Association offers social media education to county

Historic City News in St. Augustine was informed by Communications Director Cragin Mosteller that the Florida Association of Counties is encouraging local government participation in a series of seminars aimed at educating participants in the use of social media as a communications tool.

The seminars, which promise to provide experts to walk you through social media from beginning to end, are offered free to Association members and are available to non-members for a small fee.

Like every new tool, Mosteller told reporters that there are pros and cons – social media allows local government direct access to their constituents for little or no costs – yet, it still might not be the answer for everyone.

“We will start with the basics,” Mosteller said. “Then we will walk you through how to decide if social media is for you or your county and how to jump into the conversation – the right way.”

Mosteller asked;

• Perhaps you’ve never seen a tweet?
• Or you use Facebook personally but not sure how to use it professionally?
• What about public records laws?
• Should your county use social media as a tool?

According to the Association’s agenda for the three web-based seminars, Mosteller walks you through everything from reading your first tweet to responding to criticism that all your friends can see.

“Social media is everywhere but everyone isn’t engaged – and truthfully, everyone should be engaged,” Mosteller observed. “Florida Association of Counties is committed to bringing our members the expert advice and information that they need to better serve their communities and constituents.”

SESSION 1:
November 10 – 10:00am “Social Media 101 – The Very Basics”

Facebook
– Creating an Account
– Finding Friends
– Fan Page vs. Personal Page

Twitter
– Creating an account
– Twitter software
– Speaking in Tweet
– Following the right Tweeps

SESSION 2:
December 2 – 10:00am: “Making the social media decision…”

– Making the Decision
– Identify your goals
– Create a policy

– Follow the law
– Listen

SESSION 3:
December 9 – 10:00am: “Taking the social media plunge”

– Understanding your audience
– Develop your plan
– Engage

– What to say? And how to say it?
– Responding to criticism
– Measure