On 13 and 14 October 2016, Equinet organised its first training session on social media use for equality bodies, hosted by the Facebook Headquarters in Europe.
Background
An equality body’s activities to seek a public profile are generally directed toward awareness campaigns, events to promote equality and non-discrimination, publications (guidelines, codes of conduct, toolkits, brochures etc.) and lately through social media (Facebook, Twitter, Youtube). According to the Equinet Report The Public Profile of Equality Bodies, written by members of the Working Group on Communication Strategies and Practices, at present just over half of Equinet members use one form of social media or another as an integral part of the promotion of their work.
Well organized and consistent social media engagement is important, either to communicate publicly or to exchange information with specific groups. However, dialogue can sometimes be difficult, such as providing answers, or avoiding disputes on the web. Furthermore, considering the increasing phenomenon of hate speech online, and the extensive discussion regarding the right to freedom of speech, the regular monitoring of content on social media channels is becoming more and more complex.
Equinet Training Session
This training session aimed to:
- Help Equinet members to use social media in a more strategic way
- Share best practice and learn from ideas from both the public and commercial sphere
- Outline the possibilities of social media tools (monitoring, publishing, analysis)
- Learn about new trends and platforms
- Get an introduction to the paid social media channels
- Learn how to deal with negative aspects of social media
The training was provided by Adam Zbiejczuk and Jaroslav Faltus from Key Influencers Interactive.
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Presentations
- Social media for equality bodies – Adam Zbiejczuk and Jaroslav Faltus, Key Influencers Interactive
- Facebook post tips and how to cheat on reach – Monika Hanch, Public Defender of Rights, Czech Republic
- Equality bodies using humour in social media: Disse, the Discrimination Dog – Maria Swanljung, Non-Discrimination Ombudsman, Finland
- How to communicate and manage difficult topics – Ana Tretinjak, Office of the Ombudswoman, Croatia
Although not presented during the meeting, Unia (Interfederal Centre for Equal Opportunities) have shared with us their presentation on the results of their Facebook campaign against homophobia, prepared by the communication agency VO.