1. February 25, 2011 BCTSA Provincial Council Integrating social media use into your governance role

2. TrusteeTweetsFollowingFollowers Barry Forward1,3501,2402,130 Patti Bacchus1,339375765 Jane Bouey1,011377416 Mike Lombardi760792578 Stepan Vdovine728967505 Silas White475492413 Shirley Wilson464143116 Ijaz Chatha2372140 Gord Klassen634333 Jaret Thompson6219471 Jason Scott436642 Linda Dolen408939 Susan Skinner3913670 Connie Denesiuk298545 Mel Joy245440 Jane Kellett217277 Updated: February 24, 2011 2

3. 3 WHAT IS Social Media? ? ? Your personal Facebook page Your fan/group page Posting on other Facebook pages (groups, personal pages, events, etc.) Blogs: Running your own blog Posting on other blogs Media Comments Sections: i.e. Vancouver Sun, local news“paper” websites, radio sites, etc. Google Alerts, etc. … Your Tweets, DMs Your feed Hashtags: i.e. #bctsa Lists i.e. bc_trustees Old School BBS’s Message boards

4. 4 Connecting to constituents, especially younger generation of parents (maybe even students!?!) Local issues management/mitigation Campaigning (Tweets, blog/website, FB fan pages) ? IN YOUR DISTRICT

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7.  Students & Parents starting up “petition” Facebook pages:  “Fire the … so-and-so-and-so, so-and-so-and-so”  “We Want Mr. T. Back at Elphinstone  Advocacy Page for Student with Autism 7

8. 8 Issues Mitigation:“The Blog” LET’S BE HONEST HERE: Janet Steffenhagen’s “Report Card” blog has transformed BC public education dialogue, and arguably even Board/District communications and policies. It is the “lens.” Trustees need to post here: to clarify positions, to help shape the dialogue, to advocate for public education, to show we have a pulse… **POST** *TRANSPARENTLY!!*

9.  I’ll say it again: Be TRANSPARENT!! (i.e. use your real name, you’re a public representative)  Be diplomatic: It’s no different from discussing issues in public and in person to your constituents. Don’t be fooled by “distance” of online communication, but don’t be intimidated as well. Social media a “hot” medium, more like conversation than traditional print.  Stick to the facts (no one else does: you’ll be appreciated)  Be humble (i.e. Catherine Alpha/BCTF apology)  Be respectful of your fellow trustees and board positions, on and off your board 9

10. 10 Keeping up on issues/innovations province- wide Connecting with other trustees province-wide Engaging with other agencies, governments, MLAs… Pushing your nefarious political agenda! Showing (Janet Steffenhagen) that we’re alive ? SOCIAL MEDIA PROVINCIALLY

11. 11 @silaswhite/bc-trustees Either search for this list and follow it, or follow me (@silaswhite) and I will add you to the list.

12. 12  “Oversharing” Doug Elinski… Ray Lam… Dana Larsen… “Having friends on Facebook is like inviting people into your home?”  Tweeting as Government Communications/Announcements  The Tweeting Superstar of Canadian Elected Officials: @TonyClement_MP: 2,726 tweets, over 12,000 followers “Industry Minister Tony Clement, a prolific tweeter, responded to a tweet by a reporter confirming that if the CRTC did not reverse its decision on usage-based billing that the Conservative cabinet would. The tweet set of a firestorm of debate about the use of Twitter by Members of Parliament and whether or not Clement’s tweet was just another example of open government or a reckless and irresponsible use of the medium.” –Scoot H. Payne, the Commons

13. 13 “[I am] completely appalled by the vitriol and viciousness of the comments and the number of inaccurate and false statements made by individuals [in online blogs and talkback forums], mostly anonymously. … “It's absolutely astonished me that people hide behind a computer and say whatever they want - whether it is true or not," [Langley Trustee Alison] McVeigh said. "Where has civility gone?“… at a meeting, in response to false online claims Langley trustees made $32,000, and took a pay hike.

14. (and to Natasha Netschay Davies, for her valuable input, and Rob Goodall and BCSTA for inviting me) Thank you to all my Twitter Followers and Facebook Friends 14 silas@nightwoodeditions.com @silaswhite @silaswhite/bc-trustees “Silas White” on Facebook