Social media isn’t just for geeks! Communications master class 7 May 2014

What we will be doing today What is social media? Discovering platforms Who is using social media Pros of engagement Working with negative comments Resources Top tips

Definition Taken from Oxford Dictionaries online

Who’s using social media in healthcare? Patient groups The general public (many talking about how to access the NHS and their experience of services) Members of Parliament The media (BBC, news groups, reporters) Local councillors and local government executive members Your staff Your stakeholders Your future staff, your competitors and collaborators.

Other NHS SM users Dean Royles Jane Cummings Kate Granger Rev Dave Southall Carol Reed NHS Salisbury Trust Social pioneers list coming soon!

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Pros of online engagement Easy to connect to like-minded people. A quick way of getting answers to questions and information. More accessible – people carry smart phones, tablets with them everywhere Easy to talk with senior people you’d never usually get to speak to in real life. No walls or barriers A great way of increasing the size of your professional network. A way of finding out what best practice is in your field of study or care.

Working with negative feedback Negative feedback is not bad. It can in fact be far more valuable than positive feedback. Without negative feedback we would never know where to improve. Being open and transparent and asking for feedback, including negative, helps develop better public and private services. Have a plan!

Planning toolkit This toolkit will: provide you with a framework to help you decide if using social media is right for your organisation give you a selection of social media template policies and processes, to save you time writing and updating your own showcase some ‘thoughts on’ key areas of social media practice The worksheets that accompany the toolkit to help you: identify your drivers to use social media align you social media objectives to your organisation's objectives map your online stakeholders plan you resources and content.

Other resources Briefings Podcasts Blogs Infographics

Tips for using social media Have a clear idea of your objectives in using social media Learn the rules of each social media space before engaging Remember an official account belongs to the organisation not the individual Communicate where your citizens are Build relationships with your stakeholders on and offline – social media is just one of many communication channels Do not open a channel of communication you cannot maintain Understand when a conversation should be taken offline Do not engage with users who are aggressive/abusive

Any questions?