In my defence, I haven’t used it for five years and I now forget the password.

However, for dozens of our esteemed Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), wandering alone in the social media wilderness we call MySpace is a regular pursuit.

According to the EU Digital Pulse 2012 report, 3% of the 102 MEPs surveyed byComRes say that they frequently – that’s ‘daily or weekly’, ladies and gentlemen – log on to MySpace. And they say politicians are losing touch with youth vote…

WikiPolitics

I’m being a bit mean-spirited by plucking that particular little nugget from the wealth of data unveiled by the ComRes survey. MEPs are actually quite a social bunch.

A healthy majority of MEPs use Facebook, YouTube and Wikipedia on a regular basis. Compare that with the 39% of ‘Brussels influencers’ who frequently use Facebook.

Perhaps surprisingly, MEPs have been relatively slow to embrace the power ofTwitter compared to some of their national political counterparts and their usage ofLinkedIn seems low (given that their contracts are up for public renewal every five years).

Questions for further study

Like all good research, the study provides answers to some key questions but raises a crop of fresh issues too. At the launch of the study at a European Commission building in Brussels, a common thread ran through the questions from the audience: engagement.

Yes, just about everyone in the Brussels bubble is hooked on Wikipedia but are they just using it for research or do they view it as a collaborative social tool?

Do MEPs use Facebook as a place to engage with constituents or is it just an extra broadcast channel?

And when we see European Commissioners firing out 20 tweets a day, are they (a) doing it themselves (b) telling their team what to tweet or (c) entire oblivious to what their tweet machine is generating?

Those are questions for another day but this study already tells us a great deal about how Brussels is using social media. And, as Andrew Hawkins of ComRes said, it opens up a world of opportunities for those looking to engage on EU issues.

New tools, new thinking

ZN’s Phil Weiss followed up with some tips for organisations looking to make the most of social media tools, including the need to break down internal silos and begin a wholesale mindset shift that focuses on where you want to go rather than obsessing about how you get there.

It’s advice that EU institutions would do well to heed but there are plenty of great examples of social media use from within the Brussels bubble – typically led by initiative-taking individuals willing to abandon old ways of thinking.

Take Ian Andersen of DG Interpretation. He is using Facebook to solve a chronic staffing shortage among the ranks of EU interpreters as hundreds of experienced staff prepare for retirement. [Check out ‘Interpreting for Europe’ on Facebook]

He chose Facebook simply because that’s where young people are to be found. It’s an ideal medium for answering questions, giving careers advice and launching recruitment drives for very specific skill sets – how else would you find a batch of 25-year-olds fluent in Lithuanian, Latvian and German, who also have degrees in interpreting?

Demographics

Dig into the ComRes study and you find that younger MEPs are much more prolific on social media channels than older MEPs. No shock there.

But there are still plenty of older politicians who are active online. Indeed, Thomas Myrup Kristensen of Facebook Nordic, who was one of the panellists discussing the report at the launch, noted that the older demographic is an area of rapid growth on Facebook.

They are ‘liking’ baby pictures, keeping up with emigrant offspring, and joining local community action groups. Maybe, just maybe, they could eventually engage in European political issues.

The acid test from an EU perspective will be the 2014 European Parliamentelections. Will MEPs step up their online social networking in a bid to engage voters? Could they even use online advertising to target very specific sub-sections of the electorate? Think of the US obsession with the ‘Soccer Mom’ demographic during their 1996 Presidential election and imagine having Google AdWords and Facebook advertising at your disposal.

All of which brings me back to the big question: Could this election come to be remembered as ‘The MySpace Election’?

(Hint: No. No, it could not.)




Cross-posted from http://finneganstake.blogactiv.eu/2012/05/14/engaging-with-meps-2-0/

In true online comms style, we ran the interview on Skype, so it’s a wee bit blurred, but it does the job.

Join ZN and ComRes on 10 May to hear the latest findings on how MEPs and EU legislators use social media and the web. Facebook and the European Commission will join our panel discussion to explore and assess the research.

Social Media in EU Institutions will take place Thursday 10 May 2012 at 17:00 in the European Commission’s 10 Rue Guimard, Room 1.

Quick, save yourself a seat! As they are going fast.

Being a European Commission venue, all attendees must first undertake a security check, so please register before Monday 7 May 2012 and have your passport number to hand.

And of course, there will be drinks and an opportunity to catch up with familiar faces after the discussion.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Check out ZN’s hyper-fun ZeN session last week in our ongoing pursuit to increase our talent and efficiency as a team, as a leading communication agency in Belgium and as individuals.

Thanks to Thomas for the videoing all day.

