What you need to know
If you’re living in the modern world, chances are you’ve had some experience with the various forms of social media that are prevalent today. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest are just a few of the platforms that people commonly use to convey messages, ideas, thoughts, and feelings. One of the many reasons as to why social media is so ingrained in today’s society is the fact of how easy it is to use, and how effective it is at conveying one’s thoughts. If one wants to check their facebook, all they need do is open the application on their mobile device, or go to the website on their computer.
Resources, time, and skill
In order to use social media, one must have a certain degree of computer literacy. That being said, from personal experience that requirement isn’t very onerous – even my computer-wary grandmother uses facebook! Another aspect to keep in mind is the willingness to actually use the social media in the first place. Some people may be reluctant to use online platforms due to privacy concerns.
Key Considerations
With advances in technology and the ability for general consumers to use social media, many organizations are putting efforts into their social media campaigns. It isn’t unheard of that whole occupational positions are dedicated to managing a companies social media network. That being said there are a few considerations that should be taken into account when using social media. Privacy is a big concern – with everything being online it is generally a good idea to go through several layers of editing before something is posted to the public. This will ensure that sensitive information and unintentional offensive messaging isn’t being posted. Furthermore, social media may not be the vehicle warranted for your KM strategy – if something is of a sensitive nature perhaps more formal routes of KM are needed.
Incorporating social media into your KMb
In order to incorporate social media into your KMb you need to decide what type of message you want to disseminate and what type of medium that message would need to be in. For example, platforms such as Instagram utilize solely images. In this case perhaps infographics would be best used. If short bursts of information are needed, then Twitter is an option as it excels in piquing people’s interests quickly and effectively. If you want a platform that is able to do a bit of each of these things then perhaps initiating a facebook page for you KMb activities is warranted.
The take away
Social media is an excellent way to disseminate information as it is relatively easy to use and widely adopted by the general population. That being said, the message you are wanting to spread, and the audience you intend to target need to be taken into account when deciding to incorporate social media into you KMb activities.
Resources
Here are a list of resources if you are interested in setting up a social media platform for your KMb strategy:
- http://www.facebook.com
- http://www.instagram.com
- http://www.pinterest.com
- http://www.twitter.com