Be Inspired! Shirley Ayres Consulting

Mary Baker founder of DropBy

Social Networking and the over 60s may sound an unusual combination. However, the latest Nielsen research finds that overall membership of existing social network sites has grown significantly between 2009 and 2011 and that use by older people has grown more than twice as fast.

DropBy is a social website for the over 60s to keep in touch with family, friends and interest groups. DropBy is very much part of the Big Society and is an enabling force for family and community communications. In the longer term it could become a life-line for those who live alone or who feel isolated.

The website provides a safe hub for older people to communicate and interact with their families and friends even if they cannot leave the house. It is also proving to be a friendly place where carers can share their frustrations and make new friends.

Tags: DropBy, online communities, social care, social media

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I am inspired to write this post because of a discussion with  Computers4carers  a small organisation with a big and simple vision to provide computers for carers.  Chill4us is a not for profit organization who have been able to supply nearly 100 free  laptops to carers through donations from individuals and organisations including Norfolk County Council and Virgin Money.

It occurs to me that this is one way to address the problem about the lack of information and support to help people plan for care and recognising the value of carers. I am just finishing a report which explores how service users and carers are using social media. There are so many online resources which support carers including  forums and facebook groups.

“I use the internet  to help me as a carer.   I have researched and ordered specialist items not available locally. When my relative had to go into a care home, the internet was one of the first places I tried to see what was available. It’s also useful if you want to find out about benefits and  to get advice from other carers.” from an online discussion with a carer

 I agree with the Commission on Funding of Care and Support that urgent  reform of the current social care system is needed. But I also think we need more joined up thinking about the resources available that can improve the quality of life for carers now.

If your organisation has a spare laptop in working order with at least Windows XP do contact Chill4us who will find a good home for it!  A small investment for the community “social capital” provided by our 6 million plus carers.    
 
I also recommend reading the informative Thrive and Survive  report by Race Online 2012 which has great case studies, including Carers UK,  and explores how the third sector is using digital technology and social media.

Tags: computers for carers, free computers, personalisation, social media, support for carers

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Some of you may be aware that I am the Consultant Director for AspireKnowledge a company committed to inspiring, engaging and empowering individuals through innovative, insightful and thought provoking knowledge.

I am delighted to introduce you to our first event the Third Sector Digital Communication and Social Media 2011 Convention.

I wanted to run this convention because of my own work in getting third and public sector organisations to take social media seriously as integral to their communications and engagement with the wider public. As a social worker, as a professional marketer and communicator and CEO of several organisations I understand the challenges and the opportunities for the third sector.

The fact is that whilst many organisations are already embracing the digital age, many others are equally fearful of it or reluctant to see it is a necessity to their way of working. I am passionate about opening up every organisation in the third and public sector to the potential the digital age has to offer – from engaging supporters and service users in the design and delivery of services to raising funds and managing campaigns. This does take education – removing the fear for many that they do not understand digital and social media technology and platforms, challenging the belief that it is too expensive for many organisations to do properly and helping CEO’s realise the tremendous positive impact and opportunity embracing digital strategies can have in every aspect of their work. Working with our excellent partners I have put together a programme of speakers who are themselves a long way forward on that journey either as individuals or organisations.

The knowledge does not begin and end at the convention in June. We have a collaborative approach to sharing good practice, the latest innovations and developments. We are working with our partners, speakers and sponsors to bring a different style to the way the knowledge is delivered. This will not be a traditional event!

Sign up for our weekly knowledge newsletter, free for the sector, over the weeks leading up to the convention http://thirdsectorsocialmedia.com
Keep in touch by joining the Third Sector Digital Comms and Social Media 2011  group on LinkedIn
Follow our tweets @nfpsm

Tags: AspireKnowledge, digital communications, digital communications and social media 2011 convention, social media

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“We don’t want to be ‘Left Out In The Cold’ ”, say Britain’s disabled people.  On the eve of the second reading of the government’s controversial Welfare Reform Bill on 9th March, a stark image of disabled campaigner Kaliya Franklin aims to convey how vulnerable some of the bills proposals will leave sick and disabled people across the UK.

The photograph depicts a naked Franklin lying on the sand on a wintry beach, next to her empty wheelchair.

Just like Franklin’s wheelchair in the image, social care and support will be left out of reach for many of those most in need if these reforms go ahead, literally leaving many “Left Out in the Cold.”

“We decided to use one thought provoking image to make our point,” explains Franklin. “Sick and disabled people are often left voiceless in society, so we hoped using a single image might reflect this.”

Says Franklin, “It’s vital we all remember we are just an accident or illness away from becoming disabled. Many people think if they do become disabled that the state will look after them.

“But the fact is that even under current provisions, disability benefits are not enough for disabled people to live on. If the Welfare Reform Bill is passed, the situation will become unimaginably worse.”

