Social web case study: solving problems for your

institution

Jo AlcockEvidence Base

Birmingham City University

Introduction

Personal use of social web• Blog at Joeyanne Libraryanne• Tweet as @joeyanne

Institutional use of social web• Keen to introduce social web in workplace• Implemented social web at current and

previous workplaces (University libraries)

About solutions, not tools

Social web shouldn’t be used simply because a tool is available; it should only be used if it meets a need.

Each of my examples follow the same structure:

Engagement

Engaging with usersPresence where our users areFacebook page and Twitter

accountEngage in online conversation with

users

FacebookFacebook page engage in discussions. deliver news and updates about the service, and details of events.

TwitterTwitter account to engage in conversation, share updates, and pass on useful information (through retweeting)

Updates

Communicating news/updates to users

Avenue to communicate efficientlyBlog/RSS feedUsers can choose to subscribe to

updates

BlogsBlog used to deliver updates about the collection or service. Easy way to keep content fresh and deliver news conveniently to end users.

Event promotion

Low awareness of eventsCentral place with details of all

eventsGoogle calendar embedded into

websiteWebsite always up-to-date, easy

for staff to update, users can subscribe

Google CalendarEmbedded into website – easy to use (similar to Outlook for adding events), ability for people to subscribe or add events to their calendar.

The best bit?

Engagemente.g. FB/Twitter

Communicatione.g. Blog/RSS

Event promotione.g. Google Calendar

Website

Many of these solutions can work together

Internal communication

Communication between staff is ad hoc

Collaborative working spaceInternal wiki/intranet (e.g.

Sharepoint)Well informed staff able to work as

a team

SharepointCollaborative working area – shared documents (with version control), calendar, links, announcements and discussions.

Gathering feedback

Would like feedback from usersMonitor reputationRSS and alerting servicesKnow what people are saying,

giving valuable feedback

Monitoring servicesSet up searches to receive alerts when certain keywords are mentioned (such as your organisation).

Thank you for listening

Presentation: http://slideshare.net/joeyanne

Images from Iconfinder

Jo Alcockhttp://www.joeyanne.co.uk

@joeyanne