Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tim Davies on January 5, 2010 at 10:39

Hello Sarah,

This blog post might prove useful: http://blogs.plings.net/index.php/2009/10/03/networks-of-engagement...

If you're in an area covered by the Plings pilot, then the new Bordometer application might be handy too: http://blogs.plings.net/index.php/2009/12/29/boredometer-now-on-fac...

Facebook pages, used well, can be a really good way to promote positive activities.

Twitter doesn't seem to reach many young people yet - but using tools like TwitterFeed you can set an account to be auto-updated with content from a blog, or, I believe, even from a Facebook page, so that you can update both spaces in one and develop a Twitter following. That can be a good way to start with limited effort, and then develop each space separately as they gain different followings.

Permalink Reply by Katie Bacon on January 11, 2010 at 19:23

Hi Sarah,

We been using facebook for the last 2 years within the Participation and democracy team at Devon County Council to establish and maintain contact with young people across Devon on range on topics; Youth Parliament, youth festivals, children's trust meetings, connexions events generic information about local youth services.
I have blogged about it on my webpage if you want more info www.katiebacon.co.uk/
I would be happy to have a natter or skype to share ideas - just drop me a message to arrange.

Thanks Katie

Permalink Reply by Sarah Howes on January 12, 2010 at 19:46

Thanks Katie, Would you be free to have a chat one day this week as I could call from my office? Would love to hear your views and experiences. I'm in work tomorrow afternoon and Thursday late afternoon. If not maybe next Monday? Or perhaps the week after that.

Thanks again,

Sarah

Permalink Reply by Katie Bacon on January 12, 2010 at 20:12

I'm around tomorrow afternoon, feel free to call me on 01392 434059.
Be great to have a natter

Permalink Reply by Sarah Howes on January 13, 2010 at 15:19

Hi Katie,

I've been snowed in :( Are you around tomorrow?

Sorry

Permalink Reply by Jeremy Day on April 8, 2010 at 11:21

Hi, I thought I'd wait till we'd spent a month seeing how our Facebook Ads worked out (for Activities Oxfordshire, our local positive activities database). We did OK and the targeted advertising is very smooth to use -- BUT, I'm not convinced that the ads give massive added value over just setting up a page for your centre(s) and then inviting all your young people and telling them to invite their friends (etc.) The centres we have who are doing this are finding it very useful to let young people know about changes to schedule, activities planned, etc.

Permalink Reply by Tim Davies on September 22, 2010 at 8:43

Hey Jeremy

I've found this too with an ads experiment in Nottingham. Ads can help to 'bootstrap' a very small page for a project without a large attendance already - but the return on investment isn't great (seemed to be between £3 and £10 for each new fan - and they're not guaranteed to then engage with the project...).

Would be interested to hear what experience others have had with ads.

Permalink Reply by rick cassman on September 21, 2010 at 17:23

I am writing my dissertation on social networks and YP in the london borough of Richmond upon Thames. Has anyone done any/got any research on how youth centres advertise and promote their programmes and what the impact on YP is?

Any views on interacting with YP via online delivery would be interesting, and anyone interested in completing a survey questionaire would be most welcome..

Thank you

Permalink Reply by Sarah Howes on December 10, 2010 at 0:03

Hi Rick,

 

I've implemented Facebook within some of the WIltshire Development Centres for young people, with the support of the service. The pages are either hit or miss depending on the person behind it. The centre I run has shown that Facebook is a brilliant interaction and advertising tool and we have empowered young people to alsostart using facebook as more of a political tool in the promotion of change and local democracy.

 

However, this positive report is not the same at a youth development centre of similar size where-by the facebook page is not used by staff or interacted with and therefore young people do not interact with it either.

 

My research area is around reconstructing friendship in a virtual world, taking a look into the modern meaning of friendship and how the use of social networking and avliability of communication (with the android phone development) has reconfigured (if at all) the nature of friendship and the understanding of friendship as a concept.

 

More than willing to do a survey etc if I can be of any help,

 

Sarah

Permalink Reply by rick cassman on December 10, 2010 at 12:01

Hi Sarah

In Richmond we now have a regularly updated facebook page 'Richmond Borough Youth' which you could take a look at. It seems that some young people access it, but only when directed to it. Out of a teenage population in the borough of about 100,000 only 178 are facebook friends! The problem is getting them to belong to the site as a 'friend' . Any survey information you could do would be really useful for my project. I suppose the key question to the young people would be "what would attract you to our facebook page?"

 

speak soon

 

best

 

Rick

Permalink Reply by Elaine Smith on March 8, 2011 at 11:54

Hiya

in our orgaisation we have just begun a pilot where we will use facebook to promote our activities and to keep in contact with young people in our groups . So far so good we are finding that the minute we put up something on their wall in a matter of minutes all the young people know about it. Obviously there will be some issues one being who will be able to access this information and have access to a computer or facebook on their phone, getting all the consents from back from the parents was another issue and took some time but worth it now. We also chat to the young people online which also brings up some concerns especially if we think that there might be an issue so in this case we would call them in so we could chat face to face.

We need to do some research in the community about some of these issues but as a maketing tool for our organisation we are begining to realise that there is a real potential here  Over the next couple of months we will use facebook to promte the summer program but then this will only apply to the young people over the age of thirteen . . Like all youthwork and community organisations in Ireland and England at the moment we are facing more cuts to funding so we think this is a free resource that we can use to our advantage now instaed of the usual flyers or texts to their phones which all costs money. Again we have only just started this abnd im sure there will be some weakness and also some benefits down the line . We will let you know  

Permalink Reply by Tim Davies on March 8, 2011 at 12:00

Hey Elaine

 

Great to hear about this :) 

 

I've just put together a handbook on using social media to promote projects through a project in Nottingham. Will blog it here shortly, but can be found at http://www.measure-up.org.uk/the-measure-up-handbook

 

Do report back on how your learning with Facebook goes - would love to hear...

 

Tim

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