Professor Jim Macnamara PhD, FPRIA, FAMI, CPM, FAMEC
Deputy Dean and Professor of Public Communication and in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney
Conference Presentation : The ‘social organisation’ – Learning to engage with citizens, customers and other stakeholders online
In his research into social media use by politicians and political parties in the 2008 Obama campaign and the 2007 and 2010 Australian federal elections, online public consultation trials by government departments and agencies, and a recent study of the use of social media in more than 200 private and public sector organisations in Australia, New Zealand and SE Asia, Professor Macnamara has found many innovative pioneers in social media – but also many embarrassing stumbles and lost opportunities.
He says that, despite a worldwide rush by organisations and governments to use social media, many organisations do not yet understand how to visit and inhabit the unique spaces and places created by social media and social networks. He says that the internet, including the Web and social media, are still widely thought of as cyberspace – a ‘virtual space’ that is not real. But his research shows that online spaces are not ‘out there’ in cyberspace. Online spaces are part of our built environment – and increasingly they are becoming important places in which people congregate for many hours each day to transact, communicate and collaborate.
Borrowing Italo Calvino’s book title, Professor Macnamara says online environments created in social media and networks could be described as invisible cities – large, vibrant and growing communities that exist locally, nationally and internationally. They intersect with and extend our physical world and are dramatically reshaping our notions of space, place, community and social interaction. Governments, organisations and businesses cannot ignore or fail to engage successfully in what IDC calls the growing ‘digital universe’.
But a major mistake being made by organisations is seeing participation in these new places as simply about using new technologies, Professor Macnamara argues. His research shows that the defining characteristics of popular online places are the practices of participation – the customs, conventions, protocols and forms of interaction adopted in these communities and, to participate, he says organisations have to learn to become a ‘social organisation’. He will discuss this concept and his research in this presentation.
Jim Macnamara PhD, FPRIA, FAMI, CPM, FAMEC is Deputy Dean and Professor of Public Communication and in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney, academic posts he took up in 2007 after a 30-year career in professional communication practice spanning journalism, PR and corporate communication, and media research. Jim is an international authority on evaluation of communication campaigns and a leading researcher of social media. He is the author of 12 books including The 21st Century Media (R)evolution published by Peter Lang, New York in 2010 and Public Relations Theories, Practices, Critiques published by Pearson in 2012.
Conference Presentation : The ‘social organisation’ – Learning to engage with citizens, customers and other stakeholders online
In his research into social media use by politicians and political parties in the 2008 Obama campaign and the 2007 and 2010 Australian federal elections, online public consultation trials by government departments and agencies, and a recent study of the use of social media in more than 200 private and public sector organisations in Australia, New Zealand and SE Asia, Professor Macnamara has found many innovative pioneers in social media – but also many embarrassing stumbles and lost opportunities.
He says that, despite a worldwide rush by organisations and governments to use social media, many organisations do not yet understand how to visit and inhabit the unique spaces and places created by social media and social networks. He says that the internet, including the Web and social media, are still widely thought of as cyberspace – a ‘virtual space’ that is not real. But his research shows that online spaces are not ‘out there’ in cyberspace. Online spaces are part of our built environment – and increasingly they are becoming important places in which people congregate for many hours each day to transact, communicate and collaborate.
Borrowing Italo Calvino’s book title, Professor Macnamara says online environments created in social media and networks could be described as invisible cities – large, vibrant and growing communities that exist locally, nationally and internationally. They intersect with and extend our physical world and are dramatically reshaping our notions of space, place, community and social interaction. Governments, organisations and businesses cannot ignore or fail to engage successfully in what IDC calls the growing ‘digital universe’.
But a major mistake being made by organisations is seeing participation in these new places as simply about using new technologies, Professor Macnamara argues. His research shows that the defining characteristics of popular online places are the practices of participation – the customs, conventions, protocols and forms of interaction adopted in these communities and, to participate, he says organisations have to learn to become a ‘social organisation’. He will discuss this concept and his research in this presentation.
Jim Macnamara PhD, FPRIA, FAMI, CPM, FAMEC is Deputy Dean and Professor of Public Communication and in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at the University of Technology Sydney, academic posts he took up in 2007 after a 30-year career in professional communication practice spanning journalism, PR and corporate communication, and media research. Jim is an international authority on evaluation of communication campaigns and a leading researcher of social media. He is the author of 12 books including The 21st Century Media (R)evolution published by Peter Lang, New York in 2010 and Public Relations Theories, Practices, Critiques published by Pearson in 2012.
