Be Inspired! Shirley Ayres Consulting

Jon Cheetham

The future of local and regional TV is up for grabs. But decisions about how much the government commits to regional and local broadcasting and who delivers it, will be made above the heads of the majority of any potential audience. 

Jon Cheetham is an independent video journalist and producer. His company BelleRose Films specialises in making micro-documentary films. His experience of community web TV includes Around Bromley a pilot project which he ran in 2010 and producing a daily news bulletin for a local newspaper website in 2009.  If you would like to talk to Jon about local TV do contact him at joncheetham@bellerosefilms.co.uk

 

Tags: communications, hyper local TV networks, jon cheetham, social media

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Greg Morris

Greg Morris is a CIPD qualified trainer who has consulted for both the public and private sector about how to use technology to work more effectively and efficiently. Greg is running a free training day “Learn how to build a website for your business FOR FREE ” on the 31^st  January from 10:00 to 13:00 at Bromley Library  South London. Register here I am always interested in how we can support small organisations to make the most of the internet. Thanks Greg for sharing you thoughts.  

There are some green shoots of change in Central and Local Government’s attitude to the web and social media, and this is also the case for charities and social enterprises. This is good news because now it makes it easier for people to communicate with you and get access to up-to-date targeted, interactive and important information from your organisation. This is the first time that there has ever been a viable easy alternative to picking up the telephone to communicate with an organisation.

But during a time where costs are soaring, budgets are being squeezed to bursting point and unemployment numbers continue to soar how can you do this? Is there a way to have an easy to navigate, user friendly social website that allows organisations to communicate with users and improves their experience when they visit?  And, can all of this be done without breaking the bank?

I’ll answer that question later, because there was once upon a time where the internet and website management was the domain of geeks and computer coding specialists. Now there are so many user friendly website tools out there that anyone, and I use that word on purpose, anyone can build a search engine optimised, fully functioning, stable, website with all the social mashables needed.

So let’s just imagine that you believe you personally could learn how to build a beautiful website for your organisation, how much would that actually cost?

An amazing ex-client of mine, womensenews.org have a huge website with lots of articles and spend about £7.50 per month on hosting! If your organisation is smaller you can expect to spend about £3-00 per month.  There a few other things you need to have to create a site like womensenews.org:

Templates - £00.00 – 50.00,

5 Email inboxes - £10.00 Per Year

Snippet Mailers - Free

Databases - Free

FaceBook Connectivity - Free

Twitter Connectivity - Free

YouTube Connectivity - Free

User Forums - Free

Live Online Chat - Free

Client Document Upload Capability - Free  

In answer to that very long winded question asked earlier, the answer would have to be – yes, if your budget can handle between the minimum of £37.00 pounds per year and the maximum of £100 per year and a one off £50 purchase.

So if you have been considering making better use of your online presence or if you are yet to get online, it has never been as easy or as inexpensive to do so. Good luck and if you have any questions do contact me  http://www.niait.com on twitter @gregmorrisuk http://uk. linkedin.com/in/gregmorrisuk

Tags: building a free website, communications, greg morris, joomla, social media

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Social networking is a fundamental shift in the way we communicate. Three years ago, the term barely existed. I have received a lot of requests for advice about developing social media strategies in the care sector. I thought it would be helpful to share my thoughts and ideas about the challenges and opportunities presented by social networking. Developing a strategic approach is as important to a fledging social enterprise as it is to an established national care organization.

Why councils should embrace social media There can be few social workers unaware of the popularity of social media websites such as Linkedin and Facebook. But how many use them as a means of communicating with clients and to further professional development? (Community Care 11th November 2010)

The public sector needs more ‘Heads of Digital’  with thanks to Michael Taggart

Local government blogging – ideas for you with thanks to Ingrid Koehler

Decide what it is you want to achieve and explore how social networking will contribute to your communications and stakeholder engagement strategy. How effective are your current activities, how do you know what is working well, who are your customers and what is the added value you offer?

1. Undertake a review of your current communications activities including websites, blogs, published materials and events. 

