online communities for the public sector: what & why
TRANSCRIPT
Fresh Integral http://bit.ly/fintegral 1
Online Communities
More Than a Comms TacticIntro, @mathewlowry
Fresh Integral http://bit.ly/fintegral 2
Online Communities:What, Why, When, Who & How?
• What are they, Why should I care?• Key Issues to look out for• Who is going to tell me How?
Steve Clift Christel Vacelet Olivia ButterworthMichelle Brook
• Finally: Panel, Q&A
Fresh Integral http://bit.ly/fintegral 3
Informal network of people with a common interest
• Online and/or Offline– Online community <-> Conference killer app
• Apply collective knowledge -> each Member’s problems– Share problems, solutions, ideas & stories– Learn, teach, network, influence, visibility, establish
mindshare & expertise …• More than a "community of learners": a
"community that learns”
What?
Fresh Integral http://bit.ly/fintegral 4
Attract – even create – an audience for your content
• Are you fighting for every click?
• Community Members – Invest in their
community– Advocate for it– Help manage it– Multiply it to
their networks
Community Members
Why?
Fresh Integral http://bit.ly/fintegral 5
Build bridges, Create networks
• Help best practices & ideas travel• Help members network & help each other• Between people & organisations, Across barriers
– geographic, organisational, cultural, language ...
Why?
Fresh Integral http://bit.ly/fintegral 6
Participation Platforms
• Participation Contributions often “Numerous & Shallow” or “Rare & Deep”
Why?Q
uanti
ty
Depth
Slacktivistse.g., Facebook Poll
(zero context, zero effort)
Usual Suspect Stakeholders
Detailed response to indepth Papers
Community MembersInformed & engaged
non-specialists
Fresh Integral http://bit.ly/fintegral 7
Summary
3 reasons why• Create your
audience
• Build Bridges
• Platform forParticipation
Key issues to watch out for• USP: Unique Selling Purpose• From vicious to virtual circle• Online Community
Management• Integration within
organisation • Integration with offline
(particularly events)• Not a comms project
Community Members
...
Fresh Integral http://bit.ly/fintegral 8
Key Issue: getting from vicious to virtuous
• Vicious circle: Chicken and Egg– Why should I join? Noone’s contributing! -> Goodbye!– Why contribute? Noone will read it! -> Goodbye!
• Virtuous circle– Good crowd!
-> I’ll join in– Content getting read
-> Better add mine– Questions getting answers
-> I’ll ask mine
How?
Fresh Integral http://bit.ly/fintegral 9
Some good USPs
• Influence us and others• Get Help, from us and others • Network, Raise your (organisation’s) profile• Content: add value– You: original content + Curates and/or Translates other
content• Content team, Subject Matter Experts & OCMs
– Your Members: submit content• OCM quality control -> Users promote their success ->
promote site
How?
Fresh Integral http://bit.ly/fintegral 10
Key Issue: Online Community Management
“Voice of the Organisation
to the Community ...
and Voice of the Community into the
Organisation”
How?
Fresh Integral http://bit.ly/fintegral 11
3 Speakers, 3 Case Studies
3 Speakers– Christel Vacelet: eTwinning
• Communications Manager, European Schoolnet
– Michelle Brook: NHSCitizen• Democratic Society
– Steve Clift: KnowledgeHub• Executive Director, e-
Democracy.org
• USP: Unique Selling Purpose• Chicken & Egg• Online Community
Management• Integration within
organisation • Integration with offline
(particularly events)• Not a comms project
Key issues to watch out for