Campaigning

Graham Ellis sharing years of experience as a thought on each day
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Don't go back and edit social media

This campaign tip (no. 30) was published on Wednesday, 30th January 2019
Campaigning and partnership is all about working together and much of the power of social media (I write that in the widest sense) is the ability to interact and exchange views and knowledge.

Everyone who posts an item on social media or who adds and answer to a thread is investing their valuable time in researching and formulating answers, checking them, and posting them. And lots of people may well red the answers too.

Taking a group that Lisa's a member of (and giving the game away a bit), there are posters who will ask a historic question about our town - a good question - and start a conversation rolling. Lisa has a habit of doing considerable research and coming up with excellent answers which she posts. But so often, the response is "thank you" ... followed by a deletion of the thread now that the questioner has his answer. Well - it might have been his question initially, but now that others are interested, can I suggest to you he's being selfish and unappreciative of the help by taking the thread down. I did all that research and it's been deleted ..." ... rather puts us off helping int the future.

The Coffee Shop Forum runs with around a dozen active members as moderators and there's a danger in having such a big team in that any one could decide to delete post or thread .... and yet such as action is so rare. Everyone who's asked to be a moderator seems to say "but I won't do much". Good - we don't want trigger happy moderators!

I am a member of multiple Facebook groups - an admin in one or two cases but I do very little. And on so many of the others, I look at the struggles of the admins as they try to keep all the conversations and members in line. Oh dear - it's not laziness to let a conversation flow - it's respect for everyone's view.

I gave up my Community Rail Officer role and board membership of TransWilts last year for.a number of reasons - but one key reason was a requirement placed on me by the board to get prior approval for all social media posts, and to delete any follow ups which raised criticisms or expressed views different to those of the board. Sad ... I couldn't see myself taking on the role of a control freak. There are times that posts need to be taken down - I recall a threads about effective vandalism, and the best ways to dodge paying your fare - but these are the exception, and the power of community partnership comes with discussion and respect right across the community.
Discussion via Coffee Shop forum

Contact details

These pages are written by Graham Ellis of Melksham, Wiltshire. Overlapping a life in IT and IT training, with running a hotel and campaigning for improved public transport, Graham has never been quiet - though he's starting to wind down gently now. He no longer takes overnight guests and has stepped doen from the "Community Rail Officer" role which he accidentally aquired. So he now has more time to write pages such as these and to travel in the UK. He'll be delighted to speak with your group or take a look through your case or camapaign, but be alerted that his time is not limitless even now, and he still has to keep the wolf from the door.

Postal: 48, Spa Road, Melksham, Wiltshire, SN12 7NY
Phonal: 01225 708225
Emailal: graham -at- wellho.net
Or reach me on the Coffee Shop Forum (User Grahame) facilities


What a difference a campaign makes!

It probably wouldn't have happened without a strong community campaign with which I have been involved. Most days through 2019 I'll be sharing a thought, an idea, a way of working or an experience. Come back here for the links. Discussions via the Coffee Shop Forum - Graham Ellis, 31st December 2018


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