I have a pretty substantial background in using social media, having used numerous platforms for approximately 20 years now. On a personal level, I've loved using it to keep in touch with friends and family, and to meet new people around the world. On a professional level, it's been a part of many of my jobs, and I've used it to update students, advertise events, etc.
I feel that Facebook and Twitter are probably the most effective advocacy tools to use. They are the top two social media sites for advocacy use. Advocacy organizations can use Twitter to attract members of the media, as many tend to look to this site for breaking news. Organizations should also assign someone to manage their social media platforms to maximize its impact. When using social media for advocacy, users should be professional and succinct, use correct grammar and spelling, tailor their message, and use positive messaging (Rehr, 2017). Demographics also vary by social media platform, with Twitter users being younger and more urban than Facebook users. Advocates should determine who their audience is and what message they are trying to convey, to determine how to best represent it on each platform (Collins, n.d.).
As an advocate, I could use social media to raise visibility for my organization, recruit members and donors, and influence stakeholders (Collins, n.d.). Friends and family could help spread the message to their own followers, helping to raise more awareness and recruit more advocates. I would try to keep messages short and use visual aids to engage users, use hashtags, post regularly, and promote events (Collins, n.d.). However, I would love to hear some suggestions from colleagues on how to best use social media to advance my advocacy efforts.
References
Collins, R. (n.d.). Social media 101: Leveraging social media to increase your visibility. Retrieved from https://www.aauw.org/resource/how-to-use-social-media-for-advocacy/
Rehr, D. (2017). How is social media being used in advocacy? Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/how-is-social-media-being-used-in-advocacy_us_589a7b12e4b0985224db5bac
Hi Jamie, what social media platforms did you use 20 years ago? That's neat. I agree that Facebook and Twitter are the most effective tools to use for advocating. Especially Facebook because it gives the option to post and share. This function itself is very effective in getting the word out on issues. I've see many great things shared thousands of times and resulted in people signing petitions to solve the issues. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHi, Cortney! I'm probably going to show my age here lol. I used Xanga, AOL, and MySpace before my college was added to Facebook in 2005. It honestly doesn't seem that long ago until you do the math, haha.
DeleteHi Jamie,
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you're light years ahead of me in terms of social media, especially using it for professional purposes! I'm pretty sure my Head Start only has a Facebook page and group, and all employees are encouraged to join it. The group shares classroom photos, facts, research, and upcoming events. I am worried that the information is staying within our program, when it needs to be disseminated to the public. I learned about the idea of Facebook post boosting this week and you commented on my blog that your department recently began doing this and saw positive results! That's heartening :) Thanks for sharing,
Laura