Page 37 - Approved Social Media Framework and Guidelines
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Annexure IV: Community Creation & Sustenance

               Creating & Managing Community: The utility of social media is in its innate ability to create
               community  of  geographically  dispersed  individuals.  However,  efforts  are  required  on  a
               continuous basis to create and sustain this community. Some the steps that may be taken to
               ensure the same are:

                   · Connect  with  existing  networks  –  Existing  networks  refer  to  websites,  official

                       publications etc. The department may also like to connect it to some blogs or pages
                       of  willing  individuals  and/or  employees.  The  method  of  establishing  such

                       connections should ensure that update on any one should automatically be seen on
                       the other e.g. through RSS Feeds etc.


                   · Publicise use of social networking: Existing forms of communications can be used to
                       tell stakeholders about the department’s endeavour on social media. Some of the
                       ways  in  which  it  can  be  achieved  include  –  Add  social  network  links  to  leaflets,
                       newsletters, email signatures and website, send emails all stakeholders, mention use
                       of social networks at meetings, events and seminars and encourage people to join in,
                       ensure any service seeker can find out about, and join in with, your social networks
                       through posters etc. at points of service access, use TV, Radio and search engines to
                       generate awareness about the site.

                       Sustaining Community:  Creation of a community perhaps easier when compared to
                       challenges  related  to  sustenance  of  a  community.  Some  of  the  steps  involved  in
                       sustaining a community include the following:


                   · Integrating Social Media into routine: Ideally, social networking should eventually
                       become  part  of  department’s  day-to-day  work  and  not  be  an  extra  workload

                       external to the routine functioning of the department. It should be seen as another
                       way of communicating e.g. while sending an email, create a tweet simultaneously or
                       update the Facebook page.


                   · Linking with similar communities: Most people join pages from the links of friends
                       or  communities  where  they  are  already  connected.  One  way  of  sustaining
                       community  is  to  link  to  these  extended  communities  and  provide  update  at  least
                       once  a  week.  Some  social  media  sites  such  as  Twitter  allow  the  user  to  not  only
                       schedule  tweets  but  also  create  an  automated  message  that  is  sent  any  new
                       followers  on  Twitter.  These  methods may  also be  used  for  keep the  stakeholders
                       engaged. Social networks depend on users following each other. Networks can be
                       built  by  actively  following  others  and  encouraging  them  to  follow  you.  People  or

                       organisations  tend  to  start  following  you  if  you  publish  posts  that  are  useful  or
                       interesting  to  them.  It  is  important  to  identify  the  influencers  within  these
                       communities and build mutually beneficial relationships with them.

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