Introduction to

Social Media
RESOLVE

Richard Roaf

Ecodemia

Introduction to
Social Media Agenda
1. Why is Social Media Important?
What is it? Why is it important for SD & academics?
How are other academics using it?

2. How could RESOLVE use it?

What do you want to communicate to who?
Steps to creating a strategy

3. Next Steps

Background

What is

social media?

Blogs
Microblogs
Social Networking
Multimedia Websites
Social Bookmarking

Popularity
Grown by 340% in 3 years in UK
Youtube videos are watched 2 billion
times per day
There are 500 million active users on
Facebook
Every week 3.5 billion pieces of content
are shared just on Facebook
6 million new users join Twitter each
month

Demographics
The average social network user is 37 years
old.
The average Twitter user is 39 years old.
The average Facebook user is 38 years
old.

Social media and

sustainable development

Must engage the public with research on

sustainable development
Mainstream media is failing to do this
Peer influence is crucial
Social media connects positive greens to
rest of population through weak ties

Social media and

sustainable development
Allows you to use creativity
Spoonful of sugar approach
Allows for engagement
Creates a two way dialogue

Social media &

Results of Pilot Study published last week
Reach and Significance

Attracting

students

Set to become more important

Sixth formers are very active online
Can present the department as more
exciting, interesting, relevant
Engaging with potential students is crucial

Martyn Poliakoff
Particularly impressive was a presentation
describing online outreach including a
"You Tube" video on the periodic table of
the elements that has already received
greater than a million "hits" worldwide.
Chemistry for the Next Decade and Beyond
EPSRC

How are other

academics using it?

Blogs
Rapidly increasing number of academic
blogs
Builds on academics existing competencies
Being personal
Avoid text overload
http://startswithabang.com/
Can cross-post

How are other

academics using it?

Youtube
Lots of lectures
Easier than ever to make videos
Important to be creative and different
RSA Animate

How are other

academics using it?

Facebook
Great way to disseminate content
Can be used to share anything
Must initially recruit followers
Stanford University

How are other

academics using it?

Twitter
Short posts used to share links and news
Increasing number of academics using it
Lots of funding councils & related bodies
Recruit followers by becoming one

How are other

academics using it?

Best Practice
Use an integrated approach
Help people climb the content ladder
Be personal
Take part in conversations
Be different

How are other

academics using it?

Integrated approach
Use a content platform and a distribution
platform
e.g.
Youtube & Facebook
Blog & Twitter

Social Media

concerns

Getting started with

social media

3 Stage Process
Clarify your purpose
Getting started
Participation and review

Getting started with

social media

3 Stage Process
Clarify your purpose
Getting started
Participation and review

Getting started with

social media

I. Clarify your purpose

Sharing what with who?
Assess your resources
Survey the landscape
What does success look like?
Establish guidelines

II. Getting Started

Choose platforms
Start creating content
Promote

III. Participate & Review

Participate
Monitor
Review

Getting started with

social media
I. Clarify your purpose
Sharing what with who?
Assess your resources
Survey the landscape
Establish guidelines
What does success look like?

Getting started with

social media
I.

Clarify your purpose

Sharing what with who?

What research do you want to share?

What could be of value to people?

Getting started with

social media
Who could benefit from engaging with your research?

NGOs
Government departments
Local government
Schools
Community groups
Online groups
Members of the public (which ones)

Getting started with

social
media
I. Clarify your purpose
Assess your resources

Staff members
PHD students
Undergraduates
University communications team
University IT staff
People like me

How much time do they have?

How much interest do they have?
What skills do they have?

Getting started with

social media
I.

Clarify your purpose

Survey the landscape

What are other people saying about this?

Where are they saying it?
List the topics and sites that are relevant
to you

Where possible assess popularity

e.g. number of followers

Getting started with

social
media
I. Clarify your purpose
What does success look like?

A large number of hits?

A significant engagement with a few
people
Targeting the right people

Getting started with

social
media
I. Clarify your purpose

Establish Guidelines

Encourages a consistent presence

Helps those who arent savvy

See Vanderbilt University Best Practice

Getting started with

social
media
I. Clarify your purpose
Establish Guidelines

Vanderbilt University Best Practice

Getting started with

social media

3 Stage Process
Clarify your purpose
Getting started
Participation and review

Getting started with

social media
II. Getting Started
Choose platforms
Start creating content
Promote

Getting started with

social
media
II. Getting Started
Choose platforms

A)
B)

Where are your audience?

What will compliment your research
What is realistic
Think about where you will:
Host content
Share content

Choose

platforms

Blogs
Microblogs
Social Networking
Multimedia Websites

Getting started with

social
media
II. Getting Started

Start creating content

Just do it

Begin with your audience in mind

Create a rough content timeline

Dont expect fireworks to begin with

Getting started with

social
media
II. Getting Started

Promote
Avoid the field of dreams fallacy:
If you build it they will come
Use your real life social networks
Departmental mailing lists
Lectures
Other online sites

Getting started with

social media

3 Stage Process
Clarify your purpose
Getting started
Participation and review

Getting started with

social media

III. Participate & Review

Participate

Interact with your community

Be part of the conversation

Develop relationships

Getting started with

social
media
III. Participate & Review
Monitor statistics and feedback

Facebook: Number of likes, comments

Online video: Views, subscribers
demographics, comments
Twitter: Number of followers, retweets
Blogs: Number of views, comments,
engagement

Getting started with

social media
III. Participate & Review

Review

What worked for the audience?

Look at comments and statistics
Encourage honest feedback from target
audience

What worked for you?

How time intensive was it?

Future of
Ecodemia

Have received a lot of interest

Need to tap into budgets or
funding
Currently looking for leading
departments to work with

What are the

next steps?
What will you do next?

References

Time Spent on Social Media has grown by 340% in 3 years in UK

Youtube videos are watched 2 billion times per day. Source:
http://www.youtube.com/t/fact_sheet
There are 500 million active users on Facebook. Source: Wikipedia
Every week 3.5 billion pieces of content are shared just on Facebook Source: Facebook
Factbook visualisation produced for Facebooks 6th birthday
6 million new users join Twitter each month.
http://www.hubspot.com/blog/bid/5503/HubSpot-Releases-Third-State-of-the-Twittersphere-Repor
t-SOTwitter
Demographics http://royal.pingdom.com/2010/02/16/study-ages-of-social-network-users/
Vanderbilt Social Media Guidelines

http://www.vanderbilt.edu/publicaffairs/webcomm/vu-resources/social-media-handbook/ap
pendix-a/