Social Media and AdvocacySIDA Advanced International Training ProgrammeUN Resolution 1325: Women, Peace and SecurityMarch 27, 2012

Today’s Session

• Understanding Social Media• Social Media Strategies &Tools• ”Women and Conflict Resolution”

Campaign• Exercise

What is Social Media?

“Social media is a category of web-based media where people interact, participate, share and collaborate.”

“Social media is the sharing of user (human) created information and interacting on-line using Internet technology (Web 2.0)”

“Social media is the democratization of information, transforming people from content readers into publishers. It is the shift from a broadcast mechanism, one-to-many, to a many-to-many model”

“Social media is online conversation.”

Social Media is NOT...

• FREE• A trend soon to be replaced by another• Only about social networking• A simple process• a communication strategy• A race to get more people to your page• one off ad-hoc job • Is not about immediate results• Always controllable and predictable

Join the Social Media Revolution!• We don’t have a choice on whether we DO social media,

the question is how well we DO it.”• If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s 3rd

largest.• The #2 largest search engine in the world is YouTube• There are over 200,000,000 Blogs in existence• 60 millions status updates happen on Facebook daily• 78% of consumers trust peer recommendations, only

14% trust advertisements• 60 millions status updates happen on Facebook daily• Social Media isn’t a fad, it’s a fundamental shift in the

way we communicate

• Tools to connect and engage with communities• Spreading awareness• Attracting volunteers, media coverage, and

employees• Collaborate & get measurable feedback

Social Media for NGO’s?

Why is Social Media Strategy important?

“Without direction social media can lead you to no direction.”• Maintain the focus on organizational

objectives• Get the best ROI possible• Integrate with other platforms• Avoid backlash, social media fatigue

and lost opportunities

Designing a Social Media Strategy

Designing a Social Media Strategy1. Listen - Conversation Mining

Find your target audience, listen to conversation, find influentials (Technocrati, Wefollow, Twitter Search)

2. Identify SMART Goals and Objectives (less is more)Ex. Increase followers by 15 percent in six months.

3. Develop Your Plan and Time Your ContentWhat? To Whom? When? How? Choose your tools? Resources?

Social networks where you work

• Focus on a few things that you want to achieve.

• Be specific • Become expert - gather facts and

figures that supports your goals.

Designing a Social Media Strategy4. Develop CONTENT (Sticky!)

Relevant and timely statisticsAsk your community - take polls and share resultsInvite guest authorsTop 10 listsCase studiesGuides to help educateInterviewsNewsOpinionsPhotosVideosCompetitionsTutorials

Designing a Social Media Strategy5. Implement Your Plan, ENGAGE!

Communities are built not boughtCommunities cannot be forced Get to know the community90-9-1 principleStroke egosProvide VERY useful contentAsk questionsModerateKnow the culture and respect itSeek expert opinion and adviceMake it personalAccept and respond to criticismShowcase and acknowledge good workDo not try to please everyone

Designing a Social Media Strategy6. Measuring Success (engagement & influence)

a. Gross viewsb. Connections (no. of subscribers, fans, followers)c. Audience engagement (comments, retweets)d. Social media referralse. Social media conversionsf. My engagement

Measuring tools:ZoomSphere.comYourBuzz.com Unilyzer.com

FACEBOOK

SESSION’S BRAINSTORMING

Use privacy settingsShare experiences and achievmentsInvite to eventsStart campaigning, create fan page/groupShare important political, social and cultural informationPublish photosLink to interesting interviews and articlesBe personal, send personal messagesUse Knodes application to make your network searchableBe creative: use social games, pools, ask Q:s

- Create a FB page/group

- Be brief & visual – keep to 200 characters

- Directly engage with your fans

- Grow your fan-base

- Post during weekdays and on hours people usually use FB

- Drive action off of Facebook

TWITTER

SESSION’S BRAINSTORMING

Use Twitter to lobby for a causeUse # hashtagsReTweetKeep up a dialogue with your followersShare news

Twitter- Follow people & causes (search, RSS)- Clear personality of your Twitter handle

- Create useful content - Use # hashtags, @ replies & ReTweet- Use Trending Topics- Increase your visibility thru relevant #:s

- Network! Foto Rosautra Ochoa

BLOG

SESSION’S BRAINSTORMING

Connect to your webpage if you have onePublish what’s new on the topicUse it to network with other bloggers och to connect within you group Experiment!BE YOURSELF!

Photo:Robb Sutton

Blogging:

- Blogspot, WordPress, Tumblr, LiveJournal – discover the platform where your target group is!

- Blog regularly- Shorter texts with a clear message on topics you know your audience is interested in

- Solicit comments- Action alerts

YOUTUBE

SESSION’S BRAINSTORMING

DO IT – upload your videos, interviewsLearn from it - use it to do research, look for documentariesCross promote, publish links to your videos at other platformsBe inspired by music you find

Photo: Andrew Perry

- Make videos: interviews, footage from your activities and actions

- Partner up- Reach out: ask Q:s, make statements, call for action- Be genuine- SHARE

Photo: Andrew Perry

Andrew Perry

WOMEN AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION PROJECT

Goal: to promote women’s participation in peace processes and conflict resolution in order to create stability.

Goal: to promote women’s participation in peace processes and conflict resolution in order to create stability.

Objectives : - to identify the obstacles for women to participate in peace negotiations and peace processes- to make women’s rights and women’s participation in peace processes and conflict resolution an integral part of security analysis and policy on a national and international level. - to promote awareness about the necessity of involving more voices in the peace and rebuilding processes; in particular women’s voices.

ACTIVITIES

• Five analyses – the DRC, Liberia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq and Nagorno-Karabakh• Report and advocacy material• High-level conference in Brussels• Seminars• Documentary• A web-based campaign in English, Arabic and Russian www.equalpowerlastingpeace.org• Cross-regional network meetings• Capacity-building