A presentation for the Canadian Federation of Students-BC on the basics of using social media as a political organizing tool.

1. Using Social Media As An
Organizing Tool
2 7 th S k i l l s D e v e l o p m e n t W e e k e n d

2. Using Social Media As An Organizing Tool
‣ 1.) What Is Social Media?
‣ 2.) Why Should You Use Social Media?
‣ 3.) Different Platforms
‣ 4.) Successful Messaging
‣ 5.) Social Media Campaigns
‣ 6.) Membership Development
‣ 7.) Questions
2 7 th S k i l l s D e v e l o p m e n t W e e k e n d

3. What Is Social Media?
Wikipedia: “Social media is a medium for
social interaction, using highly accessible
and scalable communication techniques.
Social media is the use of web-based and
mobile technologies to turn communication
into interactive dialogue.”
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4. Why Should You Use Social Media?
‣ everyone else is
‣ itʼs a powerful tool
‣ itʼs highly cost effective
‣ the participation pyramid
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5. Why Should You Use Social Media?
The Participation Pyramid
1% of users
generate content
9% of users edit
90% of users consume
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6. Question #1
Between 2008 and 2011, what was the
growth in US Facebook users?
‣ A.) 20% - 45%
‣ B.) 15% - 40%
‣C.) 8% - 51%
‣ D.) 10% - 60%
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7. Different Platforms
‣ know where your audience is
‣ know what your audience is looking for
‣ platforms are not unlike cultures, learn the
customs and respect them
‣ integrate, donʼt overlap
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8. Question #2
According to the Pew Research Centre,
what major event happened in 2010?
‣ A.) More North Americans had Facebook
accounts than televisions
‣ B.) Worldwide tweets outnumbered text
messages
‣C.) Every news platform saw either a stall or
decline in its audience, except the Internet
‣ D.) LinkedIn set a new bar for social media IPOs
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9. Question #2
http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1924/state-of-the-news-media-2011
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10. Successful Messaging
‣ itʼs a dialogue, not a monologue
‣ find your niche and the leaders within it
‣ value-added communications
‣ noise vs. signal
‣ work smart, not hard
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11. Question #3
What province has the highest number of
Facebook users per capita in Canada?
‣ A.) BC
‣ B.) Saskatchewan
‣ C.) Quebec
‣D.) Nova Scotia
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12. Social Media Campaigns
‣ not a silver bullet, still need “boots on the
ground”
‣ important news now breaks on social media
‣ set the agenda
‣ increasingly used by politicians
‣ open and extend your campaigns
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13. Membership Development
‣ community building: quality over quantity
‣ reciprocity: the currency of social media
‣ donʼt manage your community, let it manage
itself
‣ the power of user generated content
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14. Question #4
What country recently launched an initiative
using social media and crowd-sourcing to
help rebuild its education system?
‣ A.) Russia
‣B.) Mozambique
‣ C.) India
‣ D.) Singapore
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15. Using Social Media As An Organizing Tool
Questions?
scott@eastsidemedia.ca
@esidemedia
http://www.facebook.com/esidemedia
http://www.facebook.com/scott.h.payne
http://ca.linkedin.com/pub/scott-payne/10/553/373
2 7 th S k i l l s D e v e l o p m e n t W e e k e n d