2. Develop a social media policy in consultation with all of the staff and stakeholders

Why all local authorities need a social media policy

A good social media policy is a good idea with thanks to Dave Briggs

3. Provide social media surgeries and workshops to help all staff become familiar with and confident in using social media tools. Encourage feedback and suggestions about how you can improve internal and external communications.

Online resources for getting started with social media

Twitter has over 200 million registered users. It offers a quick and easy way to communicate, access real time information, ask and answer questions, share thoughts and connect with people. Promote your conferences and events by providing a twitter #hashtag to encourage discussion. If possible, have someone tweeting live from the event.

Can twitter make our national care organisations more social?

Introducing #lgovsm a great new initiative started by Louise Kidney tweeting as @LouLouK. #localgsm is a twitter online forum for local government people to discuss social media, ask questions and seek advice. So, if you work in local government and you want to come and chat, see you on Fridays from 1.00 – 2.00 pm. The twitter #hashtag is #lgovsm and the next session will be on 7^th January 2011

How to use Twitter – top tips from the excellent Knowhow Nonprofit website on how to use the Twitter to communicate with your organisation’s supporters.

The Beginners Guide to Twitter Video from the informative SironaSays blog by @andyheadworth

Facebook has over 500 million registered users and is the largest social networking website in the world. Learning Pool have produced an excellent Guide to Facebook pages for government organisations. This comprehensive and free guide takes you through what a Facebook page is (not the same as your individual Facebook profile) and why every public sector organisation should have one.

LinkedIn has over 85 million registered members and is one of the biggest professional networking websites. There are an increasing number of social work and social care groups on LinkedIn. 

The Beginners Guide to LinkedIn is another great free resource @andyheadworth and available to download via the excellent and thought provoking A redundant public servant’s blog

4. Measure and evaluate the return on your investment in social media activities including google alerts and google anlaytics

Social Media and the Case of The Missing Assets The rise of social media has challenged organisations to embrace new ways of connecting and communicating, demanding greater openness, transparency and engagement. What is the potential Return On Investment (ROI) of an approach to social media which develops real relationships with stakeholders? 

General observations

Easily accessible, relevant  and timely information on your website is essential

Be prepared for discussions and conversations which you cannot control but from which there can be considerable learning for the organisation. Be prepared to respond to criticism and questions.

Social networking, in many ways, is all about learning. Social media is one of the most powerful ways to understand what we do and why, learn as we go, and share what we learn with others.

Every day conversations are taking place across the internet about social work and social care. Do you know what is being said about leadership, personalisation, children’s services, workforce development, social learning and commissioning in the care sector?

The Do’s and Don’ts of using Social Media for Business a simple and self explanatory infographic via @andyheadworth

http://twitter.com/shirleyayres

Tags: #lgovsm, communications, facebook, linkedin, social media, social networking, social work and social care, twitter

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“For the first time we have the social tools to make group action a reality. And they’re going to change our whole world” Clay Shirky Here Comes Everybody: The Power of Organizing Without Organizations (2008)

If people had a choice about who was delivering their care services would they chose your organisation? The chill winds of budget cuts, redundancies, #bigsociety, increasing expectations and aspirations mean that public services are under considerable scrutiny. The need for a culture of innovation and creativity in social care is essential if we are to meet the challenge of expectations and aspirations for personalisation.

I predict that social networking, social learning and the use of mobile technology will have an increasingly important role in the care sector. Electronic networks are enabling different forms of collective action and collaborative groups are being formed which connect people across the world.

“The cost of all kinds of group activity has fallen dramatically and social tools provide the capacity for action by loosely structured groups, operating without managerial direction and outside the profit motive” Clay Shirky

There are an increasing range of different tools available which include: twitter, facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, flickr, slideshare, blogs, webinars, podcasts etc. The tools are simply a way of enabling people to share,co-operate and collaborate. These tools used creatively will complement each other but they do need to be used strategically and to make sense for your organisation and audience.

Social networking is about listening; engaging, providing value by solving problems and answering questions and building relationships. An increasing number of people are using online forums to share thoughts and ideas about good practice across the care sector. Is your organisation using social media to extend participation, increase involvement, provide information about projects and potential opportunities and connect with other organizations? 

