Sceptical to Sociable
I am sure that many reading this will have heard about Twittering, Blogging and the like and have even become “friends” of their own children on Facebook, but how many actually understand what this new communication medium is and how it works? Yesterday Foundation East began its foray into this most mysterious world, known commonly as Social Media. Doing business in the modern world involves using new fangled means of communication so with this in mind I approached my introductory session to this subject with enthusiasm and a keenness to learn.
We started with Blogging. What is a Blog I hear you ask. Well it is approximately 300 words of opinion/advice about a subject of interest to the individual writing the blog. It could be a comment on a news item, an observation on the world of work. It can be funny or it can be serious. The subject matter could be broadly related to the writers work but not necessarily about it, as the blog site itself will link to the website for the reader of the blog to gather information about Foundation East. Blog posts are apparently very effective if they generate discussion, so it’s good to ask questions or ask readers to share their experiences.
Having grown up in the days when communication involved chatting face to face, writing a letter, sending a telex and more latterly fax and e-mail I have to admit I was and still remain quite sceptical. I am concerned about the immediacy of the information out there, who makes sure the “message is consistent”, where is the control of information, how much time will be spent monitoring and responding? My next step therefore is to prepare and communicate effective policies so I can be Sociable without loosing sleep and have confidence that the social network world is my friend not my enemy. So there you have it, Blog No 1 written and ready to launch.
Katy Ford, Chief Executive