Betsy Overkamp-Smith, APR York County School Division Navigating the Social Media Landscape

Today’s Agenda 1.Why We Should Care About Social Media 2.Power & Pitfalls 3.News Media Goes Social 4.Implementation Considerations 5.All Media Tenets 6.Questions?

Social Media Stats Facebook: – More than 800 million active users – Average user has 130 friends and is connected to 80 community pages, groups & events – On average, more than 250 million photos are uploaded per day – Each user spends about 350 minutes a month on the site YouTube: – People are watching 3 billion videos a day – Every minute, 48 hours of video is uploaded

Social Media Stats Twitter: – 100 million active users – 40% have not Tweeted in last month – Users send an average of 230 million Tweets per day Google+: – 25 million users – Took 16 days to reach 10 million users – Still in development

Power & Pitfalls of Social Media Power Gives individuals a place to share their ideas, concerns Expands your reach for recruiting & networking Quickly, easily reach large audience Pitfalls Small number of voices can outweigh silent majority Majority of interactions may be of minimal value Sometimes too quickly, too easily

Power & Pitfalls of Social Media Power Instantaneous feedback from community Extension of your brand – enhance reputation as a trusted source of information Pitfalls Little to no control over who provides feedback, quantity & quality of feedback Employee misdeeds are amplified, damaging trust You do not have control over the medium

Information on Schools “How People Learn About Their Local Community”, Pew Research Center, Sept. 2011

Power & Pitfalls of Media Gone Social Power More space for news & features Options for multi- media content Interactivity Opportunities created for sharing opinions Pitfalls Unlimited space filled with unfiltered content Internal documents/ private communications posted for all to see ‘Sources’ may not have correct information Anonymous comments & limited management

Considerations Do you have a goal or objective? – What is it? Will a new communication channel help you meet your goal/objective? – Yes? Get started! – No? Would improving an existing channel be faster? More effective?

Before You Leap You must have the resources – specifically, time – to regularly post You must have the resources to regularly monitor You should have policy or procedures to guide employees You should have a purpose and a plan

National School PR Assoc. Survey Communication Accountability Program Survey, NSPRA, 2011

National School PR Assoc. Survey Communication Accountability Program Survey, NSPRA, 2011

What Information Do Parents Want? Most interested in: – Curriculum/program changes – Descriptions of curriculum & programs – Calendar of events/meetings – Graduation/course requirements – Performance compared to surrounding schools Communication Accountability Program Survey, NSPRA, 2011

10 All Media Tenets 1.You are always a board member (or Supt.!) 2.Add to the conversation with the information & insight that comes with your position 3.Respect the time & attention of others 4.If you ask the question, be ready to rapidly and honestly respond to the answer 5.Have your facts straight – you are THE trusted source

10 All Media Tenets 6.Speed matters, but content matters more 7.Follow all laws & district guidelines – including FERPA, HIPPA, copyright, etc. 8.Personal relationships matter when mistakes are made 9.Authentic apologies will move you forward and help you address issues 10.Before you post, take a breath, THINK, then post

Even If You Don’t Launch… Improved interactivity, both digital & personal, is essential – There will always be people who you will not be able to engage – People are busy – creatively problem solve when you need involvement Open, honest communication improves trust Transparency in decision-making strengthens partnerships with parents, students, community

Information Sources 17% of adults get info about their local community through social media. 55% get their local info from word of mouth. “How People Learn About Their Local Community”, Pew Research Center, Sept. 2011

Betsy Overkamp-Smith, APR York County School Division Navigating the Social Media Landscape