“No decision about me without me” With the promise of more control and choice in both health and care services there is a growing expectation of honesty, openness and transparency in transactions between citizens and public organisations. Used solely as a broadcast channel social media will not have any significant or positive impact about how people see your organisation. A few tweets, an e-letter, a forum on a website and joining groups without contributing to discussions do not constitute a social media strategy. Do you know where people are already having conversations about social care on the internet?

Developing social media activities is an important part of building a presence and a profile on the internet. But social networking using social media tools will need to become part of the DNA of the whole organisation, led, supported and endorsed by the senior management team. This can involve a substantial mind shift within organisations who see social media solely as a broadcasting and/or marketing channel.

There is a lot of learning and risk associated with launching a public blog. My suggested starting point is the very informative post 7 reasons to launch an internal blog before going public.

The Philosophy of Shirley Ayres Consulting

The Japanese have a word “Kaizen” which translated means “the gathering of the wisdom of the people” The Be Inspired website was launched to provide an independent and innovative web based resource for social work and social care. We are committed to supporting individuals and organisations to make connections and partnerships across sectors and disciplines.

Tags: mobile technology, social learning, social media, social work and social care

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Wishing everyone a very happy 2011 and a big thank you to all of my guest bloggers in 2010.

“We have enough people who tell us the way it is – now we need a few more people who can tell us how it can be!”

I really appreciate the wealth of thoughts and ideas shared through the following posts”

How long must black bin liners symbolise how we treat children and young people in care?  by Carolyn Barber (@wayfinder2006)http://www.wayfinderassociates.co.uk

How does a systems understanding help teams and services to change their approach? by Brian Lawson http://www.consilientconsulting.com

Emotional Intelligence Teaches Practical Skills for Anger Management by George Anderson (@geoanderson)  http://www.andersonservices.com

Social work practitioners develop a caseload management system by Biri Yaya and Carolyn CousinsKnowledge Management in Social Care – time to embrace the internet? by Carolyn Barber (@wayfinder2006)  http://www.wayfinderassociates.co.uk

Personalisation – the challenges for social work by Simon Duffy www.centreforwelfarereform.org

Is using social media effectively the big challenge for social work? by Stephen Sloss (@stephensloss) Stephen was formerly Director of Adult Social Care and Health Blackburn with Darwen Council and is now CEO at Salvere Social Enterprise CIC.

Can the public sector be more entrepreneurial? by Bill Liao (@liaonet) http://www.stonesoupway.com, http://www.neo.org, http://www.weforest.com

A simple message about Personalisation “Trust More”  by Simon Duffy www.centreforwelfarereform.org

Social Media and the Case of The Missing Assets by Jon Hardie  http://www.audienceworks.com

Why personalisation can only be achieved through creative engagement by Gill Phillips (@WhoseShoes) www.nutshellcomms.co.uk

Using Social Media to Improve Employee Engagement by Dianne Lowther (@DwellPR) http://www.dwellpr.com

Social Learning through Social Media by Euan Semple (@euan) http://www.euansemple.com

Thoughts from a Student Nurse on #demo2010 by @justa2ndyear

Details will be published here shortly about the topics we will be exploring and discussing in 2011

Tags: be inspired, social learning, social media, social work and social care

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I feel privileged that through my blog I have connected with people from all walks of life across the world. I have had great conversations and been asked many challenging questions.  My thanks to everyone who has shared their thoughts and inspirations with me this year and contributed guest posts.  I will continue to provide an independent voice promoting excellence in social care and children’s services in 2011. With the urgent need for closer working between health and care I am pleased to share the thoughts of a student nurse on #demo2010.

“I have never felt moved to write an article about anything before but watching the recent developments with the student protests I felt the overwhelming need to write something more than the 140 characters that twitter allows.

I am a student, but before you back away in fear I would like to point out that I am not a “normal” student. I am a student nurse. I tweet under the guise of @justa2ndyear, though that is a relatively new venture for me.

