Social Media Best Practices

Cynthia CloskeyOctober 27, 2009

Case Study:G20 Summit in Pittsburgh,

September 24-25, 2009

Social media as means of PR/marketing

Social media as means of commentary & community input MyG20

Social media as organizational tool for protesters

G20 Resistance Project

Social media as news channel

Social media as document of events and historical context

Flickr Wikipedia Blogs, Twitter, etc. Tags: #pittsburghg20 #myg20

Outcomes Pittsburgh showcased as revitalization model,

green venues, capable of big event G20 agreed to proposal to reform the IMF ~ 4,500 people participated in protests,

190 arrests made ~ $50,000 in property damage Investigations into improper police conduct,

findings to be released May 2010 Will be an issue in mayoral & gubernatorial races

Two people arrested for allegedly directing protesters using Twitter

Learnings & Best Practices

Understand social media’s strengths & weaknesses

Fast & wide: On-the-spot reports

Self-correcting: Photos from French protests Corrections to Wikipedia page

Not all positive: ResistG20.org Protesters & vandals using police scanners, Twitter,

texting, etc.

Recognize that you can’t control the message,

but you can participate in it

The community defines the story/message/brand

You still hold authority, access, benefits Your greatest gain from social media is the

ability to listen better

Gain experience early - before it’s urgent

Know how social media fits into the overall media mix

Build relationships: enhance credibility and create internal capability

Find and support your community advocates (or someone else might)

Q&A

What of this event was as you would have expected? What was a surprise?

Does your organization face a similar situation? How are you preparing or engaging?

Is the focus on social media appropriate or overblown?

Let’s discuss

Cynthia Closkey, Big Big Design ccloskey@bigbigdesign.com 724-505-1234 @cynthiacloskey