I’m working a social and health sector organization as a project coordinator. In my work I develop, plan and instruct the hobby and leisure activities of children and young people who need special support. Activities are carried out with partners. I work a lot on the computer, and I use many different social media communication platforms in my work. In this job, managing different communication channels is essential because a large part of the work is done on computer.

In my work I use at least WordPress, Microsoft services such as Onedrive and Teams, Canva, Instagram, Facebook, Webropol, Linkedin, WhatsApp, YouTube and Papunet daily. I use some blogging and recruiting platforms occasionally. In addition to these, sometimes I use cloud services shared with other operators, such as Google Drive. In addition, I use platforms like Snapchat, Zoom and Pinterest in my spare time.

Today most of the meetings are carried out via Teams. I work in the area of four different cities and sometimes there are collaborators all over Finland, so remote meetings save both parties resources and more time is left to implement the activities. Nowadays Teams meetings are familiar to almost everyone working in the industry, so collaboration is quite effortless and efficient.

Social media reaches people who otherwise would not find the activity. Digital platforms can be used, for example, to market activities, share information about topics, stimulate ideas and develop activities together. It is also easy to collect activity-related wishes and feedback anonymously using social media platforms. Through practice, I have noticed that adult participants give more feedback when they can do it anonymously. At the same time, you must take into account the target group and the fact that using digital platforms is not easy or meaningful for everyone. We work with children and young people who, for example, cannot speak or write. In this case, the use of pictures, drawing and the use of gestures and facial expressions are emphasized. We make the images necessary for the operation using, for example, Papunet and Canva.

It is important to communicate about the activity in a versatile way, using different channels, so that the information reaches as many people interested in the activity as possible. For us, it is important to take accessibility and liberty into account already during the communication of activities. The goal is that all information is easily accessible and that a person who gets to know the operation gets a good and safe feeling about the operation. With the help of Canva, we make brochures and videos about activities, groups and events, and we create different games for activities. Through various groups and pages on Instagram, Facebook and by e-mail, we market the activity as widely as possible to the target group of the activity.

I chose five social media tools that were new to me: Twitter, Blogger, Monday, Prezi and Slido.

Twitter

www.twitter.com

Of these five platforms, Twitter is the most familiar to me, although I have not used it myself before. Our workplace has a shared Twitter account, but it is updated by the person responsible for communications. On Twitter, I could take a stand on current issues related to, for example, children’s and young people’s hobbies, the rights of children and young people in need of special support, equality or application. Twitter is also a good channel for influencing and networking.

Blogger

www.blogger.com

Blogger was also a bit familiar to me as a user, because I myself have read blogs through Blogger. However, I hadn’t gotten to know the operation of the platform and the possibilities it offers in more detail. In my daily work, I could use Blogger to talk about children’s and young people’s hobby activities and to share the points raised in the project. We already update news about groups and events on Instagram, for example, with pictures and videos, but on the Blogger platform, the activities could be told in a more narrative way and described in a more versatile way. On the other hand, we already update the news of the project’s activities in the News section of our website, so it might be the same thing in this case.

Monday

www.monday.com

I got to know both Monday and Asana platforms and compared them. I liked the Monday platform better because it seemed easier to use and it was more visually clear. We have a small team of less than 10 employees, so I find Monday more efficient. The website could be used in the implementation of the project’s smaller projects, such as their scheduling and division of responsibilities. We don’t have a similar platform in use, but we have created Excel-based platforms for ourselves for a similar need.

Prezi

www.prezi.com

I also wanted to get to know Prezi because I’ve seen others use it in their presentations, but I haven’t used the program myself. I use Canva every day in my work for graphic design and making presentations. I wanted to find out if Prezi has anything to offer that Canva can’t. I liked how you can easily zoom into a section with Prezi. However, I’m used to using Canva, so I found it easier to use and more adaptable to my needs.

Slido

www.slido.com

I got to know Slido and used it for the first time in the presentation of my second course. In my work and studies, I give presentations to listeners, and I would always like to somehow involve the listeners in the presentation, for example with the help of Padlet. Nowadays there are many different online platforms that allow listeners to be anonymously included in the presentation, whether they participate on-site or remotely. With the help of Slido, we asked listeners what they think is most important in a good customer encounter. The participants could use their phones to write a word or words, which then appeared on the common wall. If more people answered the same word, the word got bigger. Slido works well especially in fast tasks with many participants. I have once been a participant in a seminar with about 100 people and that’s when I heard about Slido for the first time, when I got to use it as a participant.

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While writing this, I noticed that I already use many and different digital platforms. Sometimes it feels like they could be used even less. Although updating to different platforms is important, it takes resources away. I feel that I learn how to use new platforms quickly and I know how to use platforms versatilely. I am interested in getting to know new platforms and the services they offer, when there is enough time to familiarize myself. For example, during the past year, I have improved in making videos and can consider issues related to accessibility even better.

I think that using digital platforms should be smooth, easy and fast, so that people can be interested in them again and again and they become established as part of a permanent activity. The platform must be visually clear and attractive and user-friendly. It is good if there are many services under one platform, because then it can be easily adapted to different needs.

We use many good operating methods and platforms at work, but for example, for monitoring and evaluating operational goals, we are constantly looking for and developing better operating methods. Our activities are financed by STEA, which is an aid center for social and health organizations. We report to STEA about twice a year on the results and goals of the operation. We, the employees, evaluate what information is needed and choose how that information is collected. However, activity reporting should be as reliable and efficient as possible. Reporting could be facilitated using a ready-made platform if they adapt to the needs of the activity in question.