The Internet is changing. The new Live Web of social media is like a party with many different groups, conversations and relationships. Organisations need to be listening and joining in those conversations but they need to do it strategically – integrating their listening and talking with their broader communications and business strategies.

This workshop demonstrates free software, web sites and services to help you communicate successfully. You will learn practical hints and tips to help you overcome the hurdles and develop a strategy to put your organisation at the forefront of effective social media relations. The Internet is no longer optional. It’s also no longer a place for brochure-sites or broadcast messages. The new social web is about conversations and relationships and if your organisation isn't out there listening and talking you're missing out.

While the workshop is designed to explore how an organisation can develop an effective Web 2.0 strategy, the session will also be looking at practical things that teams can do to embed that strategy within their work. The venue has wifi access and so if you want to bring your laptop, you will be able to follow the practical elements around making use of RSS, aggregators and cloud services as a way of information sharing and strategy building for yourself.

What will you gain from attending?

- A framework for understanding the new Live Web and the challenges and opportunities it presents
- A practical introduction to free and simple online tools and services that help you monitor online conversations and join in
- Explore real case studies of social media in practice. Who has got it right and why? What can we learn from those who haven’t?
- Learn how to develop a framework for a social media strategy appropriate to your organisation

The workshop will include sessions on:

- The social media landscape - Facts and figures about social media and, more importantly, what they mean for an organisation, a brand and its strategy.
- The Live Web - The changing nature of the Internet and the Live Web Party
- Listening to the conversations - Practical exploration of free and open source tools for listening to blogs, Twitter, YouTube et al and, more importantly, how to understand them and use them to benefit your organisation
- Joining in the conversations - Practical exploration of techniques for joining in the conversations, from leaving comments, to asking questions, to creating spaces.
- Embedding a strategy within your organisation. How do you convince others in your organisation that social media is important and embed policies and practices that make it a key part of everyone’s job role?
- Measuring the R.O.I of social media