Social media at D&P!
Kaitlyn Duthie-Kannikatt, Eastern Ontario Youth Rep
I’ve been a user of social media for a while. I remember a few years back, when I got my first facebook page… all of the applications, the sharing tools and special features weren’t yet a part of the site, but at the time, it had all seemed so overwhelming!
How far we have come in such a short amount of time! Now, I think nothing of seeing my family from Alberta to New Brunswick converging for semi-regular Word Twist tournaments. Engaging in debates on social and political issues is a regular occurrence. Connecting with friends, keeping up to date on what events are going in my community, following the activity of my favourite organizations, and even building networks of professional contacts via the web is simply second nature to me now. I have a difficult time envisioning communication without it.
Social media truly has revolutionized the world and is connecting people from all over the world in ways that were completely unfathomable to the general population just under a decade ago.
Last week, Development and Peace hosted a Social Media workshop. Directors, national council members, volunteers, youth reps, and staff from across the Eastern Region converged in Toronto to engage in some meaningful discussion about how we can utilize social media platforms (such as facebook, twitter, and blogging) to better connect with our members, promote our education and fundraising campaigns, and generally increase awareness about all the awesome stuff that members of D&P are engaging in.
I was under the impression that I was fairly knowledgeable about social media and its potential for expanding our member base. But ooh man…there is so much more to it than I could have ever imagined! On the first day, speakers from various backgrounds and organizations, including Doctors without Borders, spoke to us about how social media is currently being used as a promotional tool for the non-governmental sector. They spoke about the benefits and potential risks of putting yourself completely “out there” on the web. Completely exposing yourself to the ups and downs of online support as well as criticism can be kind of a scary thought – but thus is the nature of this business! It sounds like there is a lot of divergence of opinion out there on appropriate levels of social media freedom, but it is all very interesting to say the least!
On the second day of the workshop, we all participated in an open discussion on what kind of social media policy we would envision for D&P. While there are undoubtedly a lot of different opinions within the organization, I’m thrilled that this discussion is being had. It’s so important for NGOs to go where the people are. In today’s society, the people are using the web. And it doesn’t look like that’s going to change anytime soon.
