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GODAN Digital Communications Plan

July 2015

Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition

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INTRODUCTION p.3

WEBSITE

Where we are p.3

Site architecture p.6

Web content p.9

SOCIAL MEDIA p.10

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INTRODUCTIONThe website and social media activities are recognised as core elements of a wider communications strategy. Here we have extracted the key digital elements of the communications strategy and implementation plans and also identified the interfaces with partnership activities and datasets held by partner/other organisations.

For Year 1 (2015-2016), we plan to establish and improve on existing Owned channels. These are primarily godan.info and Twitter. Facebook will also be developed in order to ensure we achieve the maximum developing world attention.

Paid channels should be reviewed and considered for Year 2 and beyond (2016+).

GODAN WEBSITE

1.1. Where we areThe website is the flagship representation of GODAN, and the main source of information on the movement as well as the initial networking hub for the Partner network.

Within the first few weeks of the Secretariat’s formation they created a website using open tools with the purpose of introducing Prospective Partners into GODAN’s mission and purpose, and network (Diagram 1).

The next phase of development should focus on providing more useful and engaging incentives for audiences to use the website, developing godan.info into an online collaboration platform as a place to connect multi-stakeholder groups together.

We have already:

• reviewed user interactivity with the website and drawn insights on usage (Google Analytics)

• identified user segmentation and charted user journeys (e.g. overleaf Diagram 2), and identified gaps in the site map

• prepared a draft site map ready for discussion at the upcoming digital communications workshop (diagram 3)

• prepared a draft wireframe for the homepage for discussion at the digital communications workshop (diagram 4)

Diagram 1

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Diagram 2

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Diagram 3

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1.2 Site ArchitectureOutline of next phase development

The website is the first port of call for anybody searching for information on GODAN, its published reports, and Partner activity. As the digital ‘face’ of GODAN, the website needs to represent a professional, well-organised hub to appeal to Prospective Partners as well as External Audiences (in particular media). To become seen as a collaborative, recognisable specialist organisation, GODAN’s website represents a strong opportunity to ‘hub’ worldwide news on the issue areas and developments in the movement.

It is also important for GODAN to act as a collaborative, recognisable, specialist organisation so GODAN’s website and social media presence should ‘hub’ worldwide news on the issue areas and developments in the movement.

It will NOT be another data platform nor a source of open data. Instead it will fulfil communications, advocacy, networking, signposting and resource management needs. To achieve this, as well as ensure intuitive usability, and drive (and retain) traffic to the website, it requires an update.

Diagram 4

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The site is also the window into our partner mapping activities. Our open source CRM system (Civi CRM) collects interaction with partners and potential partners and is able to provide analysis of partners and their activities. This data can be used to inform the secretariat about progress around partnership and inform communication activities by giving more insight into the audience segments (partners, event attendees etc.) Partners will have insight in potential synergies based on locality, subject, service, etc. through publishing widgets and maps. The website can also be the hub for short surveys that directly feed the mapping for specific purposes. Action:Craft a website re-development brief and put to market with a budget, timeframe (i.e. re-launch website November 2015) and list of requirements.

To ensure the next phase development leads to a significant improvement in user experience we plan to follow a plan that will include:• Workshop of Secretariat team to explore

user journeys, proposed site map, proposed wire frames and content plan

• User experience testing of the team’s recommended wireframes (using CABI’s in-house UX specialist),

Solution: Develop the GODAN website into an online collaboration platform and content hub – a place to connect multi-stakeholder groups together. The platform should supply all audiences with relevant, user-friendly content relevant to their needs, i.e. a Media Centre for media, news and updates for Partners, blog content for General Public and events for Influencers, etc.

The development project plan will ensure that the site does not duplicate effort from elsewhere.

Action:• Craft a website re-development brief and

put to market with a budget, timeframe (i.e. re-launch website November 2015) and list of requirements.

