Social Media Workshop RHS Wisley, 21 March 2017
Social: interacting with other people, sharing information with them & receiving information from them. + Media: instrument of communication, like the internet, TV, radio, newspapers
Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest Which one to choose? LinkedIn etc!
Easy to post updates and pictures Many people use it, so good to find new contacts Social & themed groups Privacy settings can be complicated Pages Difficult to separate Private and Public sides
Either public/private Large gardening community Useful to get to know growers abroad, media or business contacts Conversations can be difficult to follow 140 characters!
Picture-led network Short & sweet updates, e.g. «this is flowering today» Large gardening community Used by brands to inspire
Modern version of pinboard Instead of scissors one «pins» images found on website to a themes board Good for garden/home inspiration
Professional network Showcase experience, skills and business Themed discussions groups - large & international Find professional contacts Advertise & find jobs
There isn t a «best» platform, the choice depends on your needs and how you like to interact (pictures, text ) Social media can be time-consuming, so best to start with one or two All platforms have mobile apps to use on phones or tablets In the rest of the workshop we will focus on Facebook and Twitter, the two most used sites
Creating a profile
Confirming your email address
Finding friends
Filling out profile information
Updating information, adding a profile picture & cover
News feed Your profile page
Posting a text update, text + photo, or text + video Privacy settings can be defined for each post
When posting a message, you can: «Tag» a friend Add a location
If you find something nice, you can «share» it with your friends or publicly
Useful for open days, group events Public or private
Keep private & public separate You need a personal profile before creating a page A page can have several managers
Can be public, closed or secret Themed interest groups Very useful for new contacts
www.twitter.com The username can be based on your name (@CarolKlein), your nursery (@FibrexNurseries), your collection/specialty (@HungryforHostas).
Likes, Comments, posts you are tagged in, new follows
Add picture Add location
Written with # Used to quickly identify messages with a common topic: a conference, an event, a news item Not compulsory!
The best example in UK horticulture is #shoutyhalfhour used during Gardeners World
No limit on number, but it counts towards your 140 characters!
Do not start a tweet with @, as only the person you are tagging will see it Add a dot
Up to four pictures can be added
Tagging can be used to notify a place that you have visited Some accounts may have disabled this function you won t be able to «tag» them Limited to 10
Reply Retweet Like
Two choices: -Retweet -Retweet with comment
Entirely private, links & pictures can be added
Publicise your NC Attract visitors to your open days Attract new clients for your nursery Share & exchange information on your genus with other growers in the UK & abroad Make new contacts in the UK & abroad Make yourself visible to journalists who may want to write/film about your genus Keep in touch & interact with Plant Heritage And last but not least: Feel less isolated!
Twitter page with over 10,000 followers
Facebook page with over 2,000 «likes»
Plant Guardians group on Facebook: Do join in!
Your updates help us raise awareness for plant conservation We highlight some of your updates in our publications such as the Plant Heritage Journal We can help promote your open days at the best time We are able to put you in touch with journalists And of course as we can t visit all collections, we really enjoy seeing them succeed and develop!
Thank you Now it is time to practice!