Let’s start with a definition of social media.  According to Wikipedia  (and that’s an obvious place to go for information about this topic) “Social media are media for social interaction, using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media use web-based technologies to transform and broadcast media monologues into social media dialogues.” The last part of that explanation is really powerful for project managers, as we strive to turn monologues into dialogues. 

And while conventional wisdom says that social media is used primarily by the young, that’s not really true.  According to Forrester Research, the percentage of Boomers consuming social media was 67% for younger Boomers (ages 43 to 52) and 62% for older Boomers (ages 53 to 63) in 2008.

In its Boomers and Social Media report, eMarketer notes that Boomers love Facebook far more than other social media sites, with 73% of the group claiming to maintain a Facebook profile. 

So, how can a project manager use social media?  Below are some ideas, but first a word of caution: when incorporating social media into your PR campaign, pay special attention to security and privacy issues.  The appeal of social media is its wide accessibility and its easy access, two strengths that can backfire on you, or someone on your team, if you share something your organization isn’t comfortable with.

Medium: Blogs / Wikis

Idea: start a project blog

A blog or wiki site is a great way to share project information and gather feedback, which helpts to create a collaborative environment.

 

YouTube

Idea: post a PowerPoint with music or audio or a simple video

This is a fun way to control your message and build your team.  Video messages from project leadership or sponsors can mean a lot to a dispersed team.  Video messages from different work sites can speed the process of building a virtual team. 

 

Twitter

Idea: create a group on Twitter using a unique hashtag

Twitter is best used for team building.  Create a hash tag for your project, a unique name preceded by the # sign, and make sure all of your Tweets include it.  Then your users can search for all the Tweets about the project.  This can be particularly engaging for a dispersed team, is popular with cell phone users, and can be used for quick updates in “teamspeak”.  Twitter feels much like instant messaging, but conversations on Twitter are searchable, so they are not private.   

 

Facebook / MySpace

Idea: create a project page in Facebook

A project page on Facebook or MySpace allows shareholders to comment and provide feedback.  This can be an engaging way to build a diverse team.  You can share project information or just fun stuff like pictures and videos of social gatherings or meetings.   These sites do have some privacy settings that will help you control who views this content. 

 

Linked In / PM Net

Idea: Research a project challenge on a business networking site

This is a great way to connect with experts in your field, gather a lot of ideas in a short time, and find or start a discussion about a topic that interests you.    

 

SharePoint/Google Sites:

Idea: Leverage the best ideas from social media for your internal tools

If you can’t take advantage of external social media tools, take the collaborative features that make social media so popular and apply them to your internal tools.  Start a blog, use videos and pictures, have a contest, just get people interested in collaborating.