Let’s start from the basics: What does living sustainably mean and why is it important?

Living sustainably is about living within the means of our natural systems (environment) and ensuring that our lifestyle as well as work operations don’t harm other people (society and culture). It is really about thinking where our food, clothes, energy and other products come from and deciding whether we should buy them.

Sustainability is a current global concern and a priority for many governments therefore, it is a communication hot-topic for organisations that are looking for ways “to demonstrate” how much they care about their impact to our planet.

However, beyond just showing “how much paper we recycle at the office”, it’s all about taking responsibility for the future of our society. “It’s the ability or capacity of something to be maintained or to sustain itself. It’s about taking what we need to live now, without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs”. United Nations.

Let me share with you one of my favourite videos that illustrates this topic:

You may ask what about the big industries that are damaging the planet? Are they aware of their responsibility to be sustainable?
I would say: I hope so!

It’s all about “Corporate Social Responsibility” (CSR). The European Commission has a simpler definition of CSR: “the responsibility of enterprises for their impacts on society”. Therefore, enterprises should have in place means of integrating social, environmental, ethical human rights and consumer concerns in their business operations and core strategy.

The United Nations’ Global Compact has defined a strategic policy initiative for businesses that are committed to aligning their operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles in the areas of human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. “By doing so, businesses, as a primary driver of globalisation, can help ensure that markets, commerce, technology and finance advance in ways that benefit economies and societies everywhere and in time”. Read more about the UN Global Compact Network principles.

In the sphere of Communications, Public Relations and Advocacy, one of the main topics of discussion is the differentiation between the typical “green communication”, which relates exclusively to matters concerning the environment (i.e. cutting CO2 emissions, climate change, etc), and the other types of communication related to other areas of sustainability (i.e. responsible supply chain management, philanthropic programs, education, fair labour conditions, etc).

Every company is looking for ways to show its commitment to full sustainability, or at least to corporate and social responsibility programs.

When communicating on sustainability, the following elements should be taken into consideration:

• Define your communication strategy based on the values that reflect your organisation as “socially responsible”.
• Make it happen: Report on active programs and activities that reflect your organisation’s commitment towards sustainability.
• Keep it real: Make sure you have measurable targets and results that demonstrate your commitment towards sustainability.
• Validate your efforts: Make sure your organisation/company has certifications such as ISO 26000 or COP (Global Compact) that validate your actions towards sustainability.
• Spread the word: Produce visible and accessible CSR/Sustainability reports, create policies within the organisation, use social media to gather input and join the debate.

Next time… How social media and sustainability work together?

Don’t miss my next blog post where I will share some interesting examples.  In the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic:

Are you working on communications and sustainability? What are you biggest concerns and suggestions? Do you have an interesting case to share?

Join the debate with other communicators in Belgium interested in sustainability, follow this link:

http://be-iabc.ning.com/group/communication-sustainability

I look forward to your thoughts and comments!

The setting was a conventional hotel venue populated with people in ties.  So this was definitely not TEDxBrussels, but the turnout was good considering Brussels’ then arctic conditions.

I started by saying – rather dramatically – that we were living through a massive Black Swan epidemic (looked around to see if the word meant anything to the audience).  In other words, we lived through a series of highly improbable events which had a significance impact – from the financial crisis to the Arab Spring and the never ending Eurozone crisis.

Recently, we witnessed Wikipedia shutting down for an entire day out of protest against SOPA.  The effect: a new form of lobbying was unleashed and SOPA was dropped the following day by one of its main sponsors.  This is just the latest in a series of events demonstrating the growing power of NGOs.  A power which developed out of their innovative use of new technologies to campaign and perhaps underlying societal trends.

The key trend I want to emphasise is how incredibly slow the ‘Brussels Bubble’ has been at recognizing and adapting to these changes.  In my speech, I stated that around 90% of organisations in Brussels still campaign as if nothing had changed in the past 50 years (I can’t claim to have the hard data supporting this figure but no one challenged it).

In a less forward statement, I told the audience that the fear of change, lack of innovative spirit and courage deficit was shocking and that our community needed to change attitude and mindset.  I also suggested that corporate members were beginning to put increasing pressure on associations to see a change in approach – and not just to get ‘more for less’ as some suggested.  They want to see different outcomes and different campaigns, they wanted to see value for money and want to see something to change.

Many Brussels associations have embraced the mindset of the Brussels Institutions and only see the limitations on what they can do.  Thus they fear change even more than the institutions they are trying to influence.  Paradoxically, the more they resist change, the more frustrated their member companies become and the more critical the situation becomes.

