Blog: Open Channel Social
In the early days of the internet and computer games, there were those who feared electronic media would isolate us.
Individuals across the land would be glued to their computer screens researching family history or battling space invaders to the detriment of their social and family life.
It’s true that, apart from the occasional email correspondence, sharing the experience was difficult back then but social media have changed all that. Gathering information and knowledge is now a shared experience because platforms like Facebook and twitter have created conduits for sharing; sharing experiences, opinions, photos and videos.
In the past, an article online would end with a full stop. Now, as often as not, it ends with a conversation between readers who can leave comments at the foot of the article. The author can join in the conversation and inform the discussion.
The way we consume news is also changing. The instant messaging system twitter allows people with shared interests to communicate information in the moment.
The heroic efforts of an airline captain who safely landed his stricken plane on the Hudson River with no fatalities were broadcast not by the nightly news or the local paper but by the passenger on a nearby ferry who took a photo of the plane with his mobile phone and shared the image with thousands of people on twitter, beating the traditional media by an hour.
In the last couple of years, commercial companies and local and national governments have entered the domain. It’s in recognition of the power of social media to connect to customers in a new way. Organisations can provide traditional information through social media but also get feedback. And unlike a phone call, the feedback is on a public forum that allows others to join that conversation.
Shropshire Council has been using social media for a number of months. Click here for a full list.
But it isn’t simply about having another channel to broadcast on. They’re a real game- changer. Social media offer an opportunity to have a public dialogue with you. We’ve already used social media to gather opinions on a range of services and it’s helping us improve our performance.
As new platforms are created, we’ll assess them and adopt them if they work for us. But whatever the platform, it isn’t the tools, it’s the change in culture; a new relationship with our customers. Providing data and information to have informed discussions and find shared solutions to problems, is the way forward.
We encourage comments and understand that there may be criticism from time to time, and as long those comments are fair and the language is acceptable and doesn’t cause offence, we’ll leave those comments on public view. We’ve developed a range of guidelines to support our use of social media and we’re happy to share those with you here:
SM-C63 Social Media Flow Chart (external)
