Social media and why we use these channels

There is so much debate around the use of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the multitude of social media channels that are available – much of it negative (and often from those who don’t use it).  I am constantly surprised at the number of people who think Facebook is for teenagers only, and that Twitter is just a time waster, and they don’t care what someone had for breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have to admit I have not heard as much criticism of LinkedIn.

I have now reached a stage where much of my information is gleaned from these sources, and I love the fact that often the overload of information I normally receive via email is now condensed into 140 characters.  I find that by following others with similar interests to me (story, knowledge management, librarianship, information management, sustainable living), I am exposed to so much more than I would normally gain access to.  For example, one person I follow only tweets journal citations on Knowledge Management – I know this saves me so much time and effort that I no longer have to search for material in this subject area as someone else does it for me.  He is also a librarian, and his search results are so comprehensive I would be very foolish to attempt to duplicate his efforts. Another example is the story or narrative network members on Twitter – I am constantly exposed to new material and ways of thinking.

If you want to follow us on twitter the Australian River Restoration Centre can be found @AustRiverRestor

When it comes to Facebook, I mainly use it for maintaining connections at a personal level, but there are also some brilliant examples of corporate and environmental organisations with information rich pages which I can access. One of the best I came across during the Queensland Floods was Goondiwindi Regional Council -  an old school friend lives in this area and pointed me to it, and I was stunned at how the Council kept all its community members up to date, as well as encouraging them to share their knowledge of what was happening in the region.  I also love the I care about water page. So many wonderful posts about innovative practices around the world when it comes to water and water health.  The ARRC also has its own Facebook Page.

My all time favourite is definitely LinkedIn, which not only allows me to keep all my business contacts and networks current but also gives me access to some of the most fantastic groups on topics such as Catchment management, Knowledge Management, Librarianship, Natural resource management and many many more.  The best part is that having managed very large teams in the past, I can access many of my former staff’s profiles, write a public reference for them, and also be reminded about  the dates that we worked together, and the roles they had while working together.  You can even access the ARRC on LinkedIn.

These are only three of the social media sites you might like to visit.  There is a terrific posting by Ross Dawson on building success in a connected world which gives a lot more detail of the social media channels you might like to use.  We can integrate training on social media into our workshops, so contact us if you want to know more.

Nerida

More similarities than contrasts – Sydney Metro and Lachlan CMAs

Nerida and I have just had a really interesting week working with the Sydney Metro CMA and the Lachlan CMA.  We were fortunate enough to spend time with both groups in their regions, Parramatta for Sydney, and Young for Lachlan.  In both cases we were running workshops focussing on WHY we do what we do,  narrative techniques, the power of story, and how to use social media to reach new and ever expanding audiences.

We had expected there to be vast differences between the two CMAs, however, apart from the contrasts of a highly urbanised community, to one that was more dispersed across a wider geographic area, we mainly found similarities.  The similarities we found were in the passion and commitment of CMA staff to the work they do, and their openness to learning about how to connect even more effectively with the communities they work within.

Perhaps the most enlightening moment for all involved came when we asked people WHY they do what they do?   In both workshops the responses were the same – a belief in the need to protect and care for our environment, combined with a desire to ‘make a difference’.   We were delighted to see people reconnect with their reason for doing what they do – knowing what you believe in is vital to sustaining yourself and those around you – it is why we do what we do and why the ARRC exists.

Siwan

We need you! Sharing river restoration science and practice

As you are probably aware, the ARRC runs on a very lean budget and all our work on the website is done by volunteers.  We are conscious that as a river restoration website we need to have more science and practice that relates directly to the biophysical, ecological and social aspects of this discipline.  We need help to make this happen and would welcome your help.

We would like to have updates from you about the latest river restoration science or practice you have come across and feel is worthy of sharing with others.  We can then link your update to another website, or create a new page on our website featuring the new material.

All you need to do is to send your contribution via email to the ARRC – siwan.lovett@arrc.com.au.  We want the ARRC to be a useful site for people to share information and knowledge, so please, any ideas, updates or volunteer time you might have, get in touch!

Siwan and Nerida

Australian Stream Management Conference – ‘Managing for Extremes’ Feb 6-8 2012!

We are so pleased that the Australian Stream Management Conference is making a comeback in 2012 – there has been a big gap in the calendars of natural resources management professionals without this event, so we are very happy to announce that the ARRC is going to be a part of this revamped occasion in February 2012.

The conference will be held in our home town of Canberra, with the River Basin Management Society and  the Catchments Australia Foundation hosting the event.  The ARRC will be running workshops that link to the conference theme of ‘Managing for Extremes’ with some of the questions being asked over the two days including:

Does successful management of stream systems lie in managing for the extremes?
What are these extremes, and how do we predict and plan for them?
What are the implications for ecological communities and monitoring and evaluation programs?
How do we engage with communities and elected leaders to discuss these issues?

The ARRC will be exploring  this topic in terms of what skills do we, as natural resources management professionals, need to ‘manage for extremes’.  How can we best support and facilitate positive environmental and social outcomes in the face of these future challenges?

Place the dates 6-8th of Feb 2012 in your diary and we look forward to welcoming you to lovely Canberra!

Siwan & Nerida