What's the cost of not being on social media?
Certainly, having an account that is not well maintained has consequences, but not being there at all is definitely 'a no-win situation'. This is one of the many thoughts that came across on Wednesday 5 October during the social media awayday organised by BBC Languages.
More than 40 social media champions and senior editors from BBC Languages and Global News attended. Its objective was to allow all of those involved in social media across the BBC World Service to enhance the current procedures and improve the service to BBC users around the world.
Liliane Landor, controller of languages, and James Montgomery, controller of Future Media & Technology, opened the meeting, making it clear that social media is at the centre of the BBC's strategy. James Montgomery noted that, today, referrals coming from Facebook, Twitter or other social media are as important as the traffic coming from internet searches; Liliane Landor remarked that social media has become an essential tool for every journalist and that's why it has to be part of our daily activities.
Nic Newman, a researcher and digital media analyst, brought insight to how social media is having an impact on the newsrooms and the way we are doing journalism. He says that we are living in the age of 'active citizens' and some media have seen a massive increase in traffic after big events such as the 'Arab Spring' or the London riots, where social media played an important role.
Chris Hamilton, social media editor for BBC News, talked about the changes the corporation is experiencing and how social media activity is moving to a 24/7 operation. He put emphasis on new guidance that allows greater flexibility and ensures quality across the organisation.
In the afternoon, Chris Wellbelove of BT (and former Mayor of Lambeth) talked about how social media can be used on a large scale by big corporations, as well as at a local level. He warned that the cost of not being present on social media could be high for any organisation.
Ramaa Sharma, senior social media trainer at the College of Journalism, talked about the impact on journalists of the new changes on Facebook and the challenges faced by Google. And Rufus Weston, senior research manager at the World Service, talked about the variables when measuring the success of a good strategy on social media.
David Stead, sports editor for Languages, talked about the social media challenges that the London Olympic Games will represent for the BBC.
There was huge value in so many social media champions discussing and sharing their experiences, and a general consensus that social media is part of the daily editorial output and all journalists need to incorporate it into their work.
The event was shared all day across Twitter, following the #bbcwssocialmedia hashtag, and many of the participants simply expressed their satisfaction for having experienced a day full of interesting comments and ideas.
Alberto Souviron is social media and interactivity editor, Languages, at the BBC World Service.
