Event Report: ‘Social Media – Creating Collaborative Conversations’
SpeakerJohn Lawlor, Trinity College Dublin.

Love it or hate it, social media has changed the world forever but are IT leaders so worried about security, firewalls and ERP that they can’t embrace the benefits? As one of a series of regional events, John Lawlor of Trinity College Dublin gave CIO Connect the benefit of his wisdom.

With around 70 staff, John Lawlor supports around 25,000 users as the central services provider of computing facilities and support to students and staff on the main campus and 18 off campus locations.

Here, social media encompasses SharePoint, podcasts, wikis, blogs, enterprise project management, online newsletters and surveys facebook and twitter, to name but a few.

John’s digital communications strategy has taught him that social media strategy and approach, must be part of and not separate from, other media and communications outreach. It’s not what you use, but how you use it, remembering that behaviour and culture need to change to overcome reluctance to adopt social media.

Lessons learned:

• Think of your specific requirements before you make big decisions
• Don’t be afraid to experiment, but be as clear as you can about what you want to achieve
• Be driven by your needs rather than the technology available
• Don’t design, don’t train, don’t get involved and don’t get in the way
• Remember Euan Semple’s strategy for IT – do nothing, get out of the way and keep the energy levels up

Assess where you and your organisation stand in relation to social media. From unawares with little or no understanding of its role, through those who feel threatened and want to stop its progress, to those who understand but won’t deal with the impact on their systems. The supporters and champions, those implementing and experimenting with different tools, will continue to lead the way and reap the benefits of this brave new world.