William Perrin TAL

Talk About LocalEmpowering communities with simple websites

Marketing & Outreach – session 3Training for UK online centresJune 2010

William Perrin - william@talkaboutlocal.orgNicky Getgood – nicky@talkaboutlocal.orgMike Rawlins – mike@talkaboutlocal.orgTalk About Local Ltdhttp://talkaboutlocal.org

WEBEX for beginners

• We will run through some slides that you will see change on screen• And talk to them, which you should hear through your speakers or headphones• We use the chat window on the right to take questions and answers and help you –

say any thing, any time• If all is working well many of you will be able to talk back using your microphone or

headset BUT there are often problems with that (sorry – it’s a Webex thing :’(• If you can’t talk back through the microphone don’t worry you’ll get on fine without it• If you have a headset or mic that plugs in through a USB port that won’t work very

well with Webex – try an old fashioned headset with a pointy plug on the end of the leads - they work best

• If at any point you think the connection has gone let us know – try to chat in the chat window and say you have problem

• Or try dropping out of the session and coming back in again – you might lose a minute but it often clears problems

• Aniela/Greg/Jo are the technical experts

This session

• New approach – more fun, more help, easier targets

• Chat throughout

• Look at some good sites created by centres

• Practical stuff to help you

Moretonhampstead

• Most of you will have:

• Mastered Wordpress created websites within Webinar training sessions.

• Delivered training sessions helping people create their very own Wordpress websites.

• A few centres have requested more time for engagement and training delivery

Lord Geoffrey, balloon modeller at Cricklade Festival

•Easier targets -quality not quantity, more ongoing help for centres

New target

•Each centre has to create two websites about the local area with local people by end July

•Each website have to have 20 posts by local people over six weeks on local issues

– Everything from broken street lights to pot holes to local stories, history event or arts.  A post can be a story or even just a photo with a caption. 

– We would like you to involve 20 people and 4 groups from the local neighbourhood.

– For smaller centres we can agree a different target – e.g. one website

•Centres that have done this love the experience and find it rewarding to give the community a voice.

http://Kingtonblackboard.orgUK online centre – Marches Access PointStarted August 2009 with TALRural town life and newsWordpress site

http://W14london.ning.comDeprived area of West LondonStarted August 2009 – with TAL and local NDCLocal discussion and informationNearly 200 members alreadyNing.com site – cost £zero

Site for a local festival in CaldmoreSet up from talk about local session

http://heeleyonline.wordpress.com/

Site created in Sheffield, publishes the local parish newsletter online.

Doddington’s Doingshttp://ddoings.wordpress.com/

‘Up-to-date news around the village.’

http://rosminicentre.wordpress.com/

Website created for and by a busy local community centre.

http://www.thisispenhill.co.uk/

Community website for Penhill - active local groups are currently being trained in how to publish their news on the website.

http://littlemanea.wordpress.com/

‘A website for those of us who live in Charlemont Drive and the roads leading off’ with ten authors.

http://hub.moretonhampstead.net/

‘A new space for Moretonians to express themselves and for ideas and knowledge to be shared.’

http://wingsvehicleprojects.wordpress.com/

Website that charts the progress of Trax, a project that gives a group of local young people an introduction to motor mechanics.

http://kingsleyhouse2010.wordpress.com/

Website created by community activist to encourage Bristol council to help improve the dire state of a Kingsley House’s gardens.

http://newsomegrapevine.wordpress.com/

A site that publishes what’s created by the Newsome Grapevine, a free weekly get-together for people who want to find out what’s going on in Newsome, share information and learn how to do something new.

http://cricklade.wordpress.com/

Website for local news and information for the small rural community of Cricklade.

• Wordpress ‘blogs’ ARE proper websites!

• We have had some feedback that some customers don't feel 'blogs' are 'proper' websites.  However, many people and companies use Wordpress to create simple websites that are easy for readers to use and navigate, such as:

• http://www.shonamcquillan.com/

• http://rachelcreative.wordpress.com/

• http://talkaboutlocal.org

• http://podnosh.com/

• http://ttv.peteashton.com/

The term 'blog' may have a bad press as 'online diaries', but a Wordpress site is essentially a blank canvas - it is what you make it.

Caldmore Festival

• How did they do it?

• they worked with the right people

• W14 London’s Annette volunteers much of her spare time for community work.

• Walsall UK online centre worked with members of the Caldmore Festival Committee, who were organising the event on a voluntary basis.

• Bethesda UK online centre in Bristol worked with a community activist campaigning for the cause of Kingsley House gardens, who was keen to spread the word and rally support.

• Rosmini Centre and Wings Project both active community centres with lots going on that need to tell their stories.

