an app to bring police and communities closer together

Sometimes a press release or some social media just won't do. When Greater Manchester Police force were looking to register help from residents they developed a smartphone app that uses the geolocation capability of a smartphone.

by Amanda Coleman

Almost 12 months ago we were discussing how new technology identifying locations could support frontline policing. Apps are at their best when they use the mobile element to do something different to websites or social networks.

Click to read more ...

have you overlooked visual communications tools?

As comms people we naturally favour words as our key means of getting the message across but often, and particularly when it is quite a complex of dry topic, I find it pays to be more visual.

by Michelle Evans

Until recent years I was guilty of using the tried and tested to communicate; posters, flyers, web page and video clips. Video clips are a particular bug bear of mine when used inappropriately. I’m sure we’ve all experienced that awkward moment where a service lead wants to launch a new policy or strategy and is adamant that a video is the only way to go.

You try to explain the amount of time and money it will take to produce in return for the amount of people who will watch it makes it a very costly way of communicating. Then you point out that even if staff start watching, they probably won’t make it to the end of the 20 minute epic they are planning about the new way sickness needs to be recorded.

Click to read more ...

seven twitter mistakes we all have to make before we can call ourselves pros

It's a measure of a person and an organisation when they are happy to so freely flag up mistakes. Most would run a mile from doing so but being brave, and human, will pay off in the longer run, especially on social media.

by Helen Reynolds

Of all the experiences we have when using Twitter for our work, blunders, cock-ups and errors of every kind are the stories people seem to want to hear.

Click to read more ...

some tips for getting a job in social media.

Fancy a job in digital comms? Then your digital profile might just need a bit more love, thought and attention.

by Bethany Crowe

I don’t believe there is any such thing as a social media ‘guru’ but I have recently been for a number of social media jobs and have learnt a few things along the way. These are the things I’ve learnt during the process, I hope you find them useful.

·       Show your enthusiasm for the subject!

Obvious, yes, but it’s surprising how few people showcase their skills and experience online when applying for digital jobs. You love this stuff, so be online loving it, it’s positive and encouraging stuff for your potential next employer.

Click to read more ...

do you need to improve your digital footprint?

So, what we say online stays with us. We all know that really. But do we do much about it? Can we shape what is up there? Here are some tips.

by Dan Slee

Should I be worried about my digital footprint? 

It's a truth universally acknowledged that your digital footprint will say a lot about you. A heck of a lot.

It's also true that recruiters are paying ever closer attention to what you are saying and doing online. A survey for Reppler showed that 91 per cent of recruiters were taking a look online as part of their selection policy and there's a great post here from Talk About Local on how a recruiter uses social search. If you are moaning all day on Twitter you'll probably not get very far, the recruiter says.

Click to read more ...

seven ways to survive as a freelance

Fed-up of working for an organisation? Fancy setting-up on your own? Before you do take a look at these pearls of wisdom achieved the hard way by someone who has spent four years as a freelancer.

by Dave Thackeray

With four years under my belt spent failing as a business owner, I feel amply qualified to share with you the experiences of a freelancer.

It’s not that all freelancers have an aptitude for failure - far from it. Yet perversely, what with there being so much good in failing repeatedly as a gateway to success, it’s hardly a badge of negativity being in the glass half-empty camp.

Click to read more ...

confessions of a ‘better connected’ reviewer

Socitm Insight's annual survey of local authority websites always gets plenty of headlines, positive and negative. What's it like to be on the team who produce the influential report?

by James Coltham

Today saw the publication of the annual Better connected survey of all UK local authority websites, produced by Socitm Insight, which identifies good (and bad) practice based on extensive evidence-based research.

Click to read more ...

'better connected 2013' is published tomorrow

Socitm Insight’s 15^th annual Better connected survey of local authority websites will be published at 8.00am tomorrow, 1^st March.  

by John Fox

The purpose of our report has always been to highlight and share good practice for the benefit of the millions who every month use council websites across the UK. Sharing best practice is essential at the current time when money, skills and resources are in scarce supply. Better connected provides a benchmark of what can be achieved, and, more importantly, clear guidance on how to get there.

Click to read more ...

the 11 fundamental laws of building online communities

There's a stack of disciplines that comms people can learn from. Not least the art of online community building. It takes time. And effort. And simply building it doesn't mean they will come. But as the web increasingly becomes a channel for everything - not just comms - these are skills to look at.

by Richard Millington

1. You must have a community manager. You absolutely must have someone who wakes up worrying about your community every morning.

2. Your community must have a purpose. Your community must have a purpose that matters to the people you’re trying to reach. You shouldn’t be creating the purpose, you should find a purpose a lot of people care about and build a community around it.

Click to read more ...

thriving after redundancy

We've read a stack of posts these past 12-months. Some are helpful, some are interesting and some are fun. But some are important, and here's one of them.

by Jenny Procter

It’s a reality of working in the public sector – or in any other sector.  One minute you are striving to deliver fantastic communications, the next someone has decided that your post is to be made redundant.  It’s rubbish, but it’s not personal (honestly).  If this is the first time it’s happened to you, you are probably panicking.  After three redundancies in a 16 year career, I offer a few things that got me through...

Click to read more ...

why every organisation should have trojan mice

There's no shortage of advice on how to tackle digital communications. Here's one book that's worth getting and one pearl from it.

by Dan Slee

Okay, confession time: I try my absolute hardest to avoid books on social media.

Books on climbing? Yes. Books from self-styled social media ninjas? no thank you.

One of a few that stands like a shining beacon is the excellent 'Organisations Don't Tweet, People Do' by Euan Semple.

I've lost count of the number of people I've recommended this hardback work to. Even if you don't go out and buy it you can take something from the title.

One of the reasons why I'm rather keen on it is that it strikes a chord with some of the work we've done.

One example that Semple comes up with is 'Trojan mice.'

Click to read more ...

being a social media officer

As social media becomes mainstream there is a debate about how best an organisation can do it. Wiltshire Council have a dedicated officer and this is her story.

by Natalie Luckham

I’ve been working for Wiltshire Council for four years and out of uni for six. Since I signed up to MySpace and Facebook back in 2005 I’ve been intrigued by the power and potential of social networking.

Click to read more ...

is networking not working for you?

by Carol Grant

I’m a communications consultant and also an accredited coach and mentor. One of the most common questions I get asked in my coaching work is: how can I learn to network?

At first it seemed an odd question. How can someone whose job is in PR feel they need to learn about communicating with other people? Why does the very word ‘networking’ strike fear into the heart of otherwise confident professionals?

Click to read more ...

10 tips to commission a freelance photographer (and five things to avoid)

by Paul Pickard

Good quality pictures can secure amazing coverage. But let’s face it, all too often the opportunity is wasted even before the photo call takes place.

With a bit of preparation and advance planning you too can end up with good commissioned photography that does the job you want.

After years of being a freelance photographer and as a Press photographer in the West Midlands, London and Staffordshire take it from me, there’s a few things to ask yourself before you talk to a photographer.

Ever wondered why your firing squad-style picture of glum people in high-vis jackets and a cheque isn’t working?

Click to read more ...

birds in the nest

by Darren Caveney

My dear old Dad used to say he was always happiest when “all of his birds were in the nest”.

His birds were, of course, his kids. He’d have done – and did – anything for those little birds. Right or wrong, he’d protect, support, help and nurture them and he’d flap and flutter whenever one of those birds left his well-kept nest.

I used to think that this was really funny, especially given he was a pretty tough cookie, unnervingly street-wise and the youngest of six kids from one of Birmingham’s harsher neighbourhoods.

Click to read more ...