Ever since Facebook and Twitter became mainstream, there have been questions about the viability of generating meaningful relationships via these channels and whether they can be used to successfully drive social change. A recent Google Hangout, hosted by the Resource Alliance, for example, questioned their effectiveness, with one of the debate participants arguing that “Viral campaigns are like lottery tickets. Every so often someone hits the jackpot. But for every winner there are tons of losers.”
Then there is the issue of trust and privacy, with many people becoming increasingly less inclined to give it all away or have open conversations about personal issues.
One organisation that has successfully navigated much of this is the Homeless FA - England’s national homeless football association. It uses social media in two distinct ways. First, it uses it in the traditional sense to raise awareness of its activities, such as the recent funding partnership it has secured with BT Sport’s The Supporters Club, which will allow it to roll out its programme across all nine regions of the UK.
And then there is the way it uses closed Facebook groups to better communicate with its beneficiaries – known as players – and monitor and evaluate what it does.
Part of the charity Centrepoint, Homeless FA uses football to give everyone experiencing homelessness in England the opportunity to develop their skills and abilities, gain self-respect and confidence, improve their health and make positive changes to their lives. It does this by using the sport to teach players about communication, awareness, control, trust, discipline and other qualities they might be lacking.
“We are genuinely inclusive, we never select on ability. Everyone trains together,” explains Gareth Parker, head of the organisation. “One of our biggest success stories is a 54-year-old grandmother who had been out of work for 20 years. After going through our programme she is now in a job.”
One of the challenges the organisation faced was how best to keep in touch with its players, many of whom do not have or do not like to use phones. It needed a tool that would allow it to communicate safely and securely with team members.
Closed Facebook groups, the contents of which are only accessible by members, offered a solution. Individual group pages have been set up to represent each of the different training centres around the country. As soon as someone joins a programme, they are encouraged to join their centre’s group, which is used to share news, signpost to other services – and offer support and encouragement.
“There are lots of benefits. It helps reinforce a sense of identity and a feeling of being part of something special as the group is only open to them,” explains Parker. “It is also private, meaning people open up. And if someone is having a bad week, there is peer support on offer.”
Facebook is also part of the Homeless FA’s strategy for inspiring the players. On the first day of their training, a professional photographer takes their portraits, which are then shared among the group. “Our players are often people who have been told their whole lives that they would never amount to anything. The photos we take of them are phenomenal and help players question how they see themselves. Within seconds they’ve made them their profile pictures on Facebook.”
In doing this, the organisation found that Facebook is 78% more effective at communicating with players than if the Homeless FA was to call the individual over the phone. It also helps retain players on the programme.
Digital media consultant, Zoe Amar, believes social media is becoming more niche. “People want networks where they can discuss shared values and interests. I predict this trend will continue to grow. Young people in particular want their own social spaces where they can talk to their peers.”
In her experience, this is not limited to Facebook. Whatsapp and SnapChat – both growing in popularity, particularly among younger audiences - also offer a way to get in touch with people in a more personal, private way. The RNLI for example has trialed SnapChat as a way to reach young people, using it to share live photo and video footage from the beach, connect supporters with lifeguards and offer safety advice.
However, as Parker is keen to point out – closed social media isn’t just about engagement, it can also be a monitoring tool: “The groups help us track how players are doing in real-time. It’s not just about number crunching at the end of the year. We can be agile and adapt.
“For example, while observing one volunteer, we noticed they were successfully mentoring one of the players. Because that worked well, we developed the peer-to-peer mentoring scheme.”
It also enables the organisation to keep an eye on individual players and any personal issues they may be experiencing, and to track soft outcomes such as increased confidence.
“We are not the type of charity that likes to pull on people’s heartstrings, or be patronising to our players. We aim to reinforce positive perceptions of people experiencing homelessness and to develop genuine relationships with players,” emphasises Parker. “Social media used in this way contributes towards this goal. But it only works because we’re authentic and we keep it relevant.”
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