37 pearls of wisdom from charity comms people

Isn't it great, serendipity? That arch-serendipity machine Twitter threw up a rich seam from a meeting of Third Sector comms people that have lessons for us all.

by Dan Slee

It’s one of the great joys of Twitter... something sails past in your timeline and you come across a rich seam of learning.

That was the case with the #ccdigital hashtag documenting an event in London staged by Third Sector membership body Charity Comms.  

There’s wealth of learning there and not just in the Third Sector. The agenda you can actually find here. 

You can follow them on Twitter @charitycomms.

But aside from the wealth of good advice was the realisation that we're all trying to grips with it. As one person tweeted, 'none of us are experts yet - keep listening and learning.'

That's not actually something that worries me. Instead that makes me hugely reassured and excited that we're mapping the landscape like some polar explorer in a white landscape. It's also encouraging to see innovation and sharing in the sector.

Here’s a selection of tweets from the day:

@zoeamar: Here's the link to the BBC social media guidance http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/14_07_11_news_social_media_guidance.pdf #ccdigital
@londonkirsty A good resource for examples of social media policieshttp://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php via @livefreerange#ccdigital

@ukcp_commsmgr  Social media guidelines: what staff can say about your organisation should be in your HR policy - it' not a digital issue #ccdigital

@charitycomms: 'Digital analytics should concentrate on outcomes rather than just numbers' #ccdigital
 
@ukcp_commsmgr Laila says none of the tools for monitoring digital (free and paid for) are there yet. Much better to measure outcome #ccdigital
 
@londonkirsty @Katie3059 "if you're serving communities that are disconnected, think about how you can connect them" #ccdigital
 
@ukcp_commsmgr Laila from UNICEF says landscape is changing eg google are moving from the idea of digital first to mobile first #ccdigital
 
@zoeamar For everyone following #ccdigital you might be interested in my@CharityLeaders blog on digitalhttp://www.knowledgepeers.com/networks/830/kpblog_thread.html?threadid=1173
 
@londonkirsty Q: PDFs have been a big no no in web design but will they make a come back with tablets? #ccdigital
 
@charitycomms 'Encourage staff across organisation to use social media, chances are they will be your most passionate advocates’ #ccdigital
 
@londonkirsty @spirals "Digital is about having the right staff, trusting them and training them" #ccdigital
 
@londonkirsty Lucy from Gingerbread said they have a paragraph long 'social media code of conduct' for volunteers. Been nothing but positive#ccdigital
 
@londonkirsty A: train your staff in tone of voice. Start with asking staff to set up personal acc's and integrate work tweets #ccdigital
 
@CharityComms ‘People with digtal skills should see themselves as the change makers of their organisations’ #ccdigital
 
@londonkirsty Top Tip for buy-in from senior management to put Digital First is to make them think it was their idea #trailblazer #ccdigital
 
@zoeamar Essential to get your CEO on board if digital is to be adopted successfully #ccdigital
 
@engagingnetwork 'Set up how you are going to analyse social media to get as much information as possible' Lucy from Gingerbread #CCdigital Totally agree!
 
@alex_morrisson Lucy @gingerbread talking about Facebook accounts provide a lasting link with single parents - phone numbers & e-mails change.
 
@londonkirsty Being a single parent can be isolating - forum has been hugely successful. All about knowing your audience #ccdigital
 
@alex_morrisson #ccdigital Lucy @gingerbread talking about digital for single parents. More than half have smartphones. Mobile crucial channel for info.
 
@charitycomms 'Visits to websites from smart phones to overtake visits from desktop computers by 2015' #ccdigital
 
@londonkirsty Research from early 2011 showed that 52% of Gingerbread's audience had smartphones - changed how they put things online#ccdigital
 
@rebeccafpa #ccdigital the central theme of all presenters on approaching digital work is integrate, integrate, integrate.
 
@annhawkins RT @berniejmitchell: Well put! RT @spirals: 'social media hasn't changed people - its dialed up transparency' #ccdigital
 
@londonkirsty The digital team is heading the change but everyone has to be PART of the change #ccdigital
 
@CharityComms: ‘People with digtal skills should see themselves as the change makers of their organisations’ #ccdigital
 
@charitycomms ‘Built digital literacy across the organisation with a skills matrix and providing training to everyone’ #ccdigital
 
@londonkirsty Skills matrix- All, External facing, Champion, Super User #ccdigital
 
@spirals is from @unicef_uk talking about how they took their digital from zero to hero (my words not hers) #ccdigital
 
@rebeccafpa #ccdigital wonderful expression - digital literacy- it's very different from being digitally native.
 
@meanwritehook: AHEM > RT @LondonKirsty: "digital managers need trust, influence and budget" #ccdigital” much coughing in the room!
 
@ukcp_commsmgr Comms strategy = how you're going to use digital. Digital strategy = how your organisatio
@danielmelbye Indeed! RT @spirals: Slide: What a digitally literate org might look like#ccdigital http://pic.twitter.com/dgIFZwfg
 
@charitycomms ‘None of us are experts yet- keep listening and learning’ #ccdigital
 
@spirals Slide: What a digitally literate org might look like #ccdigitalhttp://pic.twitter.com/9ypV03es
 
@londonkirsty  "realism is crucial: digital is not a cure all and it's not free! " #ccdigital
 
@londonkirsty Crucial that your company keeps up-to-date with digital. There is a difference between Digital Native and Digital Literacy #ccdigital
 
@charitycomms 'Social media is like doing stand-up in a packed pub, you're goig to get heckled' #ccdigital
 
Dan Slee is co-founder of Comms2point0. He blogs here.

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