Is online social media really a threat, or a great opportunity. This presentation aims to: 1) Discuss the social media landscape as it stands with reference to public networks and common conceptions 2) Show how a social network resonates as a model for associations and their goals 3) Look at how private and public social networks can become a threat to an association, with examples 4) Cover using a private social network for an association and how to get the best from it 5) Show how to use the best of both (private & public social networks) Case studies from outside of the membership sector will include: - Channel 4 - Nokia

1. Social Media
A obligation, an opportunity, or a threat?
Jules Copeland
Senior Developer – Ninety Ten

2. A quick aside on nomenclature…
‘Social Software’

3. Some Venn Diagrams
People have social lives Social software
People have work lives Business software
Social Business
Social Work
software Software
Life Life

4. The word ‘Social’
In this context, substitute the word ‘social’ for
‘collaborative’
Suddenly, you will start to realise that a lot of
software you use is ‘social’
MS Office review panel
Google Apps, DropBox, SharePoint, file servers
Project Management software

5. The word ‘Social’
‘Social’ can, but does not have to mean:
“Frivolous activity that doesn’t
profit your organisation”

6. The words ‘Software, media and
network’
As a web programmer, I don’t think of there being a
difference between ‘a piece of software’ and ‘a
website’
In technical terms, the only difference is the location
of where the compiled code is running
That can be on the device you are currently using, or
on a server anywhere in the world
The important thing is that you can interact with
some data

7. A little history lesson
In the beginning...
Wax tablets, papyrus, messengers, carrier pigeons, town
criers etc…
Communication is a good thing
Automation in the 15th Century
The Gutenberg printing press
Allowed the distribution of knowledge to a much
broader audience

8. A little history lesson
Around the turn of the 20th Century
Telephony – telegrams and then telephones
Broadcast media - Radio &Television
Around the turn of the 21st Century
The Internet – The “Information Super Highway”
The New Millennium
Always-on connectivity
An explosion of advanced web technologies

9. How did they change the way we
communicate?
Printed media can be referred to as a ‘One-to-Many’
relationship

10. How did they change the way we
communicate?
Telephony can be referred to as a ‘One-to-One’
relationship
It also introduces two-way communication

11. How did they change the way we
communicate?
Broadcast Media can also be referred to as a ‘One-to-
Many’ relationship
And it introduces the concept of ‘channels’

12. How did they change the way we
communicate?
The early internet combined the previous concepts,
and increased the potential audience size
exponentially

13. How did they change the way we
communicate?
The early internet combined the previous concepts,
and increased the potential audience size
exponentially, through the web

14. How did they change the way we
communicate?
The early internet combined the previous concepts,
and increased the potential audience size
exponentially, through the web and email

15. How did they change the way we
communicate?
The internet today is a melting pot of amazingly
powerful technologies allowing:

16. How did they change the way we
communicate?
The internet today is a melting pot of amazingly
powerful technologies allowing:
Consumers to become producers

17. How did they change the way we
communicate?
The internet today is a melting pot of amazingly
powerful technologies allowing:
Consumers to become producers
On-page communication

18. How did they change the way we
communicate?
The internet today is a melting pot of amazingly
powerful technologies allowing:
Consumers to become producers
On-page communication
Formation of relationships

19. How did they change the way we
communicate?
The internet today is a melting pot of amazingly
powerful technologies allowing:
Consumers to become producers
On-page communication
Formation of relationships
Formation of communities

20. How did they change the way we
communicate?
The internet today is a melting pot of amazingly
powerful technologies allowing:
Consumers to become producers
On-page communication
Formation of relationships
Formation of communities
Self-sustaining hubs

21. The Social Media Landscape
Facebook: 1 billion active users
Twitter: 500 million + users
LinkedIn: 175 million members
Google Plus: 100 million monthly active users
Social media is not a passing fad
Source: http://therealtimereport.com/2012/10/12/social-networking-stats-twitter-dominates-media-attention-rltm-scoreboard/

22. Social Media & Associations
Most associations recognise the power of social
media, but:
They are not sure how it applies to them
They find it difficult to visualise how they can fit it in
with their existing infrastructure

23. A social network as a model for
a membership association

24. A social network as a model for a
membership association
The Internet is now a ‘many-to-many’ network
You can talk to your members
Your members can:
talk to you
talk to each other
post their own news
ask questions
answer questions (yours or your members)
organise their own events

