Social Networking: Going Viral to Get Your Message Out Sept. 23, 2010
Social Networking Revolution or Fad? Demographics Social Networking Sites & Applications
Revolution or Fad?
Demographics 77.3% of Americans* 60% use broadband at home (fast, always on) 55% connect wirelessly (Wi-Fi or Handheld) Multiple Devices * Internet World Stats www.internetworldstats.com
50 Million Users 38 years 13 years 4 years 3 years 200 million users in 1 year
Social Networking Facebook YouTube Twitter Flickr LinkedInk Blogs (Technorati) Social Networking focuses on building online communities of people p who share common interests and/or activities.
Facebook 500 million users
YouTube Video-sharing g website 2 nd largest search engine 200,000000 video uploaded per day
Twitter A micro-blog 140 characters or less Tweet = a post on Twitter 27.33 million tweets per day
LinkedIn Business oriented social network More than 75 million users
Flicker Image hosting site Host more than 5 billion images
Blogs A blog is a website where regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events or news are made. Inside 208 Technorati
Helpful Applications Seesmic Desktop manage your social networks at the same time TwitPic share photos on Twitter in real-time Mashable online guide to social media Metrics o Facebook Insights o YouTube Insights o Social Mention
Social Media and Your Community Making Social Media Work for You My background Examples Social Media Tips Q & A
My Background: Reporter 18 years, Greenville, Howell, Flint (Alpena, Cass City) City Hall, County Gov t, Village, Twp, Schools, Crime, Courts Community Content Coordinator Public relations manager: Flint CVB Michigan Municipal League: Director of Communications, November 2009
Why Do Social Media? Cheap Easy to Use Offers Two-Way Communication, give and take (good and bad) Effective at spreading news beyond its first audience to larger audience Decline of traditional media is an opportunity for us/you Example: Community Excellence Awards
Use Traditional AND Social Media
MML on flickr and Facebook
Use Your Websites
How to Start? Step One: Set up Google alerts with your name, city, etc. Step Two: Form a plan - Just don t do it because everyone else is - Identify a problem, issue or concern you want to address and then use social media to fix it. Example: Enjoy Birmingham, MI FB page
Form a plan: Changing Perceptions Example: Flint, Michigan FB, Changing Perceptions of Flint email, This Ain t Flint story
Flint Michigan Facebook Page
Your Social Media Options There are many social media options so many in fact it s easy to get frustrated t or feel overwhelmed. Start simple: Suggestions Blog what s a blog? Twitter page Facebook page
Blogging Auburn Hills
MySpace Can Use It Like a Blog
Blogging City of Flint s blog
Blogging Elected Officials Are Doing it Too
Blogging MML s Inside 208
Twitter Mayor Dayne Walling
Facebook general guidelines A strong community/individual Facebook page will Be accessible, allow fans to post photos, comments, links and content t Can be personal (friend page) or a fan/like page the lines are blurred, but be careful Post video, photos, link to other favorite pages, i.e. local businesses, foundations and nonprofit FB pages should be listed under your favorites Encourage feedback, ask questions, open setting Example: Social media/facebook good example: Flint Institute of Music: In celebration of hitting the 1,000 fan mark on our facebook page, the Flint Institute of Music will be giving i away a voucher for two tickets to the FSO Classical Concert
Facebook: Flint Mayor Dayne Walling
Facebook: Hamtramck Mayor Karen Majewski
Detroit Councilman Ken Cockrel Jr. FB Page
Facebook: Holland Mayor Dykstra
Facebook: They re creating a page for you
Paw Paw, Three Rivers group pages
New to Facebook, new trend: Check-In Sites: Geocaching is a term you should know. There are a few different definitions, but basically it incorporates GPS tracking, treasure hunting and social media. There are several up and coming sites doing it. It s becoming such the rage that Facebook has got into the game with its new places feature. The most known sites so far are probably foursquare and Gowalla. It s something businesses are starting ti to use to promote themselves and communities can easily start using it as well, i.e. come to the Apple Fest this weekend, show us the app and get a free apple.
Facebook page reviews If time allows and if you re interested I ll run through h quickly some of your community Facebook pages and give general comments.
Coldwater: Has an official-looking FB page
Facebook: Grand Haven 25,000 fans WOW!
I Love Dexter, Michigan FB Page
Jackson Michigan FB Page
Midland FB page - excellent
Milford Facebook page very good!
Social media leader: Zeeland
Social Media Tips: Summary Set up Google alerts, have your name and your community s name set up, know what s being said about you and your community. Defend yourself when you can; or have others defend you, i.e. online comments Council person X is a Form a plan Work with other municipalities and tackle issues as a group, i.e. joint press releases (Buick Open), community FB pages Use social media to your advantage, i.e. Facebook and This Ain t Flint campaign; Changing Perceptions of Flint and Legislative Link and LOOP email reports. Get training: Recognize your weaknesses and get help, whether it s how to do a video for YouTube or redoing your website to make it more interactive. Get help: Don t necessarily do it alone, get volunteers or supporters to help out.
Q&A Questions & Answers??