As a student nurse I differ from other students in many ways, like my colleagues in social work; teaching or medicine, I have a longer academic year but I also (whispers) have my tuition fee’s paid for me AND I receive a bursary. Not that the bursary comes close to covering the cost of living for myself, my husband and my 2 children. In fact I also do regular night shifts and frequently will do the required 30 hours on placement (earning the equivalent of  £4.29per hour from NHS Bursaries) and then between 12-36 hours night shift work too. This is before I even attempt the academic work or spend time with my family.

Admittedly, I am probably viewed as a bit of a “tuition fee anti-Christ”, I do not have to worry about finding £3,375 a year to fund my studies, let alone the £9,000 proposed by the current government. The reason I support the protests is not for me but for my son. He is 12 and that means in 6 years he will be university age.

Unfortunately for him I am training to be a nurse in a country that has yet to value its key workers. Where bankers and footballers earn more in a week than nurses and teachers do in a year. This means that if i’m very lucky, when he goes to university in 6 years, I may be earning £34,189 (that is if i reach the top of band 6 – which is highly unlikely given the current spending freeze within the NHS), so best case scenario means that his tuition fee’s will equal 26% of my gross annual wage. The more likely scenario is that I will be middle of band 5, earning about £24, 554 which would mean paying about 36% on tuition fee’s. Lets hope those lottery numbers come up soon.

I come from a family where education is highly valued. Higher education was, for both of my parents, a privilege gained through hard work rather than money. I hope I have instilled in my son the same sense of drive and ambition that my parents gave me. The belief that if you work hard you can achieve. I would hate to have to tell my son that despite his hard work (he is currently fourth overall in his year) I cannot afford to send him to university.

It is for this reason that I fully support the actions of many students, including those who were in occupation at University College London (who can be followed on twitter @ucloccupation). I firmly believe we have a right to protest against issues we believe are wrong. If we didn’t it would all be a bit too Orwell ’1984′ for my liking.

However, I watched in horror the coverage of the protests and the actions of a few that have tainted the message of so many. I appreciate that the media present the story in a way that will maximise sales and that one must take a balanced view of what is reported. However, sometimes you just cant argue with the evidence.

The photograph of David Gilmour’s (of Pink Floyd fame) son Charlie swinging from the Cenotaph on a union jack sealed the deal in terms of the nations feelings towards the students cause. And thats without even mentioning all the other vandalism and destruction that was caused, all in the name of a “demonstration”.

What upsets me the most with all this is the total lack of thought demonstrated by these young people. I’m sure it didn’t even cross their minds that some of the people named on that memorial were the same age, if not younger, than they were when they died fighting for the freedom they so easily abused. 

I believe education should be available for those who work hard and are capable of achieving, not just those who can afford it. However, in a time of economic crisis when cuts have to be made, should we even be considering offering any support to those who feel that violence and destruction is an appropriate way to behave?”

Tags: #demo2010, education and training, student nurse, student protests

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Euan Semple

One of the delights and benefits of social networking for me has been the amazing people I have connected with. I first linked with Euan when reviewing the excellent http://www.iriss.org.uk/ website. Their recent report Social media in social services confirms my own thinking and research about the issues associated with unblocking access to social media in social services. Thanks Euan for contributing your thoughts and helping people understand the potential of social learning though social media - two hot topics for local government!

 So why bother with social media? Isn’t it just vanity publishing or time wasting teenagers? Maybe. It can be both of those. But it can also be one of the most powerful ways to understand what we do and why, learn as we go, and share what we learn with others. In fact social media is, in many ways, all about learning.

Learning what is interesting, learning what works and what doesn’t, and learning who knows what they are talking about – and who doesn’t! Take one the simplest and earliest forms of social media, blogging. Starting to blog about your job is a simple and inexpensive way to improve both your own and your organisation’s learning. Even if no one ever read your blog having the reason to think about what you do, and why, is immensely valuable. Sitting down at the end of the day to spend five minutes reflecting on what happened, and what you have learned from it, can make you much more aware of what is most important in your day’s work. Publishing that thought as a blog post then makes your insights available to others who might agree, disagree, or, in the comments on your blog post, develop and refine your insights.