25. Ask yourself,
Why was your association set up?

26. How a social network mirrors the
goals of an association
The goals of a membership body (a suggestion)
Education News articles, ‘How-tos’, legislation
Publishing Forms, documentation, standards
Standardisation Committees, polls, debate
Collaboration Share knowledge and resources
Conferencing All of the above in one place
Networking Introduce like-minded people
Promotion PR that benefits everyone

27. How a social network mirrors the
goals of an association
A social network does all of these things
It updates everywhere, in real-time
It lets your members contribute directly
It provides a single point of contact
It is better at introducing like-minded people than you
are…
It doesn’t take evenings and weekends off

28. If you do nothing…
Social networks are a threat to
your organisation

29. But you just told me that they were
really good..?
They are – they are so well aligned to your business
models, that there is very little barrier to entry for
anyone else to start doing what you’re already doing
This could weaken your organisation, or worse,
through impersonation, damage your reputation
At the very least, you need to establish a presence on
the free networks

30. That sounds like an obligation…
We would argue that it is
Look at the film industry’s reaction to new technology
Illegal downloading lets movie fans watch the films that they
want to watch, when they want to watch them, for free.
Unsurprisingly, lots of people do it
Instead of embracing such a ubiquitous distribution channel,
they have dug their heels in – and appear to have the attitude
that “Our business model has worked perfectly well for 90
years thank you very much. We’ll just ask our friends in the
government to draft some draconian laws that are mutually
beneficial”

31. That sounds like an obligation…
I assume, in most cases, you don’t have the luxury of
high level contacts in Westminster
This leaves you with the options of digging your heels
in, or making the best of seriously good opportunity

32. What if no one tries to set up a
competitor?
Competition is not your only threat
Last years A-Level graduates have no idea what life
was like before the internet.
The next generation of employees learnt Ctrl-Alt-Del
not that long after A-B-C.
A printed newsletter once a month will seem like a
quaint relic at best…

33. When opportunity knocks…
Make the most of available
technology

34. The free networks
Networks such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn
have enormous reach
The vast majority of both your existing and potential
members will already be on at least one of them
It takes minutes to set up an account – for free
They can provide a quick and easy route to having
open discussions with your members

35. The free networks
Some caveats…
Not all networks have private areas
Not all networks will give you moderation rights
All of them own your content
All of them control the rules of your network
Any of them could switch off their servers tomorrow
Anything you post will have to compete with hundreds
of other messages

36. The paid networks
Paid networks can address a lot of these problems
There are two types of paid network
‘White-labels’ or ‘Site builders’ – paid on subscription
These can solve a lot of your problems, but you are still at
the mercy of the people hosting it
Bespoke networks, built from scratch or built around a
framework (usually paid through SaaS or bought
outright and self-hosted)
These can solve all of your problems, but they come at a
price

37. White Labels and Site-Builders
Depending on your needs, these can offer an
economical solution
However:
They are less customisable
They ultimately make the rules
They may retain ownership of your data
They can make your exit strategy very difficult

38. Bespoke networks
Tailor made solutions will be able to address all of
your specific needs
You will own your data and your members
You can specify your own rules and modify them
when it suits you
You can even integrate them with existing systems,
such as membership databases
You will have ultimate control over everything

39. Making the best of both

40. Combining free and paid networks
In order to maximise the benefits of all of your
networks, you need to recognise their strengths
The free networks are where most of the people are,
and it’s where they spend most of their time
Your own network is where the valuable content and
the interesting discussions should be
By posting linked teaser content on the free
networks, you can corral your existing members, and
in the process, attract new members

41. The ultimate network
By doing those things successfully:
You can increase your membership numbers
You can reduce your running costs through efficiencies
in administration, printing and postage costs
Your members will benefit not only from your
knowledge, but the knowledge of other members – in
faster, more personalised, and more convenient ways

42. So…
Social Media: An obligation, an
opportunity, or a threat?

43.  All of the above

44. Summary
Free social networks are a threat
You are obliged to protect your good name at the
very least. You are obliged to update your methods if
you hope to attract the next generation of members
But most of all – they are an incredible opportunity to
fulfill the core aims of your organisation in a much
more efficient manner

45. Affordable bespoke networks