BY BEN HABIB.

On Wednesday 17th October 2012, I conducted a workshop for local Wodonga group Friends of Willow Park.  Friends of Willow Park are a community group which works to promote the protection and preservation of Wodonga’s Willow Park as public open-space parkland.

Like many community groups across the country, members of Friends of Willow Park are debating the relative merits of using social media platforms for publicity and communication with the public.

In my presentation I discussed the usefulness of social media as a vital engagement tool for community groups in their efforts to maximise their audience and draw in new participants.  Here are some of the key points…

• Social media is where you find young people: There is a large potential audience of like-minded youth that community groups can tap into via social media.
• Cut out the middle-man: Reach your audience directly without being denied access or having your message distorted by editors of media publications.
• Pro-actively generate your audience: Bring people directly to you, rather than waiting for them to stumble onto you by chance.
• Exponentially grow your audience: Your group’s message can snowball through the power of networks.

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DOWNLOAD AUDIO: Ben Habib – Social Media 101 (mp3)

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I would like to thank Ali Mitchell from FOWP for the invitation to facilitate this workshop, as well as the workshop participants who contributed to a lively and stimulating discussion.  Thank you also to Martin Dickens and Lisa Tuck for their input and assistance during the workshop.

For more information on Friends of Willow Park, visit their website or Facebook page.

See also my previous interview with Ali Mitchell and Julie Hind from Friends of Willow Park about the social, economic and environmental value of Willow Park as an urban green space in Wodonga.