What you'll learn
The two days will include video, plenty of online examples, and exercises throughout. You'll leave the course with a roadmap to success in social media for your company.
Module One
DAY 1
Welcome, introductions, objectives
- We will look at the agenda and make any changes that participants want. We will ensure that we all agree the outcomes of the two days and share the knowledge in the room.
What is social media?
- Using wikipedia, we will seek to define social media. We will discuss the criteria for something to be called social media, including need for transparency, and try to agree what future developments might be.
- If we determine that the definition requires an update we will update it live.
Why should I care?
- We will look at changing demographic patterns. We will discuss how people consume media in 2007 and how they will in the future.
- Participants will be asked to explain their interest in social media and its possible application to their organisation. And we will assess the implications for business, both good and bad.
- We will explore the possibilities that social media hold for better interactions with customers, clients and employees.
LUNCH
Case study: Microsoft
- Microsoft will join us to share the company’s experience with social media in Europe. With more intranets (SharePoints) than employees in EMEA the company faces some quite particular challenges.
Social Networking & Communities
- The internet is bringing people together in many new and different ways. Sites like LinkedIn, FaceBook and MySpace have millions of people using them every day. What exactly is going on there? Are they relevant for businesses and what can we learn from them?
- Then there’s Second Life, Bebo, CyWorld and more. What is happening in these virtual worlds? With companies like Reuters opening agencies online, is it possible that those of us not participating are missing something?
Review, questions and Day 2 planning
- Participants will be asked to continue their social media thinking overnight with a short homework assignment.
DAY 2
Review of Day 1, agenda and objective
Instant messaging
- To many instant messaging will not seem like something new. And IM and SMS have been around for a long time. However, that doesn’t exclude them from relevance in this discussion.
- Twitter shows that everything that is old is new again. What is the future for IM with sites and services like Twitter becoming over-night success stories?
Case study
- One of the world’s great energy companies will talk to us about the use of film and new kinds of narratives to reach audiences in unexpected ways. We’ll see how technology has allowed film to become much more integrated and interactive in the way we communicate with stakeholders.
Blogging, Podcasting, Vblogs
- With a new literary or broadcasting sensation appearing each month that is ripped from the screens of your computer, it is clear that this medium is helping writers to find an audience.
- What are the real potential benefits for businesses? What are the risks and what is happening in other industries?
- This section will include an EXERCISE and a real hands-on broadcasting session.
LUNCH
YouTube
- The use of amateur(ish) video inside and outside of companies is already in full swing. Whether you like it or not, your company is already being presented on YouTube and other video uploading sites. What can you do about it? What should you do about it?
- This section will also include an EXERCISE in using film.
Wikis
- Companies like IBM are reporting a drastic drop in email traffic with the increased use of wikis. Are we all missing something? How easy is this medium? Can we make better use of it?
- Online collaboration may be the future of some organisational communications? What better way to build engagement than to ask your stakeholders to co-create your brand?
Social media & your corporate strategy
- We will conclude our second day by working through a framework for creating a social media strategy to support our corporate strategy. This EXERCISE will mean that all participants will leave with a first draft strategy for their individual businesses.
Wrap up, questions conclusions
