Cory Doctorow, BoingBoing.net

Social media: social, not media
“ When social exchanges and market exchanges are mixed up people get uncomfortable. And grumpy. And this explains many of the pickles brands get themselves into, particularly with personal media creators like bloggers. Blogging is mostly a social thing, social norms apply ”
- Russell Davies, PSFK

2. Increasingly self-organised
Charities must move from traditional, top-down ‘Join Us’ structures to emerging online ‘Join Up’ networks

New tools offer empowerment
"[B]ecause the minimum costs of being an organization in the first place are relatively high, certain activities may have some value but not enough to make them worth pursuing in any organized way. New social tools are altering this equation by lowering the costs of coordinating group action ."
— Clay Shirky, Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations

Empowering tools

But reality is more subtle…

Organisational hybridity
“ New organizational forms are emerging that exist only in hybrid form and could not function in the ways they do without the Internet.
These “ hybrid mobilization movements ” blend functions typically associated with political parties, interest groups, and social movements.
Fast “switches,” between online and offline realms, and within and between campaigns, are emerging characteristics of contemporary … mobilization.”
Professor Andrew Chadwick, University of London

Hybridity in action?

Part 2 – Adapting to changes

First, let’s recap
Networks are increasingly important for communicating and campaigning, especially for non-profit organisations built on social capital
But networks also function very differently than traditional top-down approaches

The big issue
How do we develop strategies for truly aligned networked campaigning?

Part of the answer?
Manual Castells
Sociologist especially associated with information society and communications research

Castells on networks
Castells believes networks can be controlled through two mechanisms:
Network Programmers have “the ability to constitute network(s), and to program [them] in terms of goals assigned to the network”
Network Switchers have “the ability to connect and ensure cooperation of different networks by sharing common goals … combining resources [and] setting up strategic cooperation”
(Castells, 2009: 45-47)

What this means for campaigners
Programming networks
These are organisation-focused networks with long-term goals and managed by network (or community) managers
Networked movements built through long-term engagement
Switching networks
These are existing networks with goals aligned with your organisation
Identifying these networks and cooperating strategically can achieve shared goals through combining resources

Applying this thinking to strategy
What if filter our strategic thinking through Castell’s approach to networks?

Objective setting
‘ Programme Objectives ’ should be linked to broader organisational ones and seen as longer-term goals based on building a robust, deeply engaged movement or community
‘ Switching Objectives’ could be proactively linked to specific short-term objectives (e.g. campaign, communication, fundraising, etc) as well as reactively linked to wider political, media, research agendas etc (i.e. the 38 Degrees approach)

Objective setting (cont’d)
Don’t forget…
Make them SMART
And ensure they’re achievable via social media!

Strategy development

Network research
Use freely available tools to start identifying, analysing and understanding key individuals and communities
These should be divided into networks that can be:
used to constitute your own, programmable network (s), e.g. professional, sectoral, supporter, self-organised
Switched to achieve shared goals, e.g. networks connected to your programmed network(s) periphery

Network mapping
UK Uncut’s network visualised
Source: Market Sentinel

Things to look for
Network topography:
Nodes – individual actors
Core – inner cluster/hub of ‘doers’, crucial to active networks
Hubs – groups of highly active and connected nodes
Clusters – groups of actors, not actively connected to wider network
Peripheral nodes/hubs – actors/groups of actors on the edges of your network; crucial to growth as they’re the interface with wider networks

Good old fashioned desktop research We Are Social’s approach to online influencer identification and profiling

Set-up
Create a central hub around which your communities of networks can be built
Open source platforms offer flexible functionality for ongoing community building and engagement
Can be easily and quickly updated and supports long-form content
Central to both programming and switching
Wordpress Drupal

Social presence set-up
Use research insights to guide organisational presence on wider social platforms
Choosing wisely will enable you to engage and mobilise networks from within their own online communities
Insight led set-up supports programming and switching

Content planning
Timely and engaging content is key to drive both programming and switching networks
Planning differs in both respects:
Proactively mapping out strategically aligned content and action will support network programming
Flexibility and sensitivity to wider political, news and online agendas is crucial for switching

Operationalising
Both programming and switching networks are made more efficient and safer by creating guidance protocols, e.g.:
Conversation management guidelines
Editorial guidelines
Moderation policy

Networked movement building
The practice of “programming” networks can be best equated with building networked movements
How this takes shape will depend on specific objectives but key activities will include:
Robust, forward-looking content strategy aligned with objectives
Active participation - i.e. listening to and engaging with – your community
Adding value through exclusivity or incentivisation
Recognising you’re part of a wider network of networks

Them *again*

OU & Four in Ten

Advocacy campaigns
“ Switching” networks can best be understood as networked advocacy achieving short-term goals
Again, specific tactics will depend on objectives but foundational ‘switching’ activity could include:
Activating programmed networks to switch personal networks
Switching ‘overt’ networks, e.g. strategically aligned organisational networks
Identifying and switching ‘covert’ networks, e.g. self-organised

Greenpeace vs Nestle
Campaign targets Nestle’s palm oil supply by hijacking iconic brand

Elicits negative comms response

All over in 48 hours (almost)

Generating media coverage

Impacting the share price

Achieving advocacy goals
Two months later…

MyDavidCameron

Conservative Party: Make IT Better

Where do we go from here?

The challenge “ Organisations are increasingly being by-passed and power is shifting away from top-down hierarchies and towards more fluid and participative networks ” - NCVO Report, ICT Foresight: how online communities can make the internet work for the Voluntary and Community Sector

Next steps
Think about your programming and switching objectives
Identify and map your relevant networks
Establish a presence in networks using low-cost tools
Programme and build networks through active participation
Engage with and switch other aligned networks to achieve shared goals

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Questions? for further conversation http://wearesocial.net

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From broadcast to networks

by We Are Social on Feb 10, 2011

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From broadcast to networks Presentation Transcript