• To ensure the next phase development leads to a significant improvement in user experience we plan to follow a plan that will include:

• Workshop of Secretariat team to explore user journeys, proposed site map, proposed wire frames and content plan

• User experience testing of the team’s recommended wireframes (using CABI’s in-house UX specialist),

• Briefing and commissioning external design and development expertise to create a phase two site design and user interface. Develop a website brief to commission a website re-design focused on content and resources with an intuitive story-flow

• Accessibility testing and external user testing of test site before launch

• Website management team will need to review Google Analytics monthly and complete website section of Digital Metrics Log (see Appendices) / delegate to Communications team

• Briefing and commissioning external design and development expertise to create a phase two site design and user interface. Develop a website brief to commission a website re-design focused on content and resources with an intuitive story-flow

• Accessibility testing and external user testing of test site before launch

• Website management team will need to review Google Analytics monthly and complete website section of Digital Metrics Log (see Appendices) / delegate to Communications team

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1.3 Platform and functionality Integration with external datasets

It is a core principle of our strategy that there should be minimal duplication of effort across the sector, and that we should demonstrate the role of open data in connecting up information and knowledge. Therefore the website should interface with open data feeds so that godan.info aggregates relevant profiles, data and stories from other sites. In parallel, the research outputs generated by GODAN that map projects, organisations and people should in turn be made available as open data, available to make the information on third party websites richer and more meaningful.

In order to make the user experience when using the godan.info content as engaging and useful as possible, and to respond to the ToR requirement that GODAN provide, at the end of the inception phase: “Plans for website development using open source tools, outline of approaches for linking to relevant dataset including relevant standards”. We have explored a number of ways in which an updated GODAN website could integrate with external datasets.

There will be seamless interaction between godan.info datasets on AIMS (FAO), a portal with information about (and access to) standards, technology and good practices; the CIARD Routemap to Information Nodes and Gateways (RING) and AgriVIVO, a search portal built to facilitate connections between all actors in the agricultural field.

The future GODAN technical digital plan will ensure that core partner profile data need only be kept up-to-date on one site with feeds into godan.info. News articles, documents, information about data standards will feed through RSS from external sites into godan.info and GODAN Secretariat’s work in mapping specific projects and case studies against people and organisations will in turn feed to CIARD, AIMS and other sites where appropriate. If partners have an entry in the CIARD Ring, adding their CIARD Ring identifier to their profile in the CRM will be used to generate profile pages that list the datasets they are responsible for. e.g. see http://ring.ciard.info/organizations/cabi

Platform recommendations

Based on an assessment of the current GODAN site, available open source Content Management Systems (CMS), and the integration options available for the open source Contact Relationship Management platform we are using (CiviCRM), we plan to rebuild the GODAN web presence using the open source Drupal CMS. Drupal is well suited to publishing and consuming structured open data according to web standards, and there is a wealth of experience working with Drupal in the agricultural information management community that we can draw upon.

Drupal is also well suited to internationalisation, having in-built multilingual modules that will allow us to translate core site content into a number of different languages.

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Partner activities• Partner listings should include Twitter handles against each Partner, one short

sentence ‘About’ next to each Partner name, along with Partner events, presentations, blogs and other activities

• The web development process will explore ways that the site can dynamically import this data from existing sources.

• The Partner list will include a search function by; Name, Region, Location, Sector, Keyword

• Partners will be able to update their own profile across the linked sites (with the Secretariat providing support to get updates carried out quickly)

• Partners will be able to identify domains that they have exclusive access to such as Working Group sites for online collaboration

Event Listings/Calendar• Make available on website, searchable by; Date, Region, Location, Sector, Keyword• Link to event data from other sources

Advocacy resources• Directory of reports on website, searchable by; Author, Region, Location, Sector,

Keyword• Images, templates, presentations and guidelines

Blog Content• As well as be an easily-browsed content depository, content also needs to sign-post

to other quality content and Partner assets clearly, via website URLs, hyperlinked keywords and social media links

• Current and past newsletters will available and there will be a newsletter sign-up form

WEB CONTENTGenerating case studies from Partners:

• The research team will survey and speak to partners capturing case studies of good practice and impact from partners’ activities. If required these can be followed up by the communications team to turn data into stories

