Social media: development workers’ best ally

Roxanna Samii, IFADKM Singapore, 1 September 2011

Pillars of social media

ContributionUser generated content

CommunityHarness power of crowd

CollaborationParticipation

=Open social network

4

Crowdsourcing

• #hornofafrica• #H1N1• #7billion• #rpr2011• #agriculture• #globaldev

4

Social media a tool to amplify IFAD’s work• Listen and give

• Engage in real time interaction

• Involve and participate

Why Twitter?

• Tweets are HEARD and RETWEETED

• 200 million users• 500,000 new users per

day - ranging from heads of states & govt to 13-year-old

• 65 million tweets a day• 65% Twitter users are

over 35 years

What is the value of Twitter for IFAD?• Share IFAD messages

and news instantly• Share rural

development & agriculture related info

• Report live from events and missions

• Host virtual chats & engage in conversation

• Listen to chatterhttp://www.twitter.com/ifadnews

Facebook

• More than 600 million active users

• Daily, 50% users log on to Facebook

• Average user has 130 friends• People spend over 700 billion

minutes per month on Facebook• More than 200 million active

users access Facebook through mobile devices

Why does IFAD have a Facebook page?

• New way of reaching out & communicating

• Share rural development & agriculture related info

• Engage with younger generations

• Host virtual chats• Answers queries• Listen to chatter http://www.facebook.com/pages/ifad/

107399332627995?v=wall

IFAD social reporting blog

• Share knowledge in a fun & engaging manner

• Report live from:–Missions– Events and conferences

• Share insights & experience

• http://ifad-un.blogspot.com

Videos

• In 2010– 700 billion video viewed– 13 million hours of video uploaded

• 2 billion videos watch every day• 20 million videos uploaded to

Facebook per month• 186 videos watched every

month by avg viewer

• Over 200 videos, ranging from:– Corporate

documentaries broadcast on BBC, CNN

– Documentaries produced by projects

– Interviews– Video news releases– Public service

announcementshttp://www.youtube.com/user/IFADTV http://ifad.blip.tv

IFAD work in action

Why has IFAD adopted social reporting?

• Mix of journalism, facilitation and social media

• Knowledge sharing method

• Allows people not present in the room to follow an event or activity

Social reporting from events:

some examples

Social reporting from events:

some examples

Impact of social reporting: Rural Poverty Report launch

• 467,166 people reached via Twitter

• Blogposts read by 943 people

• Facebook entries shared with more than 8550 people

• Videos viewed by over 1250 people

• Hosted two virtual chats on Facebook and Twitter

Impact of social reporting: Launch of ENRM policy

• http://ifad-un.blogspot.com/2011/06/another-example-of-how-social-media-is.html

Challenges and opportunities

• Challenges– focused resources– systematic monitoring of the chatter–multilingualism

• Opportunities– partnerships & complementarity– crowdsourcing– reaching out to future policy makers–more transparency and openness

Become a social media citizen

Remember the 10 social media commandments

• Thou Shalt Blog (like crazy). • Thou Shalt Create Profiles (everywhere). • Thou Shalt Upload Photos (lots of them). • Thou Shalt Upload Videos (all you can find). • Thou Shalt Podcast (often). • Thou Shalt Set Alerts (immediately). • Thou Shalt Comment (on a multitude of blogs). • Thou Shalt Get Connected (with everyone). • Thou Shalt Explore Social Media (30 minutes

per week). • Thou Shalt Be Creative (go forth and create

creatively)!

• Source: Fast Company at: http://bit.ly/VxXPB

Social media: development workers’ best ally

Roxanna Samii, IFADTwitter: http://www.twitter.com/rsamii

Blog: http://rsamii.blogspot.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/roxanna.samii

Email: r.samii@ifad.org