The JFDI approach which was very much needed a few years ago to ‘break’ social media as a business / organisational channel means that not many people have the evidence or deeper knowledge of why they’re in a certain online space. I picked on FB because I’d read a few posts recently basically saying ‘we must leave because FB have stopped people seeing our posts’. While in a very broad way this is true it’s a bit lazy for the response to be ‘I’m closing the page because FB have stopped people seeing our posts’. Yes, the algorithm has changed, and yes that cuts the automatic eyeballs you were getting but if you get better at managing your page you can make that number rise again (basing that on my direct experience with the music publication page). The whole situation for me seems like a perfect time to evaluate why you’re on FB and what you’re trying to achieve.

My deeper point, somewhat convoluted perhaps by the practical aspects of the post, was that Facebook has been taken as a solution to an unidentified problem for a long time. Under JFDI ‘go where the people go’ was the standard advice. But times and, as you rightly say, platforms change. The reasons for using them need evaluation regularly just like any other channel / means of communication or delivery an organisation uses.

I’m not planning on pitching a session at #ukgc13 but I’ve said that in previous years and still found myself sticking post-it notes to the board! Will be good to catch up with you anyway

I don’t disagree with your conclusions, but they are predicated on service managers being in a position to take part in, and influence proper debate about which social media outlets a local authority will embrace. My view is that the majority do not, and are usually herded towards Facebook by nothing more scientific than a senior comms person (usually this) saying “People are there. We must be there too.” Few have had any more discussion about why they “need” a particular social media presence than some cursory skirmish under the heading of “Return on investment”.

I do think your comments about exit strategies are important. It’s early days perhaps, but this is going to become an increasingly important issue. Identifying tipping points in that respect when the social media platforms themselves constantly morph and commercialise will also be hard.

Hope you’ll pitch a session about when to get out of social media, at #ukgc13? See you there!

Tom

Glad you found this interesting. I admit I didn’t get my thinking as far as the socio-economic split but it’s definitely a valid point to be considered when evaluating a channel. I suppose it fits (sort of) with the mention of niche groups I make – similar line of thinking anyway! That the target audience of a group may be specific, may even be small, but if it successfully engaged 50% of users and your bigger, general page didn’t manage the 15% which one would be considered more successful.

I remember also your post about the local usage research and I think I was one of the people who said they’d welcome such a thing. I’m not really using this blog to talk specifically about the post I hold or organisation I work for but I’d stand by what I said then – that it is vital research and I would welcome it! Worth considering changes to research that already happens in authorities such as citizen panel questionnaires etc in order to build in this sort of questioning and track the answers over time – might not be a quick way to gather the info but should be an achievable and sustainable method for most authorities?

I definitely see research, data and analysis as key to local gov digital now and in the future.

Surely what authorities need to invest in is the research I cite here: http://daveharte.com/social-media/social-media-stats/

Are you at #ukgc13? This could form the basis of a good session.