This document discusses how a technical communications chapter uses social media for professional development, networking, and building community. It outlines the chapter's use of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest for these purposes. For each platform, it describes the chapter's approach of both manual and scheduled posts using Hootsuite to share announcements, engage other professionals, and build awareness of the chapter and technical communication field. The goal is to develop relationships that can help the chapter reach more people. It also discusses using other visual platforms like Flickr or Instagram to showcase events and involve more members through photos. Overall, the chapter aims to regularly and steadily use social media with both organic and paid methods to grow engagement over time.

1. Using Social Media for Chapter Purposes
Nancy Allison, President, STC New England
STC New England Mission Statement for 2014-2015
Professional development, networking, and community for content developers and technical
communicators
Or
Building Careers, Building Community
Why care about social media
 Pervasive and too important to ignore.
 Bar to entry is low.
 Available 24 hours per day.
Professional development
 STC NE members receive announcements of programs.
 Council members and volunteers how to use Twitter, FB, Linked-In, etc.
Networking
 Paper newsletters were read in isolation.
 Social media is interactive.
Community
 People can stay engaged throughout the month.
 Various people prefer different forms of social media
Facebook
Updating
 Manual updates.
o Writing posts about matters specific to the chapter
o Reposting other STC information
o Posting or reposting items that are likely to be enjoyable to other tech writers (humor, etc.)
 Hootsuite: Schedules event announcements, etc.
Boosting posts: We boost posts to our Friends’ friends.
Success measured by increases in Likes, Shares, and Comments and to a lesser extent registrations.
Two approaches:
 Boost event details, hope to see a bump in registrations. Too short-term for that purpose.
 Sustained campaign, many kinds of information to build awareness of us. Thought leadership in tech
comm and technical communities. Pay attention to what gets the most positive response.

2. Results of boosting posts: 50-100% increased number of views over an unboosted post.
We have never bought ads on Facebook or anywhere else.
Twitter
Same two methods of posting:
 Hootsuite: Messages about upcoming programs, Scribbling Tipplers, workshops, etc., with link.
 Manual: Problematic. Requires monitoring.
Philosophical differences:
 Cut-and-dried professional posts
 Full of personality, engaging with other professionals
Goal: Develop relationship with others who have more reach, or reach into different communities and
use that conversation or relationship to reach more people.
Linked-In
Reaches job-seekers, hiring managers, other managers.
Same methods:
 Manual: Individual council members comment in discussion groups, referring to the chapter, programs,
etc., as is relevant.
 Hootsuite: Event announcements, links to news articles, etc.
Pinterest
 A different audience.
 Showcase for found static photos, usually with some beauty and permanence, or with a message
 We were curious
 Several pages
We get email :
 When new follower signs up.
 When someone re-pins a post.
 See followers’ pages and their interests. (Can we contact them directly?)
Other Outlets: Flicker, Instagram, or any photo app of FB, Google, etc.
 Visual. Seems like contradiction.
 Build community: Photos of events, what’s happening now, who’s involved.
 Drawback: Make sure participants are OK with being shown.
Social Media Strategy
 Have volunteers who commit to steady use, like experts.
 Organic methods for growing readership do work.
 Post regularly
 Do favors for those who can extend your reach
 Example: craft beer community