Digital is not just something the communications team does

If you have ever tried flying against a flock of 340 million birds you will understand why social media is such a force. That might seem like an extreme analogy, but that number represents how many tweets Twitter users produce each day. It is a mind boggling figure.

As those of us working in digital teams know, the Foreign Office has taken notice of social media’s power and has tried to leverage it to promote its causes, listen to what others are saying, and engage with the public and influencers.

But like most things in life putting ‘digital diplomacy’ into action is easier said than done.

That is why Nathan Skolski, our Head of Media and Public Affairs in Ottawa, and I headed to Miami last month for the Americas Network Digital Conference or #DigiUKAmericas as it was known in the twitterverse.  It was the second time web editors from across the Americas have met, but this time we extended the invite to other communications staff at our Posts. The response was overwhelming with 35 colleagues from 25 countries making the trip.

Although Nathan and I were invited to speak on the success of our GREAT flash mob (at 74,000 views and counting) and our use of blogs, the real benefit of attending was to see how other Posts are using their social media channels to promote their work.

Some great examples include the use of infographics by our UN Mission, how the High Commission in Bridgeport has used Facebook ads to promote Chevening, and how the British Embassy in Washington has attracted 40,000 followers to its Tumblr page in less than 2 years.

Needless to say, over three days we learned a lot and had some great discussions, but it was a line from a presentation by James Barbour, the Head of Press in Washington, that really struck me: “Digital is not just something the communications team does.”

And it is true. In the past year our Acting High Commissioner, and most of our Consuls-General have joined twitter. Our science and innovation team are also on twitter, and write blogs regularly. In both cases it has become part of their daily routine, and has amplified the work they were already doing.

So does that mean all our colleagues need to be on twitter or write a blog? Not necessarily, but with our help they should at least understand how it works and how their peers are using it.

And that is ultimately why getting out from behind the computer and talking to fellow digital communicators is so important. Because no matter how much time you spend working in the world of social media there is always something new to learn, and ultimately pass along.

Increasingly our colleagues look to us to not just do digital communication, but also to explain how they can use it. To translate those chirps coming from sites like Twitter, LinkedIn, or Tumblr, and maybe just help one or two of them find their spot in an ever-growing flock.