Lost in cyberspace

How do you get out of social media? It might sound like a ridiculous question right now: doesn't everyone want to get into social media? Isn't it the future? Well yes, to an extent. But in the public sector with budgets being frozen or cut, departments are increasingly looking for an escape plan. What happens to online communities when the plug is pulled overnight and there's no longer a budget to engage your group of young and reckless drivers, or nervous new mums? One recent victim of cuts was the well-known anti-drugs campaign 'Talk to Frank' which, having built up a large following on its Facebook fan page, disappeared overnight taking its community with it. Of course, in the current climate, cuts are unstoppable. But there's also a greater question to be considered too, such as the value active online communities can bring to your organisation. Raising awareness Unlike traditional campaigns which run for a finite period and often focus on raising awareness of particular messages or issues, social media builds genuine communities of people who are receptive to what you have to say. These people go on to share information with others in the wider communities in which they're active. Pressing the 'off' button after building a community of supporters or stakeholders risks destroying the social capital and trusted relationships so valuable to effective advocacy and communication - especially when there may be alternative ways of managing the situation so your community can continue to exist. For example, while budgetary pressures may have necessitated closing Talk to Frank's engaged community of young people it's likely that government anti-drugs communications will continue in the future. As a key target audience for the government's anti-drugs message is the young and traditionally hard-to-reach audience that made up the Talk to Frank Facebook community, an argument might have been made that keeping this group alive would have meant the government could have engaged with them time and again in the future with no associated media cost. But if closure must happen, then getting your exit strategy right really matters. This means taking some time to think about the practicalities of building a legacy for your community. Transition phase On a practical front, the best course of action is to allow for a transition phase, however short. This lets community managers to do more than silently close a community without explanation. Even a day would allow for a message to be sent to the community explaining its closure and to encourage them to stay connected with the organisation - either by signing up to other communities or at the very least signing up to an email newsletter. More time might allow for an enthusiastic community member to take over the running of the community, allowing your organisation to stay engaged and continue to benefit. Even if your organisation's community leaves the online space, there's nothing stopping people (re)creating their own community and running it according to their own rules. With this in mind it pays to keep an eye on what continues to be said about the campaign and the issues in the social sphere: by bloggers, on Facebook and on Twitter. Not only that, if your community is fulfilling a real need and has created an active and vocal community, you may face negative publicity and even undesirable press attention if you simply close it. In either scenario, closing an official community does not stop it existing and you may find users behaving in ways you could not foresee - potentially leading an online backlash. Above all, as traditional advertising and broadcast communications become less effective, particularly when targeting niche or hard-to-reach groups, online communities could be an organisation's most valuable communications asset. If the tough economic environment means you have to close yours, then make sure you have taken time to put contingency plans in place. Simon Collister is head of public sector and not-for-profit at We Are Social