In January, Franklin released a video on YouTube that explained how able-bodied people would be in for a major shock if they found themselves needing to apply for disability benefits. The video can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7EXSpmrVMU.

The Broken of Britain group has been campaigning since summer 2010 to raise awareness of the government’s wider anti-disability policies. The group has consistently drawn attention to disabled people being the target of unjust government rhetoric and sham consultations, tabloid slander and political myths.

It says: “We are now the targets of deep and damaging cuts to disability services that are contained in and symbolised by the Welfare Reform Bill. The Bill disguises cuts and changes to a number of benefits, from housing benefit to Income Support that will punish disabled people.”

Tags: disability, social justice, social work and social care, the Broken of Britain campaign

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Gordon Chapman

Deaf people who use British Sign Language (BSL) have traditionally gone to their social worker whenever they had a problem. That is because the social worker understood the needs of deaf people and, more importantly could communicate fluently in BSL.
The absence of post qualifying training has resulted in the absence of social workers willing to work with deaf people. Despite the desire to see a specialist social work service retained, we have to face reality and concentrate on how we can support deaf people more effectively.
Taking into account that most of deaf people’s problems arise directly from their poor language skills and the resultant communication problems, it makes sense to concentrate on how to overcome these in the first instance.
The use of online interpreting services over the Internet provides a simple and low cost solution. By having a computer with a webcam and broadband access in the duty room, you can deal with any query immediately. Similarly, a social worker can take a netbook with a 3G dongle with them when visiting clients.
We have worked very closely with North Lanarkshire Council and have a very successful model which has been very effective in removing the deaf community’s dependence upon social work and shared the burden across the whole of the Council. I believe the time has come for all Local Authorities to look at Online Interpreting and consider using video technology to overcome the communication barrier with deaf people. Sign on Screen is an online interpreting facility which makes access to a qualified British Sign Language interpreter available to anyone, anywhere at any time.  

About the author: Gordon Chapman is Chief Executive of Deaf Connections the oldest charity established for Deaf people in Scotland. He is a child of deaf parents and grew up in a bilingual environment. Gordon is a qualified social worker and registered Sign Language Interpreter and he has been Chief Executive of Deaf Connections since 1983 .

Follow @DeafConnections on twitter and join the Deaf Connections facebook group

Tags: Deaf Connections, Gordon Chapman, online interpreting services, Social Work

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At a time when public support is urgently needed for social work and social care why are we not using social media to engage with our stakeholders? One of my favourite videos from Erik Qualman about the phenomenal growth in social media activity during the past two years (and the statistics today are even more impressive). (Video courtesy of @equalman http://www.socialnomics.net)

I agree with Erik – >“it is not a question now about whether you should be involved in social media but how well you do it”

Erik Qualman is the author of Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business. “Social Media Revolution was one of 2010′s most viral videos on YouTube.

Tags: Erik Qualman, online communications, social care, social media, Social Work

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Human attention is one of the most restrictive limitations to accessing resources on the internet. Wise words and good case studies from Clay Shirky author of “Here Comes Everybody – The Power of Organizing Without Organizations” talking at Web 2.0 Expo New York in 2008. (Video courtesy of OreillyMedia)

I am a great supporter of ‘Kaizen’ – the gathering of the wisdom of the masses. Networked tools are allowing groups to form and collaborate without any of the traditional friction that comes from managing the efforts of multitudes. “Group action just got easier” Clay Shirky speaking about his book, “Here Comes Everybody – The Power of Organizing Without Organizations” at the World Bank in May 2008. (Video courtesy of WorldBank)

http://shirky.com/

Tags: Clay Shirky, Here Comes Everybody - The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, Kaizen, social media

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My thoughts from the Public Sector Innovation Huddle hosted by Viadeo and Dell, as part of Social Media Week London 2011. The unconference was for public sector and third sector communications professionals using or exploring social media best practices. There were nine sessions and I wanted  to attend them all because there was such a range of interesting and diverse subjects!

More thoughts and videos from the Public Sector Huddle on the Viadeo Blog http://blog.viadeo.com/en/ 

 A stitch online – Macmillan’s super scarf http://bit.ly/gOFnfU  @timolloyd 

“From knitting to nudity” key takeaways from #smwldn_ps http://cot.ag/h7zB0i

Social Media Week is a global platform that connects people, content, and conversations  around emerging trends in social and mobile media. Between 7th and 11th February, nine cities around the world including London, New York, Paris, Istanbul held hundreds of events focusing on all things social media.

Tags: #lgovsm, #nhssm, #smwldn, #smwldn_ps, Dell, encouraging innovation, online communications, social media week, The public sector and social media, Viadeo

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Sergio López Figueroa asks whether evaluation forms are the best and most effective tool to capture the value and impact of your organisation’s work? What about using the power of video for web distribution and involve a number of stakeholders in the making? The value lies in a diverse representation of stakeholders, beneficiaries and influencers being engaged in the creative process using video interviews and by endorsing in their own way the benefits, so the outcome becomes personal and unique.

