People's Forum CHOGM Trinidad 2009

Social Media and Human Rights

2009-11-25T09:01:00.002-05:00

Exploring how rights advocates use information and digital technology to create positive change ... Great video.

Skills Building Workshop - Web4Good

2009-11-24T14:07:00.000-05:00

For those that are attending the People's Forum Web4Good workshop, here is a recording of the virtual event that was created in London on Noivember 3rd. this will give you a bit of insight as to what we will be discussing.

The Skills Building Workshop, sponsored by the British Council, will be on Thursday, November 26th from 9am until 1pm. The theme is Web4Good.

I plan to take the participants through the process of understanding what they can do with social media, how to use it, and what are the benefits for their organization.

New media, new networks, new democracies

2009-11-24T13:48:00.001-05:00

It was an interesting discussion with some very interesting points brought up by the participants. An update is posted here on the British Council blog.

The objectives of the session were to:

To examine the implications of new and social technology for civil society’s and the Commonwealth’s established focuses and ways of working to promote development and governance;
To make policy recommendations on good practice in new media regulation and engagement;
To explore the interaction of new media with identity, particularly amongst young people;
To identify how civil society can address negative consequences of new media (e.g. extremism, loss of linguistic diversity).

Participants were very active and had several question like:

To what extent are new forms of interaction and expression in new media helping to expand civic space in Commonwealth countries?
In what ways are new spaces opened up by technology vulnerable to uses that harm free speech, democratic debate and diversity?
What are the implications of recent moves in some countries to regulate freedom of expression in new media? For Artists? Digital rights management?
What employment opportunities may new media offer, particularly for young people facing underemployment and livelihood challenges?
What infrastructural investments still need to be made in developing countries to open up web accessibility, and what new partnerships can be developed to enable then?

As well, issues such as language and the digital divide are also important. I hope to continue the conversation on Thursday morning at the People's Space where I will be doing a workshop.

Plan to attend and expect to get involved,

People's Space - Update

2009-11-23T14:18:00.000-05:00

Thank you to everyone that came out to the people's Space yesterday (Sunday) to get involved with the Social media discussion.

As promised, here are a few links and documents that you can use:

Tools:

People's Space Presentation

2009-11-21T08:40:00.002-05:00

I will be having an open dialogue at the Web4Good Seminar at the People's Space. This is located at the Queen's Park Savannah between 1:00 and 3:00 on Sunday, November 22.

All are welcome - it will be an open discussion so come with questions and problems. We'll try to solve them!

I will upload a few hand-outs later that you can print out and work through. See you there!

View Larger Map

Social Bookmarking

2009-11-13T17:02:00.000-05:00

A short explanation of the features and benefits of Social Bookmarking sites like Delicious.com.

To Social Media or Not to Social Media? That is still the question.

2009-11-12T09:47:00.000-05:00

Like all successful communications tools and strategies, use of social media must be driven by the goals of the organization and the needs of its audiences. For example, if you need to mobilize 100 seniors to meet your organization's goals you may choose to use different communication tools than if you need to mobilize 100,000 teenagers. You should also understand the limitations of social media. Consider your organization's capacity for change. Before using social media tools or any other communications vehicles, you should answer these questions.

Forrester Research and the authors of Groundswell: Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies have created this tool to help organizations and individuals determine if and where their audiences "live online."

See Also

Should Your Organization Use Social Networking by Idealware published on TechSoup
Web 2.0: Opportunity or Threat for Nonprofits? by Beth Kanter
To Blog or Not To Blog by Bruce Lowry
Walking the Line Between Web 2.0 and Old Skool by Johanna Bates

5 Key Points to Remember

1. Social media are powered by the Internet.
2. Social media are NOT mass media.
3. Social media are accessible to any organization or anyone with an Internet connection.
4. Social media enable people to connect to each other across space and time.
5. All communications strategies and tools must be driven by the needs and requirements of an audience NOT the needs of an organization.

Why should nonprofits embrace social media?

2009-11-12T09:42:00.000-05:00

Social media are POWERFUL because they enable LOTS of people (at last count Technorati, a popular blogging search engine, noted that there were over 100,000,000 bloggers in the "blogosphere") to tell their stories, market products, frame or re-frame social issues, raise money - in short, engage in all sorts of communication on all sorts of issues.

This "democratization of communication" means that people who previously had LITTLE or NO ACCESS (that's most of us) to the means of distribution for sharing thoughts, concerns and ideas, now have the same opportunity as credentialed "experts" and mainstream journalists to converse and talk about the issues that matter to us most.

Social media can be particularly powerful for organizations and people who are interested in changing the world and need to connect with people across space and time.

By using these tools and working OUTSIDE OF or IN CONCERT WITH traditional media gatekeepers inspired individuals can find each other, join together, solve problems, raise money, and make powerful change in a comparatively inexpensive way.

See Also

Why Every Nonprofit Needs A Social Media Strategy by Ann Southerland
Unleashing the Tribe by Ewan McIntosh

What Social Media is and is Not

2009-11-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

Definition: Social media is using the Internet to instantly collaborate, share information, and have a conversation about ideas, causes, and organizations we care about powered by social media tools.

Social media tools comprise the vast array of options, including blogs, wikis, and social network sites, that are freely available on the Internet.

Social media can be best understood by what they are NOT.

Social media are NOT mass media, defined by Wikipedia, as "traditional means of communication" like television or newspaper or radio that were "envisioned and designed to reach a VERY LARGE AUDIENCE such as the population of a nation state.

In addition, social media are NOT controlled by a select group of people or organizations. Instead social media are communications tools that are used for communication by "the masses." When you choose to use these tools - YOU! - become a writer, publisher and editor and other people can choose or choose not to join in conversation with you.

Social Media in Plain English

2009-11-12T05:57:00.000-05:00