• They identified an individual or group who had something to say and do about their community, who are passionate enough to devote some time to developing it. 

• Target the right groups/organisations, such as:– Scouts, Brownies, etc.

– Churches, Mosques, etc.

– Parish Council

– Transition Towns

– Community First Responders

– Look online locally - who has a site and more importantly, which obvious candidates don’t?

– People fighting campaigns/local grievances (not race/religion!)

– New areas/housing communities - people who don’t have roots who need to come together.

• Talk About Local will help you identify groups and people near you that would be ripe for creating a sustainable community website. These people are not always your usual UK online centre customers:

– You don’t have to recruit your normal customers – it’s fine to get people who can already use the web. 

– Key to a successful site is contributions from local people who are passionate about their place and issues that affect them locally. 

– They may me comfortable with the internet already but not know how easy it is to make a website.

Wii Playing in Kirklees (Newsome Grapevine)

•Target people in the right way:•Through a personal and trusted contact, often with a face-to-face discussion.

•Try to approach an existing contact within your target group.

•If you do not have an existing contact, think about who could make you a personal introduction.

•Might your centre managers or Board members have the connections you need?

•Think about who might be able to put you in touch with  people you need, this approach works far better than cold calling.

•Target people with the right offer:

•Tell them you can help them create a simple, free yet powerful website that will look clean professional, will bring their work to a wider audience and get people involved in the discussion. 

•There is no nasty programming or web design required - if they can use Facebook or order a book off Amazon, they can use Wordpress or similar.

•If they already have a rather old, uninspiring website that doesn't get much attention - explain you can help them create a website that they can regularly update with latest news, events, photos, film, etc., that readers can respond to via comments and subscribe to receive via email bulletins. 

•Wordpress sites particularly Google up very well, to make your site easy to search for and stumble across.

Kington Blackboard writers at the Xmas lights switch-on

Kington Blackboard writers at the Xmas lights switch-on

Lesson plan - JUST DO IT:

So you have your target group, now it's time to teach them.  Main points are:

• Start with a small presentation about the focus of community websites - we will give you a template PowerPoint presentation so you can show vivid examples that should inspire!

• Take the Just Do It approach - start with practical setting up of Wordpress sites rather than talking around them.  Get the technical hurdle over and done with- learners will be pleasantly surprised by how simple it is!  Do first, discuss second.

• Lead don't guide where possible.  Push a little more than you would do with traditional UK online centre customers - this approach has worked wonders for Nyree Scott in Cambridgeshire.

Then set homework…….

Set homework:Once you have helped people create their community sites, set homework tasks for

people to create simple content for the websites.  Such as:

• Find a local notice or poster (notice of meeting, lost cat, gig poster, etc.) and put its content online.

• Local memories - talk to an older member of the community and talk about their memories

• Talk about your Parish Council, post a notice of theirs online.

• Street environment - fly tipping, litter, graffiti, etc.

• Review a local gig or play

• Local art - gallery, public art, sculpture, war memorial. Put a picture and info online.

• Search YouTube for a locally relevant video, embed this into a post on your website and publish it.

We are creating resources to help you with content ideas at http://talkaboutlocal.org/content  Get people fired up and raring to go straight away with simple, achievable things they can do well and feel proud of!

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Wings Vehicle Project: Pimp My Ride

•Spread the word about your community websites:

Once it has a little content, get people reading!  Simple tips to get the word out about the new website and get the wider community involved.

•Posters and flyers in local communal areas - pubs, community centres, churches, foyer noticeboards, etc.

•Moo cards - cheap business cards from http://uk.moo.com/

•Advertising in the local press or newsletters - if you feel this might help contact us, we may be able to help.

•Email your local contacts - you can create simple and visually striking email circulars for free using www.mailchimp.com

•Consider using social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter - spread the word amongst local contacts on there.

•An audience will help motivate the authors to keep going and get more community input. More hints and tips on how to market your website can be found at http://talkaboutlocal.org.uk/marketing/

Fred Ferris, Penhill Town Crier

Additional centre support includes:

•Fun training webinars throughout June and July and beyond to help you tackle issues and hear other people’s experiences.

•We shall also provide materials for centres to redo their own website for free using talk about local skills on our website

•You will receive a milestone plan to guide you and help measure progress

•http://talkaboutloca.org.uk/content is almost ready with suggestions for things your trainees can write about

•Please stay in touch with us throughout – don’t wait until the end if you are having problems

We are here to help you achieve some great quality work and reinforce your centre's position as an integral part of community life.  We want to help you do and create something meaningful and worthwhile rather than focusing on achieving targets for their own sake.

•Deadline – Friday 30 July