We are using social media for:

CommunicationEngagementCollaboration

Diane Sims & Tanya HoranKirklees Council

Our approach…

1. It’s about the outcomes, not the technology.We want our staff, ward councillors and partners to think about how social media can help us to achieve specific outcomes, work together better, improve public services and contribute to the aims of Kirklees Council.

2. We use a very broad definition of social media.

3. Our guidelines are available online……so everyone can find out what we’re doing.

http://socialmedia.kirklees.gov.uk

We’ve adopted the Young Foundation’s social media framework.

Case study one:

Community conversations

Changing the way we communicate with the voluntary sector

Community conversations is about making it easier to share.

The site features:

• blogs and news feeds from community groups• twitter updates from local organisations• useful articles, videos, documents etc.• comments and questions

Much of the content is updated automatically, using RSS feeds.

www.communitykirklees.org.uk

Content feeds in from other sites - groups can quickly see what each other are doing.

Community groups and staff who support the voluntary sector canpost their own articles, so everyone can share what they know.

Anyone can comment on any article…

and there are lots of ways to share…

Knowing what’s already out there is important…

#kirkcommunity – 89 community twitter feeds from the Kirklees area, and counting…

Blogs and news feeds from 50+ local community groups, and counting.

We offer support - workshops and a step-by-step guide for authors...

A guide for community groups and activists…

Shared Spaces:How to use all sorts of technology to help get things done in your neighbourhood

http://www.communitykirklees.org.uk/advice/sharedspaces

Case study two:

Live in Kirklees

Our Facebook adventures so far…

www.facebook.com/liveinkirklees

• Why bother?• How do you know if it’s working?• Unknown territory• Learn as you go along• Be prepared for complainers and fans• Before you start, do your research, have a look

at what other people are doing

Share good news

I Bradford…not necessarily Bradford

Council

• What do the people of Bradford want to find out about?

• Bins, dog control, council tax….and a lot more besides!

• Avoid ‘council speak’ keep it friendly and informal

Link to different media:

video, audio, TV and radio clips,

images

• Involve people

• Encourage their contributions

• People love sharing their photos!

The Nitty Gritty

• Risk management• Share ideas, thoughts, queries with colleagues• Complete the ‘About’ section on your page• Remember facebook users expect a quicker

response due to the nature of this type of media.

Get staff on board

• Encourage staff to ‘like’ your page• Add the facebook address to your email

signature• Promote it via any staff newsletters/intranets• Don’t forget all staff are part of the Bradford

community and will have networks of their own.

Case study three:

Local elections

Telling the story, between us

Community reporting ‘Election Tales’ - residents told the story of the localelections and encouraged more people to vote.

Joined-up approachPeople could find out what was happening live, in whatever way suited them, including:

• Twitter for up to the minute news.• Facebook for useful links, updates and interviews.• Feeds and widgets for people to use wherever they want.• Kirklees website elections section, linked to everything.

Live election results via:Kirklees Council web siteINtouch kirklees digital TVINtouch mobile + smartphone appsTwitter + FacebookRSS + widgetsScreens in the counting venues

What’s important?

1. Think about sharing information, not owning it.• Make sure people can find your content – wherever they want it.• Put things in a format that can be reused – encourage it.• Help others to share their content – be generous.

2. Build skills and confidence.• Choose free and low cost tools – show people how to use them.• Provide open guidelines – be clear about your approach.• Value the skills and experiences that people already have.

3. Don’t forget the engagement…

Remember - it's the way you use it that makes it social.

diane.sims@kirklees.gov.uktanya.horan@kirklees.gov.uk

http://socialmedia.kirklees.gov.uk

www.facebook.com/liveinkirklees

@KirkleesCouncil