2. Social media = engagement
Sharing with your trusted networks
Conversing with those who share a common
interest
Telling your Rotary story authentically
3. Rapid information sharing
For real time events, such as live events and
disasters, Twitter is best.
– Can use hashtags, to denote a keyword, such
as #rotary, #ricon12, #polio
Facbook status updates are also great.
For wide coverage, use a variety of channels,
but DON'T SPAM!
4. Meetings & Collaboration
Groups & Live Chat are useful for
meetings and committee work
– Facebook & Linked In Groups
– Skype or Google+ Hangouts
Work with a specific audience
Facebook groups have a
document repository
5. Reaching out to the public
Promote clubs, programs and projects via
dedicated pages / channels / accounts
– “Official” presence(s) approved by your board
– Part of your PR & Communications strategies
– Use the right tools to reach the right people
Showcase your club: your unique stories
– Images are great (if chosen well)
– Videos are even better
Share other related news
RI on vimeo: http://vimeo.com/channels/99832
6. Want to learn more?
Rotarians on Social Networks Fellowship
offers a variety of resources
– www.rosnf.net
– www.facebook.com/rosnf
– www.twitter.com/rosnf
7. Want to learn more?
Rotarians on Social Networks Fellowship
offers a variety of resources
– www.rosnf.net
– www.facebook.com/rosnf
– www.twitter.com/rosnf
Hinweis der Redaktion
Thank you for the opportunity to share with your some of the ways that social media can be used to enhance communications within Rotary and to the wider public.
The ability to have access to all your existing networks, be it family, friends, coworkers, classmates, Rotarians, or any other circle, in the one place, makes it easy to share Rotary authentically and as naturally as you would share any other day to day news, with whichever audience you choose. Not everyone feels comfortable talking about Rotary to their friends face-to-face, let alone inviting them to a Rotary meeting. Social media makes this much simpler. Brief mentions about some of the exciting and meaningful things you are a part of in Rotary, or sharing a quick photo, video or link to a webpage along with a brief message about why you are sharing it, opens the doors for others to ask questions about what Rotary is and how they can be a part of it too. It takes the “Humanity in Motion” campaign a step further, where YOU are that real Rotarian, who makes a real difference in this world. At my last high school reunion, one of my classmates asked, What is this Rotary that you are always talking about on Facebook? Other high school and university classmates have picked up on events I have posted about, and have asked questions about the sorts of projects that Rotary does.
Of course, it's not necessary to use your own profiles or accounts to talk about Rotary, though I personally feel these are the most powerful ways of spreading the news about Rotary because it comes from a trusted source. There are many options you can choose from when it comes to sharing Rotary news depending on your level of comfort, as public or as private as you like. It is possible to share Rotary news in relative anonymity from club or district accounts rather than your own personal one. The myriad of social media tools provides a buffet, where you can pick and choose what suits you best.
Social media doesn't just enable you to communicate easily with people you know – it also provides a variety of ways to meet and interact with other people that you have something in common with, such as other Rotarians.
Meeting and collaborating with other members of the Rotary Family, be it for fellowship or to find project partners, is best done using discussion groups on LinkedIn and Facebook, or can be done via live chat, such as via Skype or Google Hangouts. Which platform to use depends on what the discussions are for.
Shortly after last year's convention, a Rotarian posted a discussion topic in the Rotary group on LinkedIn that he had heard that RI was going to spend $900,000 to build its own social network. Hundreds of outraged comments followed, demanding to know what the rationale for this was. What need was there that this was going to fill that wasn't already able to be met by the existing major social networks?
Some RI staff were monitoring the heated discussions, and agreed to a group of us setting up a survey to determine if there were in fact needs that were not being met, and based on that, to see what if anything RI could facilitate.
One Rotarian volunteered to lead the effort, and moved the discussion from LinkedIn to his preferred medium: email, courtesy of a Yahoo Group. Only a very small percentage of those that moved across actually sent any emails, and everyone had their say, but didn't have an actual conversation. Another member of the group tried to bring all the points raised together into a series of documents, that he hosted on a different network that required yet another account to be created. Work ground to a halt. Email was not the best way for 20 Rotarians around the world to collaborate on building a survey, and we were in danger of not meeting our deadline.So I set up a closed Facebook group, where each topic had its own thread, discussions could take place in real time without emails being generated for every single reply as they are in LinkedIn, and documents could be created within that same Facebook group to keep a track of the questions that had been agreed on. Within 24 hours we had achieved more than we had in the previous 2 weeks, with instant feedback from RI staff. We did meet our deadline, and the survey went out.
Another example of successful collaborations via social media is the Rotary Global Swimathon, coordinated by a Rotary Club in the UK. Contacts made with clubs via Facebook and Twitter in particular and regular promotion saw 5,244 swimmers from 104 clubs in 23 countries setting a new world record on February 23, raising over $100,000 for polio eradication in the process.
Sharing Rotary news via your own profile will reach non Rotarians, but a limited set
To reach a wider audience, it is also important to promote Rotary news, causes, programs and events via dedicated pages or accounts, be it Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, SlideShare, or the like.
Speak on behalf of the club or cause rather than as an individual Rotarian – ideally your club or district should have a social media strategy in place that aligns with your overall PR strategy.
Share content that others will find interesting enough to then share through their own networks, to vastly increase your reach.
Your own unique stories showcase how your club is making a difference. The content doesn't have to just be your own though . You can also share other related news, videos or images, such as successes of other clubs or particularly good presentations.
Sharing Rotary news via your own profile will reach non Rotarians, but a limited set
To reach a wider audience, it is also important to promote Rotary news, causes, programs and events via dedicated pages or accounts, be it Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, SlideShare, or the like.
Speak on behalf of the club or cause rather than as an individual Rotarian – ideally your club or district should have a social media strategy in place that aligns with your overall PR strategy.
Share content that others will find interesting enough to then share through their own networks, to vastly increase your reach.
Your own unique stories showcase how your club is making a difference. The content doesn't have to just be your own though . You can also share other related news, videos or images, such as successes of other clubs or particularly good presentations.
This has been a small selection of the many, many ways that Rotary's profile can been lifted, friendships created and projects brought to fruition thanks to social media. I hope that this has given you some food for thought about how you can make use of social media for your own Rotary fellowship and service. The Rotarians on Social Networks Fellowship is happy to provide free training and support to anyone who would like help, and I invite you to visit the Rotarians on Social Networks Fellowship booth #825 in the House of Friendship. I look forward to seeing many of you in the social media panel session later this morning. Thank you.