Social Media Social Networking 101

							Social Media & Social Networking 101



                 Canadian Society of
                 Safety Engineering
                 (CSSE)
Social Media & Social Networking
Learning the Difference: Social Media


   Social media is media (text, photos, videos,
    etc.) disseminated through social interaction.
                             Examples of social media
                              services:

                              –   YouTube
                              –   Flickr
                              –   Wordpress
Learning the Difference: Social Media

   Industrial Media:      Social Media:
    –   Newspapers          –   Online forums
    –   Television          –   Blogs
    –   Film                –   Wikis
    –   Radio               –   Podcasts
                            –   Pictures
                            –   Video
                            –   Bookmarking
Learning the Difference: Social Media

   Differences between social media and industrial media:

     –   Reach – Both allow anyone to reach a global audience.

     –   Accessibility – Industrial media typically privately or by government owned;
         social media tools are generally available to anyone at little or no cost.

     –   Usability - Industrial media production requires specialized skills and training.
         Social Media production is user friendly.

     –   Timeliness – Industrial media has time lag – days, weeks, or even months
         between production and publication. Social media to social media is capable of
         virtually instantaneous responses. only the participants determine any delay in
         response).

     –   Permanence - Industrial media, once created, cannot be altered (once a
         magazine article is printed and distributed changes cannot be made to that
         same article) whereas social media can be altered almost instantaneously by
         comments or editing.
Learning the Difference: Social
Networking

   Social networking uses accessible technologies to
    build online communities of people who share
    similar interests.
Learning the Difference: Social
Networking

   An online social network service focuses on building
    online communities of people who share interests
    and/or activities.

   Can include social media (photos, videos, etc.)

   Examples of social networking services:
    –   Facebook
    –   LinkedIn
    –   Myspace
    –   Plaxo
Web 2.0

   Together, social media and social networking fall
    under the umbrella term ―Web 2.0‖.
   A Web 2.0 site allows its users to interact with other
    users or to change website content.
Benefits: All for . . . All

   Open and inclusive – all you
    need is an internet
    connection
                                    Health and safety…
   User friendly
   Encourages feedback
   Community building             BC      ON       PEI
   Links to useful resources
   Crowdsourcing
   Real time conversations
Starting Points


   Watch and learn
   Ask for tips, help, and advice when needed
   Become involved where it makes sense for
    you or your business
   Contribute
   Add to the conversation
Blogs: Instant Publishing

   Online journal – can be
    topical
   Instant publishing
   Content updated more
    often than a traditional
    website
   Increasingly used by
    businesses to complement
    traditional websites
   Integration of social media
    tools
   Ability for readers to
    comment on content and
    follow RSS feeds
Blogs: Instant Publishing

OHS & Blogging
  –   Locate interesting OHS
      blogs, visit who they
      link to
  –   Create a blog to
      discuss OHS news and
      trends
  –   Focus on a particular
      sector (i.e. healthcare,
      mining, etc.)
  –   Complement your
      company’s website
      with a blog to provide
      more frequent updates
    Twitter: Say more with less
   ―Micro-blogging‖
   140 characters
   Real time news an
    updates
   ―Follow‖ other
    people or
    organizations of
    interest
   Instant feedback
    and/or advice
   Great
    crowdsourcing tool
 Twitter: Say more with less
OHS & Twitter
   –   Hundreds of OHS
       organizations
       maintain Twitter
       accounts
   –   Timely OHS news
       and commentary
   –   Contribute your
       own thoughts and
       informational links
   –   Make connections
       and take them
       ―offline‖ – meet in
       person.
   –   Perfect your
       ―elevator pitch‖
YouTube: Broadcast yourself


   Before YouTube there
    were few ways for
    people to easily add
    videos online
   Endless resources and
    information
   Embed videos onto
    your website or blog
YouTube: Broadcast yourself


OHS & YouTube
  –   Find and share OHS
      training and
      informational videos with
      coworkers and/or clients
  –   Post your own safety tips
  –   Easily embed useful
      OHS-related videos into
      your blog and website
Facebook: YouVille

   Closed community
   Mostly for personal
    use
   ―Friend‖ people
    (friends, family, work
    colleagues)
   Become ―Fans‖ of
    organizations,
    products, and
    personalities
   Join topical groups
   Create and/or be
    invited to events
Facebook: YouVille

OHS & Facebook
  –   Join OHS related
      groups and Fan
      Pages
  –   Contribute to the
      conversation on
      those pages, add
      photos from
      events
  –   Again, make
      connections,
      network, and then
      take them ―offline‖
LinkedIn: Networking ∞

   Business-oriented
   Increase your
    network by adding
    ―Connections‖
   View other people’s
    ―Connections‖ and
    business history and
    expertise
   LinkedIn groups
    allow you to find
    communities of
    interest
LinkedIn: Networking ∞

OHS & LinkedIn
   –   Create a profile
       and upload your
       resume
   –   Make
       ―connections‖
   –   Join OHS related
       groups
   –   Maintain
       relationships with
       contacts that could
       contribute to future
       employment
Wikis: Group Edit
   A website or
    similar online
    resource that
    allows users to
    add and edit
    content
    collectively
   Looks like a
    regular website
   Living
    document
   Can be used to
    create
    collaborative
    texts (private
    site)
Wikis: Group Edit

OHS & Wikis
  –   Project
      management
  –   Contribute to
      existing OHS
      wikis
  –   If you use
      multiple
      computers, and
      need a place to
      do your work
      that you can
      access from
      anywhere
Summary

   Social media and social networking is both
    driven by and about people:

    –   Direct conversation with people
    –   Listening to others
    –   Empowering people
    –   Participation and community building
    –   Mostly free and user friendly online software
Final Thoughts & Tips

   Everyone uses social networking in different
    ways; find the right way for you
   To start, follow a few key industry figures and
    organizations and see who they follow
   Be comfortable being a ―wallflower‖ until you
    feel ready to join the conversation
   Make connections—both online and offline
   Contribute to the conversation in meaningful
    ways
Canadian Society of Safety
Engineering (CSSE)

   Address: 39 River St., Toronto, ON, M5A 3P1
   Telephone: (416) 646-1600
   Fax: (416) 646-9460
   Email: headquarters@csse.org
   Twitter: @csse