We work with charitable organisations, mainly -but not exclusively- in the health and arts sector in order to measure the impact of the video in their training, events or to asses fundraising strategies or stakeholder engagement. Moreover our facilitation process involves making sure participants interact with each other, shooting or recording and making it happen. We at Big Bang Lab are not lazy, but facilitators in search of quality of information.

Last Summer I had the opportunity to work with the Otakar Kraus Music Trust (OKMT), a fantastic charity working with children with autism and other disabilities by helping them with one to one music therapy. The children were engaged searching new sounds and exploring their inner creativity. I was very happy to interact with them, their carers, parents and siblings and co-create a video for web. This will help OKMT to create awareness and show the intangible value to potentially new funders. In particular I was touched by the open and positive attitude of parents in relation to their children’s condition which we hope will touch other families in similar situation as well.

Click here to watch an example of this Shared Voices video  The Joy of Music 

For the full article click here  

Tags: autism, BigBang Lab, evaluation of care services, Otakar Kraus Music Trust, Sergio López Figueroa, social media

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Between 7th and 11th February, nine cities around the world including London, New York, Paris, Istanbul will be holding hundreds of events focusing on all things social media. Social Media Week   is a global platform that connects people, content, and conversations  around emerging trends in social and mobile media. There are a large number of both small and large social media events across the world which will be distributed via social media channels and mobile media. For London events  follow the #smwldn hashtag on Twitter

The schedule for London features almost 100 events across five days which range from breakfast briefings to evening debates. Most of the events are free but advance registration may be required.

Here is my brief guide to the events of most interest to the public sector, social care, childrens’s services, charities and social enterprises.

Who Owns the Social Space: A Debate
A debate on who should ‘own’ social spaces – or at least the bit that gets marketing budget!. Mon 7th Feb 4:30pm – 8pm

Social Recruitment Panel Debate  Sponsored by Like Minds

“Where’s the talent?”  How social networks and tools have transformed the hiring process and people management. Featuring one of my favourite social recruiting bloggers @andyheadworth  from Sirona Consulting Mon 7th Feb 6:30pm – 9:00pm

We Are Social Breakfast Briefing – What Social Media means for Charities 
Simon Collister, We Are Social’s Public Sector & Non-profit Director, will discuss the changes that social media is making to the environment that charities and third sector organisations operate in, and what they need to do to adapt. Tues 8th Feb 08 8:25am – 10:00am 

Social innovation speed dating with Simpl – the social innovation marketplace
Have you ever noticed how hard it is to find the right person in government (or any other organisation for that matter!) to help you make your idea a reality?  As part of Social Media Week we’ll be running ‘Social Innovation Speed Dating’ to connect people with ideas to people in organisations who can offer support to make those ideas a reality.  Tuesday 8th Feb 8:30am – 10:30am 

Public Sector Social Media Innovation Huddle, hosted by Dell & Viadeo
For UK Public Sector and the third sector communications professionals who are using or exploring social media best practices. People who want to share and network. There will be a broad range of Public Sector and Social Media experts. As with all unconferences you can also choose to speak on the day sharing a case study or leading a discussion group of your choice. I will be speakings about “Feel the fear and do it anyway”the challenges and opportunities for the public sector with #socialmedia. Tues 8th Feb 1:00pm – 5pm 

Social Media NOT just Social Marketing Hosted by 77Agency & GlobalGiving 
With guest speakers from YouTube, LinkedIn, The Guardian, Accenture Interactive and WSPA, the seminar will bring non-profit organisations together to share insights, case studies and knowledge and to highlight the promotional and fundraising opportunities available via social media ch
Soho House London. Tues 8th Feb 1:00pm – 5:00pm 

We Are Social’s “Meet the Communities” with Mumsnet & The Student Room. Justine Roberts of Mumsnet & Jamie O’Connell of The Student Room discuss how brands can successfully, and not so successfully, engage with their large and influential communities. This session will involve presentations followed by networking drinks. Thurs 10th Feb 4:30pm – 6:00pm

Measuring Social Media 2011
A session exploring measurement and monitoring social media including a drop-in clinic, panel discussion, demos and one-to-one sessions. Fri 11th Feb – 10.45am – 4pm

WorkSnug@Hub Kings Cross Daily (Mon-Fri) – 9am – 5pm Free co-working space with tea and coffee available daily throughout the week

These are only some of the events for Social Media Week London! Prepare to learn a lot about new business strategies for social networking,  better understand how social media is important for your professional life, and for things like entertainment and news, hear from industry innovators, and meet people who share your interests in these topics.  How has social media changed the way you work, connect, engage and converse using social media?

I shall be tweeting live from some of these events. Follow me @shirleyayres and ENJOY the week!

Tags: communications, Shirley Ayres, social media, social media week

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