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Slide Notes

Presentation for the Victoria AEU 5th September 2014 focusing on how to get the most out of social media. Really, how to gain traction without turning people off.
This is an elaboration on a post on wrote on the same topic: http://readingwritingresponding.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/leveraging-twitter-...
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Advocating with Social Media

Published on Nov 21, 2015

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PRESENTATION OUTLINE

Advocating with Social Media

5th September 2014
Presentation for the Victoria AEU 5th September 2014 focusing on how to get the most out of social media. Really, how to gain traction without turning people off.
This is an elaboration on a post on wrote on the same topic: http://readingwritingresponding.blogspot.com.au/2014/08/leveraging-twitter-...

"The future of the daily newspaper is one of the few certainties in the current landscape: Most of them are going away, in this decade." Clay Shirky

The times are changing. One of the biggest changes has been around media. Whereas in the past you could depend on print media to get your message across, with the digital revolution, this supposed superiority is on the wane.
https://medium.com/@cshirky/last-call-c682f6471c70
Photo by Joi

"Business models for traditional reportage might be foundering, but interest is not"
Clive Thompson

Although the advertising companies maybe leaving print media, cutting costs on traditional reportage, this does not mean that there is a wane in interest.
Clive Thompson, 'Smarter Than You Think', P.69

So what then is so social about media anyway?

This 'interest' though has moved online. There are many reasons for this, but one of the biggest is the social interaction associated with media online.
Photo by RobertFrancis

Social media places at the centre the biggest variable: PEOPLE

A move to 'the social' places one of the biggest variables at the centre ... people.
Photo by geezaweezer

Unlike traditional media there are so many possibilities when it comes to social media

The problem with 'social media' is that there is no one place where EVERYONE populates.

Different platforms, Different audiences, Different purposes ...

Whether it be Facebook, Instagram, Blogs, Youtube, there are so many different options.
Photo by Rachid Lamzah

Gone are the days of simply writing a letter to the editor ...

One size fits all no longer applies
Photo by donovanbeeson

Now YOU are the editor and through social media you are the curator of your own story

Instead you decide what story is to be told. What is different is that this story is often curated across various platforms.
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The first thing to consider is who are you?

With the focus on people the big question that you need to ask is who are you?
Photo by Old Sarge

Your digital badge ...

  • Consistent image
  • Clear username
  • Detailed profile
In a presentation for ICTEV, Anne Mirtchen suggests that we need to consider our online presence as a 'badge' http://readingwritingresponding.blogspot.com.au/2014/05/take-power-back-ste...
Photo by LunaWeb

In regards to social media the questions that you need to ask are: WHO are you trying to connect with and WHAT vehicle are you using to do so?

It is important to consider who you are trying to connect with and which platform allows you to best do this.
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FOR EXAMPLE: Twitter

To me Twitter is heavily based on branding and association. Whether it be personal or based on a topic. This notion of 'branding' is difficult to develop and is unique to each situation. It is not enough to simply post the same message again and again. (See David Truss for a great introduction http://pairadimes.davidtruss.com/twitter-edu/)
Photo by shawncampbell

A tweet is not a tweet

The challenge is that a tweet is not a tweet. Some believe in getting straight to the point. Stating the message in a simple fashion with little scope left for continuing the conversation. Sadly, this misses the point of the medium. In my view, there are many ways to carry a conversation

Stating the WHAT and WHY?

Although most ideas and argument cannot be deduced to 140 very well, such a statement still needs to have some semblance of clarity. Where possible, it needs to capture not only the what, but more importantly the why.

Posing a QUESTION

Although using the same ingredients as the statement, by putting it as a rhetorical question encourages the reader to consider their own perspective on the matter.

Linking in other USERS and IDEAS

Associated with producing a message or question is linking in other users and/or ideas. This is done by making reference to various handles (the name given to an identity on Twitter) and hashtags (a form of digital categorisation that aggregates across platforms). In the case of Gonski, an obvious handle to attach would be @igiveagonski, while in regards to hashtags, some possibilities include #gonski, #auspol and #springst.

QUOTING a source

In addition to content and connections, the other thing to consider is linking to other details and information. The most obvious example is quoting a source. The purpose of this is to use evidence and statistics to bring credibility to the argument.

Engaging with IMAGES

The problem with quotes though is the problem with Twitter, sometimes 140 characters just isn't enough. In this case, the alternative is to capture the quote in an image. @igiveagonski have been producing a series of graphics linking quotes from key academics with the call to sign up to the campaign.

Providing CONTENT and CONNECTIONS

The other alternative to adding your own ideas is adding various links, images and videos. Coupled with quotes, it can be good to add links to other sources in order to provide people with more information or a space to continue to engage with topics in question. The obvious link associated with the Gonski campaign is the www.igiveagonski.com.au site. However, the other option is the multitude of commentary out there attached to the topic. Take for example tweet referencing a piece from Pasi Sahlberg.

Generating MEMES

In regards to images, the other alternatives to quotes or photographs are creative responses. This can come in any shape and form, but the most common is through the use of various meme generator websites and applications

Adding MEDIA

The other option is to link to other media, such as a video from a site such as YouTube. This is what I meant about curating.

Coping with a world of abundance

One of the biggest challenges with the move away from print media and scarcity to a world of social media is how we make sense of this world of abundance. In particular, how do we follow and contain our story when we are the editor and publisher. Luckily there are a range of tips and tools which can help.
Photo by Raoul Luoar

LISTS

Like the idea of circles in Google+, lists allows you to add different users so that instead of scrawling through the endless stream, you can then isolate the conversation more easily. Another good feature of lists is that if you make them public then others can simply subscribe to them, rather than go through all the rigmarole of creating their own.

Tweetdeck

Another great program that allows you to manage the abundance of information is Tweetdeck. Sue Waters has created a fantastic resource (http://www.theedublogger.com/2014/06/25/twitter-chats/) which is a must for anyone trying to get there head around it. In summary, the benefits include the ability to schedule tweets, as well as add different columns. (Hootsuite also offers much of the same functionality.) These can be hashtags, lists or even handles. This can be useful in monitoring a particular hashtag and engaging in a particular conversation.
Photo by mrafizeldi

TAGBOARD

The best program for simply monitoring a hashtag is Tagboard. It collects all the different posts associated with a particular hashtag from sites such as Google+, Instagram, Twitter, Vine and Tumblr.

STORIFY

Another useful site is Storify. This site allows you to curate information surrounding a hashtag and add a narrative to it in order to fill in all the gaps.
Photo by 편집장

IFTTT

IFTTT is an automated program which offers a range of 'recipes' which once setup automatically run in the background. In regards to Twitter, the most obvious use of IFTTT is the cross-posting from sites such as Google+, Facebook, Instagram and Flickr. However, you can also use it to automatically post any new RSS news feed items or send a tweet to new followers.
Photo by HighTechDad

Trendsmap

The last site is Trendsmap. This site aggregates what is trending. If the goal is leverage, this can be a useful barometer. Although it must be noted that just because something is trending, it does not allows guarantee traction.
Photo by t1mmyb

DON'T FORGET: Social media involves engaging in a dialogue - it's not a one way street

Engaging does not just have to be in debate about a particular policy, it may simply putting forward a more human side