During my career, I have worked extensively in the social services sector. I have worked e.g. in child welfare, family work, youth work, intellectual disability services and immigrant services. I’ve learned to use a different customer information system in almost every workplace. In addition to customer information systems, I have used various meeting applications such as Microsoft Team, social media such as Facebook and Instagram and website design programs such as WordPress. And of course the most common computer programs such as Word and Excel. In addition to these, I have used several programs and websites used by my clients, e.g. in connection with studying and job hunting.
I have used social media quite extensively in my work. In my free time, I try to use it as little as possible, because I don’t think it’s really good for me. In my work, however, I have learned to use social media, both for producing content and for searching for information. I have maintained social media accounts and produced content. I have also taken some courses related to social media, where I have learned e.g. what kind of content interests which age group and how algorithms should be used to advantage.
Using social media has its pros and cons. With it, we make information move easily and quickly to everyone who needs it. Social media easily reaches young people, for example. Social media also contains a lot of good lifestyles, instructions for a healthy life and ideas for e.g. hobbies. Social media also has its downsides. Also, bad and dangerous ideas and even crime spread quickly on social media platforms. Too much use of social media, and sitting at the computer in general, affects the use of time for all of us, and in particular reduces the physical activities of children and young people.
You can check out one of my videos on the YouTube channel of Lyömätön Linja Espoossa ry:
Social media is also a really good way to reach customers, especially young people. I have used social media communication channels a lot when talking with young people. Of course, data protection and security must be taken into account in these channels and, if necessary, move to a safer place to discuss.
The Tools of Sosial media list contained several tools I was already familiar with, and that’s good. The tools unknown to me, included many applications that support teamwork, which would certainly be helpful in many workplaces. These tools were e.g. Mural and Asana. With these tools, you can work together with colleagues, share material, brainstorm, plan and coordinate work. If one of these tools were to be implemented, it would be really important that the employees also receive extensive training on the subject. The tool cannot be used if not everyone knows how to use it properly.
I myself have used some free video editing programs and uploaded the videos I made to Youtube. I would also like to lear to use other websites suitable for making and distributing videos, such as Vimeo. This tool could also be used, for example, with young people when making videos.
I tend to use post-it notes. Old fashioned, unecological and impractical, I know. Fortunately, the list of tools included several task management apps. I could use e.g. Todoist or Evernote both at work and in my free time. No more a million vague pieces of paper on your computer desk!
And, I want to start using Tumblr, because this just sounds fun 😀 :
And finally, an app that I’ve used a couple of times, but could use more. This is a fun app that can be used with almost any customer group, as long as everyone has a smart device. Kahoot! With Kahoot, you can create your own quizzes and compete with your colleagues or customers. Of course, this application is also nice to use in your free time! I myself have used the application when teaching young summer workers about their rights and responsibilities. A boring topic was a little more fun to go through with the help of a quiz!
Sources that I used and which I recommend you to familiarize yourself with:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLPXnYU3pus
- https://www.mural.co/
- https://asana.com/
- https://vimeo.com/
- https://todoist.com/fi
- https://evernote.com/intl/fi
- https://www.tumblr.com/
- https://kahoot.com/