Social media is an excellent tool to convey a message. In today’s hi-tech society, there are two forms of social media that would be excellent tools to inform the community about plans to improve the quality of playgrounds in our area. “A joint study by AOL and Nielsen found that people spend more than 50 percent of their time online with content and an additional 30 percent of their time on social channels where content can be shared.” (Roesler, 2015). Facebook and our own website will allow us to reach many.
Facebook is an excellent way to reach the public about improving the quality of playgrounds in the area. First and foremost – it is FREE. Second, it is popular. As we will be operating on a limited budget the ability to reach a large number of people for the least amount of cost. Facebook will allow us to spread the word about our project and give information to others as to how they can help or action they can take. Our Facebook page can provide a link to our website. Here we will keep people informed and show our accomplishments. By having a social media presence we will add credibility to our project.
There are disadvantages to social media as well. First although startup is low cost it is time consuming to maintain. A Facebook page or website that does not offer new and current information is useless. It is imperative someone be assigned to keep the information fresh and interesting as well as bold enough to get and keep the attention of the public.
Social Media also leaves you open for feedback. As we cannot please everyone all the time some of the feedback is bound to be negative. This can then result in a negative impact.
References
Roesler, P. (2015, Aug 2). 5 Benefits of Social Media Business Owners Need to Understand. Retrieved from Inc: http://www.inc.com/peter-roesler/5-benefits-of-social-media-business-owners-need-to-understand.html
Doctorate Program 
I like how you acknowledged that Blogs and Facebook and Websites need to be kept fresh and up to date, and that someone should be assigned to that job. I agree and that job is imperative in bringing about the success of your mission.
There is nothing worse than a site that has the same thing on it ‘forever’. You don’t want to overdo either though. It becomes annoying to the visitor or in the case of Facebook the follower.
Nice reference! I like your insight into the statistics!
Hello Marjorie,
I also chose a website and Facebook as social media tools to reach the masses about my advocacy for teachers to become better equipped with serving children in the general education class with mental health issues. I am extremely interested in following your blog to learn about the research information about quality playgrounds. This piques my interest because in my school district, recess was not popular for a long time because principals had the say so in teachers having permission to take their students out. I believe this stemmed from accidents due to teachers not supervising students properly. I understand the concerns, but I know that principals could benefit from training and just more information on the benefits of recess and playgrounds that promote safety and socialization for children.
Kim J.
The fear of being sued is a crippling one. I feel we have become a sue happy society. Children (and adults) get hurt. It is called an accident. It happens. Everyone always wants to blame someone for something and rarely do folks want to take responsibility.
Thanks for this, Marjorie. You make a good case for using a website and Facebook, but I’m glad you also point out that using a public forum means others can contribute, maybe with negative comments. Of course… it’s good to know what the negative perceptions are, even though we might not want to hear them aired in public!
It is important to know the bad as well as the good. It is one of the reasons it is important to stay on top of social media. When a negative comment is made you must respond.