Social media campaigning is very popular with unions at the moment. A number of high profile, successful campaigns (both union and other civil society organisations) are driving this rise. On the whole, these campaigns are well-run, innovative, focused and (more or less) planned. Unfortunately, I’m also seeing some social media campaigns that are making some…
Smart phones in Industrialised nations are becoming ubiquitous, not only when people are “on the go” but as secondary screens when viewing television or consuming other media (like the radio or reading newspapers). This multiscreen behaviour not only means that unions should urgently ensure their websites are mobile and tablet friendly, but new research from…
Social media is a powerful tool for unions to communicate with their members and potential members, but it is no magic bullet and won’t automatically cause union messages to “go viral” or see a large upsurge in new members. With Facebook’s user population now exceeding one billion people, most unions are establishing a Facebook page…
I wrote an article for Challenge Magazine which is reproduced below. [hr] Voter interest in political parties is at all-time lows (just look at the dismal decline in the number of people donating to Labor). But engagement in politics is steady or increasing – it’s just most people are engaging outside of party politics, just…
Occasionally I get requests asking for help or advice on social media policies for unions. Most of these are specifically how unions can manage social media use by paid officials of the union to reduce risk. With many unions in constant industrial conflict environments with hostile employers or political groups eager to exploit any lapses…
I love this social media infographic. An important take away is that social media is not just used by “young people” anymore — in fact, older demographics are the fastest growing users of networks like Facebook. Use of social media is now the biggest way that we spend time online, beating email, online gaming and…