• All partners should be encouraged to nominate individuals who are either taking a lead on an aspect of open data in our sector areas, or illustrate the positive impact it is having. This should take the form of a nominations form on the website, housed within the toolkit area that is promoted in each communication to Partners. The form would ask for a short summary of why they have put the individual forward, the aspect of open data in our sector areas their experience relates to, and the contact protocol for getting hold of them

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GODAN Twitter managementTwitter is where the connected world gathers to share thoughts, ideas, and generate social impact. It is an essential channel for GODAN to have a voice, and enables regular public interaction with Partner Network.

Content generation and ideas should be welcomed from everyone at GODAN, but for management streamlining and issue mitigation, it is best to have one ‘lead’ administrator who is responsible for the account, and one ‘back-up’ (should the lead be unavailable).

• Must be committed to managing a content calendar

• Must be committed to monitoring Twitter daily (checking notifications, updating and cross-referencing Influencer list for people to Follow, cross-referencing organisations to Follow, replying to Follower comments etc.)

• Must be authorised to represent GODAN officially and publicly

• Must be proficient in using Twitter desktop and mobile app (and/or third party management tool such as Hootsuite or Tweetdeck).

• Twitter management and website management activities should be coordinated - content uploads, blog posts, review traffic driven in/out from Twitter, ensure keywords and tone are consistent

• Twitter management should also directly liaise with Partner communications to ensure up-to-date knowledge on Prospective Partners, Partners, and Active Partners is shared regularly. Twitter management should also directly liaise with Events to ensure the Content Calendar is up-to-date with upcoming events to Tweet about, including official event hashtags and KOLs in attendance.

During events where GODAN is present GODAN representatives should live-Tweet using @GODANSec and official event hashtags. After events where GODAN was hosting / officially attending / speaking at, Twitter management should input all new contacts into Influencers List to maintain up-to-date information.

Twitter management team should be committed to updating the Digital Metrics Log on a weekly or monthly basis to track success of Twitter content and community. Use Twitter Analytics to get the information. Twitter Data Dashboard will also enable the communications team to monitor account activity.

SOCIAL MEDIAWe recommend a two prong social media campaign plan.• The core activity is based around content

marketing – consistently creating and curating relevant and valuable content, thus creating a pipeline of content which will be distributed through a wide range of channels in a hierarchical way – driving traffic from low level content (e.g. Twitter) through to more in-depth information (Blogs and papers). We plan to develop a rolling monthly Content Calendar (i.e. see Content Calendar_template in Appendices) for Twitter, Facebook and website blogs and articles, (see Communications Implementation Plan 2015)

• The second activity stream is around creating awareness (or “buzz”) around GODAN, giving it profile and status particularly within tech-savvy communities. This will be more reactive – reposting, highlighting topical news, posting from conferences etc.

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Facebook

The external review of GODAN communications recommended a first year focus on Twitter rather than using diverse platforms such as Facebook. However, it was decided that because of the prominence of Facebook in many developing countries that while making Twitter our primary social media focus we would use tools to also post on Facebook.

Purpose of GODAN Facebook page: to engage with our global south network and overall network

GODAN Facebook page will:• have posts that are strongly image / video-

led and content needs to be dynamically developed to suit

• have posts on latest news on godan.info• external news and developments on open

data in the sector• have posts with new research• share GODAN partners posts• promote events• post new partners• share GODAN progress (latest partners to

join, latest publications and research)

Digital Metrics

A detailed set of weekly measurements will monitor activity – web visits and user behaviour, social media engagement and resulting downloads and sign-ups.

(see Diagram 5)

LinkedIn

In order to take advantage of the very active open data, and open agriculture groups (1000+ members) a LinkedIn engagement strategy should also be developed and delivered, beginning late 2015.

Other language and cultural factorsIt is recognized that there are many issues around languages, cultural sensitivities and political restrictions that will shape our digital media communications practices. During 2015 further work will be carried out address these issues, including a special focus on use of digital media in China.

Diagram 5