A presentation given at Greater Cleveland Council's BPI in 2012 covering an introduction to social media use and your scouting Unit.

1. @Twitter, Facebook and
More...
What's It All About?
2012 - Greater Cleveland Council
Baden-Powell Institute
#CP11
#gccBPI
1
@JeffreyGifford

2. Twitter
Twitter is an online social
networking service and
microblogging service that
enables its users to send and
read text-based posts of up to
140 characters, known as
"tweets".
Wikipedia: “Twitter”

3. Twitter
Who hears you? Your Followers!
• Public account (default): everyone
• Private account: only people you approve
• Spammers
• Scouts and Scouters searching
Open to those 13 and older
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 3

4. What's Twitter Good For?
• Putting out short bits of information
– Status updates
– Reminders
– Text and links to photos, blog posts,
articles
– What you had for breakfast (????)
• Interacting with your followers
• Staying connected
• Supporting your “brand”
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 4

5. Twitter
• Who would use
–Scouts
–Leaders
–Unit: @Troop123gcc or @P4CleHeights (example)
–District: @GlacierRidgeGCC & @CCDistrictTweet
–Council: (not yet)
• Mechanics
@ = @JeffreyGifford people
# = #gccBPI topics
DM = DM JeffreyGifford Direct Message
RT = RT @JeffreyGifford . . . ReTweet
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 5

6. Facebook
What is it?
– “Wall” posting (status updates)
– Blog
– Instant messaging
– Email
– Websites
– Community group pages
– Location-based
– Oh, and games, apps, photos, music, blah, blah, etc.
(What isn't it?)
Privacy issues
Over-sharing
13 and older
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 6

7. Facebook
• Groups & Pages
– Greater Cleveland Council, BSA
– Beaumont Scout Reservation
• Cancellations, events, forms
– Cuyahoga Lodge 17
• All Events (Ordeals, Fellowships, Meetings)
– Boys' Life magazine
– etc, etc, etc.
• Events
– BPI
– Eagle Courts of Honor
– Greater Cleveland Council's Banquet
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 7

8. Linkedin
• Like Facebook for work
– Colleagues, coworkers, etc.
– Rather than “friends”
– More of a professional network
• Can create Groups and Networks
• More for the Leaders (18 and older)
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 8

9. Google+
One of the newest Social Media
sites
With many of the same
opportunities (and issues) as
Facebook
Where are all the people?
13 and older
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 9

10. Video: YouTube & Vimeo
• User-content video
• YouTube is 2nd-largest search engine
– 13 hours of video uploaded every minute
– 412 years to view every YouTube video
• GCC on YouTube
– http://www.youtube.com/user/GCCBSA440
– Tinnerman: http://youtu.be/eO6fgth-Km8?a
– Glacier Ridge Daycamp: http://youtu.be/TOb20unm8gI
– Jamboree Storm: http://youtu.be/NksaHMxXmWg
• Vimeo
– More polished (?) than YouTube
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 10

11. Blogging
A “web log” for your Unit/District/Council
– Campout reports
– Blue & Gold, Pinewood Derby pictures
– Event announcements
– Outing updates
Platforms
– WordPress.com and WordPress.org (self-hosted)
– Blogger.com
– Sites.Google.com
Analytics (Google's is free)
Shameless plug for CP21
– Put it On the Web
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 11

12. Location: FourSquare & Gowalla
foursquare.com
– Location-specific social-media
– Uses mobile device (phone)
– Social “points” for checking in
Places
– Your Charter Organization
– Beaumont
– GCC Service Center
Mechanics
– Where you are, what doing and when
– Tweet to world?
– Just your 4square friends?
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 12

13. Photos: Flicker & Picassa
Platforms
– flicker.com
– picasaweb.com
– shutterfly.com, Facebook.com, blog, etc.
Image/Photo sharing
– Photo albums
– Event records
– Face tagging
– Location/Geo tagging
Annual Health and Medical Record
– Talent Release Agreement/Statement
#gccBPI – Get one of these signed before posting photos of Scouts
@JeffreyGifford 13

14. Scout-specific things to think
about
The Guide to Safe Scouting is pretty quiet
Thoughts on how to apply “Two-Deep
Leadership” online:
– Don't be too private
maintain two-deep leadership by staying out in
the open
– Don't be too personal
stay on the Scouting topic
– Don't share too much publicly on blogs, etc.
• Names and photos
• Places
• Dates
• Plans
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 14

15. What's a Unit/Scouter to do?
***Determine your goal***
– Recruiting
– Branding
– Communicating
– Connecting with
• Scouts
• Scouters
• Parents
• Alumni
• Community
– Being where the action is?
– Exploring? Being relevant?
– Something else?
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 15

16. What's a Unit/Scouter to do?
Determine your platform
– Where are your people now?
– Staying current (what's the next Twitter/Facebook/etc)
– Does that platform fit your goal
• How does it aid in recruiting
• Is it a consistent communication platform
• Are people already there (using it)
• Just for fun
Open Group? Closed Group?
Content?
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 16

17. What's a Unit/Scouter to do?
Who is going to do it?
–
Adding content
–
Engaging members/community
–
Updates
How often are “they” going to do it?
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 17

18. What's a Unit/Scouter to do?
In review:
– Plan it out
• who, what, where, when, how, how much
– Do it
• post, tweet, update, link, share, click
– Check it out with audience/community
• is it being used
• what's the impact
– Make mid-course corrections
• platform, tool
• content, frequency
• engagement
#gccBPI
@JeffreyGifford 18

19. @Twitter, Facebook and More...
What's It All About?
Slides will be posted to:
http://www.slideshare.net/JeffreyGifford
2012 - Greater Cleveland Council
Baden-Powell Institute
#CP11
#gccBPI
19
@JeffreyGifford