Context is King

Anyone can use these new tools – in fact that’s the whole point – but that also makes it difficult to write a step-by-step guide to how ‘you’ should run your projects. We can sketch out a route, but the actual path you need to take will depend very much on the context you’re operating in. We’ve focussed on three typical contexts in which you might be running ‘social by social’ projects.

1. Individuals or small groups building a new project (the ‘start up’ model)

  • likely to have a big idea;
  • clearly focussed on audience, users, customers;
  • full of enthusiasm, but maybe lacking some skills;
  • perhaps looking for somewhere to work – or at least meet;
  • probably short of funds to cover early costs; and
  • likely to have to spend a lot of time pitching ideas to funders or investors.

 

2. A project leader inside an organisation

  • might have a big idea or want to improve current activities, or just to ‘see what’s out there’;
  • likely to be constrained by the current attitudes and culture within the organisation;
  • may need to convince colleagues, and perhaps a board, before securing funding;
  • may well have another job to do, and targets to hit; and
  • may have to use the technology favoured by their technology colleagues.

 

3. A funder or commissioner looking to initiate a new project

  • may have a policy objective – but no set view on how to get there;
  • probably have limited time to do research, explore technology or make an impact;
  • will be concerned to have some way of measuring success against objectives;
  • could be relying on those proposing projects to supply a methodology; and
  • are likely to be faced with a bewildering range of proposals.

 

Whatever your situation, whatever you have set out to do, here are a few things you'll need to consider.

How to become a digital activist

by David and Amy

  1. If possible, find a friend who will be your digital mentor, someone who’s done this before and can give you tips and support along your journey. If you don’t know anyone personally, chances are there will be a dozen people in your organisation who know this stuff inside out (assuming you haven’t fired them all for using Facebook during working hours).
  2. Look, listen and explore widely. Try some of the services offered by the big names like Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and sign up with one of the social networking sites like Facebook. Experiment with specific services that seem most relevant to you – Flickr for photos, Twitter for short messaging, YouTube if you are a video enthusiast.
  3. Experiment with web searching, do some online research and set up a good personal knowledge system for organising files, bookmarks, mailboxes.
  4. Subscribe to some of the best bloggers in the field (possibly using an RSS newsreader) and follow their tips.
  5. Now you can see the landscape, clarify your priorities. What real need do you want to address? And what real need are other people already articulating?
  6. Try setting up a simple web site using a wiki from Wikispaces, Wikidot or one of the other providers; or set up a blog (you can keep it private) with Wordpress, Blogger, Typepad or a similar service.
  7. Make friends online and get attention for your project by commenting in other people’s spaces – blogs, discussion forums, Facebook groups, MySpace pages and so on.
  8. Ask your community where they want to connect with you online that they aren’t already.
  9. Evaluate your current online activities against your community/audience needs and your own goals, and move away from strategies and tools that aren’t working. Focus your energy and capacity on the tools that are delivering value.
  10. Continue evaluating and asking your community for feedback and the let the community and organisation’s goals drive your next steps.

How to introduce social technology to an organisation

by David

  1. Start by using as little technology as possible. Experiment with free or low-cost tools and grow from there. The less you spend, the less pressure there will be to get it right first time.
  2. Get the chief executive blogging.
  3. Expect people’s attitude to be more important than skills in adopting new tools. If people are really keen they will find a way, if not it will be sloooow.
  4. First learn how to listen and converse online ... by reading blogs, through RSS, bookmarking resources, commenting.
  5. If you want people to communicate or collaborate online, bring them together face-to-face first.
  6. Blend online and offline communication methods.
  7. Don’t expect social spaces online to work without a host. Face-to-face events don’t – unless everyone knows each other very well.
  8. Don’t expect collaboration spaces like wikis to work easily unless people are familiar with the tools and comfortable with each other. Workshops need facilitators – so do collaboration spaces.
  9. Expect people to be different in their preferences. Some will write, others take pictures or make movies. Work with people’s strengths - give support where they are weaker.
  10. Go to other people’s places as well as attracting them to yours. On the web the walls are coming down.

You can also show the potential of these tools by picking a smaller opportunity to use them;

  1. Find an enthusiast within the organisation who has enough authority to ‘just do it’ – at least in a small way.
  2. Choose an event whether there is scope to develop content before, at and after ... including photos and video.
  3. Help the enthusiast set up a blog, start blogging, and find some other social reporters for the event.
  4. Lend the reporters simple video cameras like Flips, and encourage them to do interviews and hand the cameras around.
  5. Publish videos and reports, email people who were there, keep on blogging and commenting.