Imperial public engagement workshops:Social media for public engagement
Simon Levey
11 February 2015
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Who uses social media?
Users of social media include:•Students and schoolchildren•Researchers/academics•Funding organisations and charities•Philanthropists and entrepreneurs•Companies•Universities and academic institutions•Pensioners•Doctors and nurses•Celebrities•Sports stars and athletes
…in short, every demographic now uses social media, so the opportunities for engagement have never been better!
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www.telegraph.co.uk
Why should you use social media?
Social media for public engagement
• Direct interactions with the public• Opportunity for two-way conversation regardless of location• Share your message widely, quickly and with people who might otherwise
not hear about it• Encourages you to think creatively about your content• Get engaged in discussions where you have expert opinion to offer• Find out what people think about your work• Ask questions and engage in debate with other people in your field in a
public arena
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Familiarise yourself
Social media at Imperial
Guidelines and usage policy (HR)
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/staff/tools-and-reference/web-guide/tools/social-media/
Accounts at Imperial (official Departmental/Faculty channels) http://www.imperial.ac.uk/be-inspired/social-and-multimedia/directory/
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Do you need a channel?
Consider these factors before committing to running a dedicated channel or account:
•Time commitment
•Content and frequency
•Creativity and multimedia
•What do you want to achieve?
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Choose a platform
Different social media channels have different benefits and shortcomings, and audiences expect different things.
Twitter – 234m active users.
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Choose a platform
Different social media channels have different benefits and shortcomings, and audiences expect different things.
1,366m active users.
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Different social media channels have different benefits and shortcomings, and audiences expect different things.
Instagram – 300m active users
Choose a platform
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Completely photo-led, so all posts must contain image. Good images with right hashtags do well, and can be posted across other social media too.
Choose a platform
Different social media channels have different benefits and shortcomings, and audiences expect different things.
Video – Vine (60m active users), YouTube (1 billion users/month)
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Content needs more production value, but can be more engaging. Need to ensure it is quick and snappy, like all other social media.
Setting up your channel
Make sure to include the following information:
• Your real name - even if you are using a moniker or different handle
• Who you are and what you represent - e.g. ‘I’m Simon, I work at @imperialcollege on events and public engagement. I like cats and #science.’)
• Photo or image – something that reflects you or what your account will represent and talk about
• What people can expect to see posted by following you
• How often you will post (where relevant) – Think about setting yourself a target(eg 1 tweet per day) and see if you can stick to it,
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Good practice tips
• Be authentic and honest
• Be timely and relevant
• Be collaborative
• Mistakes are OK
• Be playful, but avoid sarcasm ;P
• Use images/multimedia in posts
• Hashtags and handles
• Analytics and measurements
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Express yourself (10 mins)
In teams, come up with posts for Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for:
Imperial Fringe: Lit Up
Hashtag - #impfringe
Link: http://bit.ly/ImpFringe_Feb2015
Key message: Come to the Fringe!
To consider:
Length of post
Hashtags/handles
Images or video
Creative opportunities or ways to be funny
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Added extras
For events or special occasions, there might be scope to do fun things like:
•Twitterwall – everyone using the approved event hashtag has Tweets that appear on a screen at the event or conference. We did this with Imperial Festival 2014 and will do it again this year (#impfest)
•Storify – produce a news story for your website/College website that pulls together posts around a topic or event (e.g. Fringe or Festival, World Cancer Day etc.)
Analytics/measurement
In-built ways to measure social media statistics in most platforms. Can give you insight into what type of posts are most popular, same as with Google Analytics providing that insight for a website. Can then guide the content you produce and overview of your audience.
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Next sessions
12.30 – 13.30
Read Lecture Theatre
•18 Feb Interactives
•25 Feb Impact evaluation
•4 March Festival briefing
•11 March Telling a story
•18 March Drop-in session
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