1. for Engaging Audiences in BC History?
Why Use Social Media
for Engaging Audiences in BC History?

2. Why Use It? It connects organizations directly with their market
The struggle for market attention has become intense
We need to democratize history particularly at the community, regional and provincial level
It’s ‘free’ (paid for by advertising and data harvesting)
Network effect kicks in (as more people join, the more effective it is – so even more people join)

3. What Is Social Media? Is it a scourge or a blessing? Immediate
Easily used
Accessible
Has a wide reach (potentially global)
The quality of postings has high variance: from very high-quality items to low-quality, sometimes even abusive or inappropriate content

4. The Market
Heavy social media users, such as young people, check their social media account numerous times throughout the day.
In % of all Americans have access to a Facebook account in the USA
75% of account holders use it every day
Canadian stats are probably similar

5. Usage
This is a list of the leading social networks based on number of active user accounts as of August 2017.
Facebook: 2,047,000,000 users
YouTube: 1,500,000,000 users
WhatsApp: 1,200,000,000 users
Facebook Messenger: 1,200,000,000 users
WeChat: 938,000,000 users
QQ: 861,000,000 users
Instagram: 700,000,000 users
QZone: 638,000,000 users
Tumblr: 357,000,000 users
Twitter: 328,000,000 users
Sina Weibo: 313,000,000 users
Baidu Tieba: 300,000,000 users
Skype: 300,000,000 users
Viber: 260,000,000 users
Snapchat: 255,000,000 users
Reddit: 250,000,000 users
Line: 214,000,000 users
Pinterest 175,000,000 users

6. Social Media:
It is currently a way of the future (go digital or be ignored!)
But changing norms are not always positive
Realize that static / passive webpages are ineffective
Needs to generate a ‘high signal to noise ratio’ to be successful
Increasingly becoming manipulated by ‘trolls’ and unscrupulous outside forces

7. Understanding the Medium:
It is not electronic print, it behaves differently
It has its own conventions, processes, language
admin functions vs engagement vs content
Social media linked to an active website can be very successful
website vs ‘blog’ An organization may need both

8. Practical concerns:
it’s cost effective (cost per contact very low)
it reaches wider audiences (its where the audience is)
its active rather than passive
print media is getting expensive
postage is very expensive
people don’t own books as much
people don’t read print media as much
A Social Media Group may require a ‘code of conduct’
Practical concern - how to archive the content?

9. Trends:
Traditional audiences are aging
Younger audiences don’t tend use print books, they prefer e-media
Younger audiences are not currently very interested in history
Museums are becoming cash-strapped, limiting what they can ‘afford’
Older audiences have the time, the interest and the money (the path of least resistance)
People growing suspicious of social media like Facebook

10. Unanticipated outcomes:
Constant demand for new content
Webmaster often gets overloaded, criticized
Contributors are often not used to writing for the web
Older members may not use websites and blogs
Not everyone who engages has good intentions
Theft of images & content an issue
Difficult to measure success
May need to shift platforms as old ones become unfashionable

11. Indicators of Success
Regular engagement by a body of dedicated ‘followers’
Lots of sharing & ‘likes’
Noticeable generation of new material (images and text) by new creators
An increase in paid membership in your organization
An increase in attendance or participation