attention citizens! presentation as part of the citizen science workshop - nicola osborne, edina,...
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Attention Citizens! Presentation as part of the Citizen Science Workshop organised by COBWEB, FieldTrip GB and the Open University, British Science Association Science Communication Conference 2014, 1st-2nd May 2014.TRANSCRIPT
Attention, Citizens!Some tips for communicating your Citizen Science
project – and using social media to do it!
2nd May 2014
Nicola Osborne, COBWEB project team
and EDINA Social Media Officer
Which Citizens do you want to reach?
• What does a successful outcome look like for the project - who would you reach?
• Target your key audiences… but be prepared to be flexible to who actually responds.
• Engage from the start – get citizens in at design stage if possible, test and seek feedback repeatedly.
• Prepare to work hard for attention – plan plenty of events, dissemination, ongoing communications to reach your citizens. Social media is part of that mix.
• Take advantage of existing communities –organisations, online communities, peer networks can be a trusted and instant link to larger local groups of citizens.
Planning Social Media Content
• Make the aim and call to action clear – how do citizens take part? What should they do?
• Why should citizens take part?
– Are they contributing to social/ecological/societal good (e.g. Click to Cure, OPAL)
– Is there personal benefit to taking part? (e.g. GalaxyZoo’s naming and publications policy)
– Is it fun? (e.g. FoldIt)
– Is is just about exploring curiosity? Or being part of something bigger? (e.g. RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch)
• How will their contribution be used? What will it mean?
• Do feedback results and what they mean – and what the scientific impact is.
Social Media Channels: the basics
• Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Google+, Instagram, etc. provide easy and widely used channels to support and maintain contact and engagement with your community….
• Specialist sites, niche social media, etc. may work best for particular communities (e.g. Flickr for photographers). Try stuff out, test the water.
• Brand presences consistently, keep content relevant, human, and up to date, post often, listen and monitor regularly.
• Cross promote and link up your social media, web presences, in person events, activities, press mentions, etc.
• But remember that not everyone uses social media!
What works? A few suggestions…
• Guest posts from influential bloggers and figures can have a big impact, bring own audiences.
• Humanizing the project, team, and research builds trust and engagement. Live events/chats can be impactful!
• Images and video are hugely sharable – make them calls to action that tie back to goals/timings/activities that are your priorities.
• Reward participation– with acknowledgement, responses and thanking others for mentions. It keeps attention, builds respect.
• Long term relationships count, treat all participants respectfully.
• Reflect your audience(s) back to them – their successes, interests, personality.
Great Citizen Science Resources
• European Citizen Science Association: http://ecsa.biodiv.naturkundemuseum-berlin.de/
• UK-EOF’s Understanding Citizen Science and Environmental Monitoring:http://www.ceh.ac.uk/products/publications/understanding-citizen-science.html
Projects mentioned in these slides:
• Click to Cure: http://www.clicktocure.net/
• OPAL: http://www.opalexplorenature.org/
• GalaxyZoo: http://www.galaxyzoo.org/
• FoldIt: https://fold.it/portal/
• RSPB Big Garden Bird Watch: http://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/
To follow up today…
• Google+ Group for follow up Hang Outs: https://plus.google.com/communities/104894414032760144202
• Questions on the Google+ Group, via Twitter (@suchprettyeyes) or email ([email protected]) welcome!