This is learning at its best. Learning as you experience things through thoughtful observation and shared understanding. It is also social learning. Building a network of other blogging professionals gives you access not only to their accumulated experience but also to the possibility of building powerful business relationships. Many of those whose blogs you read may be in other organisations, or even in others remote parts of your own organisation, and your ability to connect and form relationships with these others may be severely limited in the “real” world. Reading each others experiences and insights on your blogs is a remarkably powerful way of connecting and establishing shared experience.

Once you have this online network of trusted fellow professionals really interesting patterns will begin to form in what you each find interesting enough to spend the time blogging about. These patterns themselves represent another level of learning, organisational learning. What do we as an organisation find important or challenging and what are we doing about it? Unlike static, stored, documentation, the networked, conversational style of blogs gives a more effective overview of what is currently most interesting to your organisation.

The best thing about social tools is that they are easy to get started with and can be very inexpensive. Each individual can have a go at blogging, or at the very least reading blogs, and with a little patience and confidence begin to open up this amazing opportunity for individual and collective learning.

About the author: Ten years ago, while working in a senior position at the BBC, Euan Semple was one of the first to introduce what have since become known as social media tools into a large, successful organisation. He has subsequently had four years of unparalleled experience working with organisations such as Nokia, The World Bank and NATO helping them learn how to make the most of this wired-up world of work. Euan is highly connected to some of the most influential movers and shakers of this new environment and his workshops have already been experienced by many diverse audiences worldwide. 

Contact Details: http://www.euansemple.com/

 Twitter: https://twitter.com/euan  Linkedin: http://uk.linkedin.com/in/euansemple

Tags: Euan Semple, leadership, local government, social learning, social media

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Are you interested in learning more about how tools such as blogging, social networking and Twitter can promote your activities and increase your online presence? The Central London Social Media Surgery is a free advice session for community, voluntary and not for profit organisations on the 8th December 2010 from 12.30 – 2.00 at the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

It will be  a pretty informal gathering of people who want to learn and share their knowledge about how to use the web to communicate, campaign or collaborate.

The social media surgery is being provided in collaboration with the Small Charities Coalition http://www.smallcharities.org.uk

I am delighted to be organising the surgery along with other volunteers who have a passion for social media. The surgery is based on a model originally set-up by social media company Podnosh, run by Nick Booth. Places are limited and booking is essential.  http://socialmediasurgery.com/events/104 Priority will be given to members of the Small Charities Coalition.

Tags: London social media surgery, social media, social networking

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A flurry of activity around twitter in the past two days as tweeting by a Chief Executive and councillors hits the media headlines.  Social media has transformed the way we work, shop, travel and communicate. Social media is transforming the relationship between the government and the citizen because the communication goes both ways, highlight the positives and negatives of everyday life and expose us all to new opportunities and new risks. Social media isn’t going away and local authorities can help their staff by discussing and agreeing guidelines for acceptable use.

Social Networking Ban For Chorley Councillors What the article actually states is that Chorley councillors have been banned from using their mobile phones during council meetings so that they are focused on the discussions which makes perfect sense to me.

Possibly more controversial is the rift over allotments plans following a council chief executive’s use of Twitter. 

Chancellor George Osborne has announced that funding for councils would be slashed by more than seven per cent a year until 2015. We are aware that Councils are going to have to make hard choices about their spending priorities. I believe that public debate about how the decisions are being made is very healthy in a democracy.

In a challenging post Social Networking: The Great Disruptor? Clay Shirky observed that “Markets don’t supply as much accountability as democracy demands“.

The reality is that conversations are taking place through social networking all the time and public sector bodies have a choice about whether they are part of the debates or not.

Public sector bloggers may wish to consider the guidance for journalists and staff on engaging in social media published recently by the Guardian. The Guardian’s guidelines listed below cover blogging, tweeting and the use of social media to allow it to “to maintain editorial standards and help create effective communities on the web”.
 1. Participate in conversations about our content, and take responsibility for the conversations you start.
2. Focus on the constructive by recognising and rewarding intelligent contributions.
3. Don’t reward disruptive behaviour with attention, but report it when you find it.
4. Link to sources for facts or statements you reference, and encourage others to do likewise.
5. Declare personal interest when applicable. Be transparent about your affiliations, perspectives or previous coverage of a particular topic or individual.
6. Be careful about blurring fact and opinion and consider carefully how your words could be (mis)interpreted or (mis)represented.
7. Encourage readers to contribute perspective, additional knowledge and expertise. Acknowledge their additions.
8. Exemplify our community standards in your contributions above and below the line.

