By Alex Manchester
alex@steptwo.com.au

Communicating with external stakeholders via Facebook

Welcome to Melcrum's Social Media and Intranets Newsletter.

In the new edition of Melcrum's research report, Transforming your intranet, I refer to an example of how existing social networking sites can be put to good use within organizations.

At the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the ultra-secure internal environment, complex technological systems, a rotating hierarchy (most desk employees move station every two years) and a large, dispersed workforce that could often epitomize the concept of being "hard to reach", can delay the deployment of new technologies, including social media tools.

Despite that tough internal environment, the RAAF hasn't stopped experimenting externally with social media. The RAAF Facebook group is proving an unexpected boon for the service's recruitment. At the time of writing for the report, I noted that over 2,000 Facebookers had joined the group. Now, it has over 2,800 members and the page includes more than 300 voluntary updates from new recruits.

This Facebook group provides a direct channel for two-way communication between the service and potentially interested visitors and new recruits. It also allows the RAAF to interact and provide information in a place on the web that previously would've been unthinkable.

While this example highlights a common disconnect: innovative use of interesting and engaging tools on the outside; versus outdated, relatively hard-to-use systems and complex processes on the inside, it also represents a powerful initiative that would have taken very little time and resources to create.

Could your organization be making better use of the tools available to help improve its presence and dialogue with stakeholders via the web?

Until next time,

Alex Manchester
Senior Consultant
Step Two Designs

Email: alex@steptwo.com.au
Blog: www.alexmanchester.com

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