Sadly, yesterday, the social media in the government conference ended. It was really great.  Two amazing  full day sessions on how social media is being used in various with government departments  and one private sector business (Royal Bank).

Great presentations for the duration of the two days. They were many very enthusastic speakers, with so much energy which made it impossible not hang on every word. For those with a less than enthusastic delivery, they still keep the audience enagaged and listening closely.

Overall, it was a fantastic opportunity to be exposed to information in a setting I normally would not be exposed to. I soaked up every minute and learned a lot.

However, one of the biggest takeaways from the conference besides all the different type of social media tools we know about (Facebook, Twitter, Youtbe, Flickr, Delicious etc.) was that in order to implement a succesfull social media strategy u need: guidelines!

Guidelines were mentioned in every presentation, from the beginning one to the last. It is essential to have guidelines so your social media efforts doesn’t go astray and miss the intended objectives. Social media is a new medium to engage people but you must be wary that the engagement you seek is controlled and does not miss your objectives.

Another thing I learned which really goes hand in hand with guidelines is listening. You really have to listen to your audiences to set your guidelines. If you don’t listen you might set the wrong ones.

The conference was great. Obviously I learned so much and if you want to know more feel free to e-mail  or tweet me for more specifics. I encourage everyone to attend PD sessions to learn and keep the skills you have sharp.

E-mail: femi.fasoyinu@gmail.com

Twitter:  @ffasoyinu