An interesting commentary about the challenges of conversations being held in public through social media has been provided by Gordon MacMillan social media editor at Haymarket.

And finally help is at hand from the Social Media and Online Collaboration Community of Practice for Public Service.  You can access a whole range of social media policies which have been developed by public sector bodies in the UK and abroad. Well done to Ingrid Koehler Improvement Strategist at Local Government  Improvement and Development. You do need to join the group to access the policies. http://www.communities.idea.gov.uk/welcome.do

Tags: public sector, social media, social media guidelines, social networking

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“Social media is a fundamental shift in the way we communicate. All the time online conversations are happening about you, your brand and your organisation. It’s not a choice whether you DO social media, the choice is how well you do it”  Erik Qualman author of socialnomics.

Erik’s video Social Media Revolution 2 (Refresh) makes a powerful case for why organisations should have a social media strategy and be actively engaged with social networking. 

Social networking has the potential to put the “social” back into social work and social care. So it is interesting (and depressing) to note how few of our national care organisations are actually engaged and using social media to communicate important messages to an increasingly diverse group of stakeholders.

For me twitter really is the new information network because I am able to share and discover what is happening in the care sector right now. Twitter is a rich source of instantly updated information and it is how I stay updated on an incredibly wide variety of topics.

If you’re wondering what’s the point and how to make the most of twitter a helpful guide from Charles Arthur in the Guardian about the benefits of twitter.

 It is also worth watching The Beginners Guide To Twitter Videofrom Andy Headworth which explains ’What Twitter is’, ‘What Twitter looks like’ and ‘How exactly you get started with Twitter’.

Who is currently on twitter? 

@BASW_UK

@CareQualityComm

@ChildrensComm

@steve_scie

@skillsforcare

Who is not on twitter?

The Association of Directors of Children’s Services

Association of Directors of Adult Social Services

Children’s Workforce Development Council.   

General Social Care Council

National Skills Academy for Social Care

The National Children and Adult Services Conference 3rd – 5th November 2010

Live streaming of keynote presentations, panel discussions and comments tweeted from participants are an increasing feature of conferences. The National Children and Adult Services Conference takes place in Manchester next week. Following the comprehensive spending review this will be an significant event as Directors consider the implications of the budget cuts for front line delivery. This is an ideal opportunity to widen the debate using twitter to encourage comments and questions about the complexity of the care sector.  

I am aware of only one director using twitter and I will be following @stephenslossStrategic Director of Adult Social Care & Health at Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council along with @lgaNCAS2010 and @CommunityCare for the latest news at the conference. If you know of any other Directors of Adults or Children’s Services using twitter do let me know!

To provide some encouragement to Social Services Directors you may wish to know about the increasing number of chief executives using  twitter (with thanks to @Council_Chiefs and the Tweetyhall blog Tweeting from the Top)

@johnbarradell  Chief Executive Brighton and Hove

@lwboland  Leo Boland Chief Executive Greater London Authority

@terryhuggins  Chief Executive of Breckland and South Holland Councils

@GibsonGav  Gavin Jones Chief Executive Swindon Borough Council

@ChairSolaceDerek Myers, Chief Executive of Kensington and Chelsea and the Chair of SOLACE

@andrewnorthcbc Chief Executive Cheltenham Borough Council

@martinrreevesof Chief Executive Coventry City Council

@tomriordan Chief Executive Leeds City Council

@DuncanSharkey  Managing Director at Worcester City Council

As a knowledge management and communications consultancy we are committed to empowering people through knowledge and developing skills through communication. About Shirley Ayres Consulting

Tags: ADASS, adcs, be inspired, NCAS2010, social care, social media, social work is complex and challenging, twitter

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