Alfons Westgeest, from Kellen, built on my 90% stat to launch into a weather analogy describing the Brussels frozen paradigm – which I must say I rather liked.

The discussion that followed touched on a range of different subjects and some sceptics said this was a naive view of things.  I talked about how some industries, such pharmaceuticals, were experimenting with new approaches despite challenging legal constraints and a conservative past (see vaccinestoday.eu to see some of the work we did with them in action).

However, I was also reminded of how much Brussels needs more inspirational and ground breaking initiatives such as TEDxBrussels.eu or Solve for X, an initiative Google recently launched to solve some of the worlds seemingly insurmountable challenges (www.wesolveforx.com).

In the face of a cold wave, Brussels could do with a healthy dose of sunny optimism.

For communicators who want to see change in Brussels and in the EU,  the starting point is to be willing to do things differently and prepared to take a risk.  Once you are open to experimentation and innovation, the extraordinary tools and networks brought about by the internet can be incredible opportunities.  If you want to find out how to do that, just drop us a tweet 

At ZN, we want to participate as individuals and as a company in this digital revolution.  We want to drive change and share our experience. It is part of our DNA.  We want to help you or your company to make the most of these changes, not only as evangelist but also as your guide and partner.  Many organisations are currently in the process of changing the way they communicate and are having difficulty adapting.  Change is frequently forced upon them and they resist rather than embrace it. Our job is to switch this around.

Hyperthinking is a frame of mind

We have developed and continue to build upon a frame of mind which crystallises our essence, our beliefs and our methodology. ZN’s founder, Philip Weiss, gave it a name: Hyperthinking.  It enables us to adapt to new situations, identify opportunities, act on them and learn from them.  We encourage you to download Philip’s ebook or attend his workshop at ZN to learn more about hyperthinking.

Their method is simple, they inspire others

In addition to helping you and your organisation adapt to these changes, we are also an agent of change and have been participants of TEDxBrussels since its foundation 3 years ago.  The whole ZN team is involved in different aspects of the project, especially the digital one.  We believe TED, TEDx, TEDxKids and particularly TEDxBrussels are fantastic platforms that drive change and we are proud to be part of it.  If you are unfamiliar with TED, their method is simple, they inspire others by communicating ideas that matter, in innovation, health, science, technology or great personal experience.  Have a look at this video highlighting some key moments.

If you want to join us in embracing digital change, gives us a call, send us an email, a tweet (@hyperthinker), a comment on Facebook or just drop by.  We would love to share more ideas with you.

The tribes are taking on the giants

Think back to the recent revolutions in Iran and North Africa.

The European advocacy debates that are changing the public’s perception on vaccination.

The NGOs who are denouncing icons of industry, such as Volkswagen. Can you see the common thread? How about how Apple re-invented the music industry with iTunes; tele-communications with the iPhone and FaceTime; and soon education with iBooks? These government, advocacy and business revolutions all used the web as either a communication vehicle or as the foundation for their new model.

The digital revolution is here and it is changing every facet of our environment. Last year, Seth Godin argued that any individual or small entity, with good leadership, could build a tribe that becomes a powerful vehicle of change. We agree. The digital revolution has enabled like-minded individuals to form groups in spite of geographic constraints and unabled them to become more effective. These hyper-connected tribes can now decide of the rise and fall of giants.

It’s not about what it amounts to but how we use it

I won’t be delving into the sterile debate about what these changes amount to. Malcolm Gladwell made some controversial remarks regarding the impact of social media in the North African revolutions. To summarise the interview, Gladwell believes that social media is just a tool and people organised protests long before the internet was invented. I believe it is dangerous to minimise the web’s significance to just a tool because it can also be used for ill-intent. The question for ZN is how do we adapt and make the most of the internet to drive change.

What are your thoughts?

As part of the Consortium with ECTAA, HOTREC, ITH and Bocconi University, ZN will play an important role as digital communicator over the next 30 months.

ZN has 3 key objectives:

• Raise awareness of the ICT tourism platform among target user groups
• Demonstrate the benefits of the platform to target user groups
• And last but not least, create communication bridges between the main target groups

We are very happy and proud to be part of this European initiative.

At ZN we’ve been working with Campaign Commander (formally known as Objective Marketer). It’s a content management and statistics gathering tool. We use it on a daily basis to manage the delivery of online communication strategies for various clients. It helps us not only be effective with time management but churns out some great statistics. As with any new web technology, it keeps evolving with new features being added every few months.

If you read Nicholas’ post about becoming a media company and Mission possible: 7 steps to building an effecting online strategy, these strategies are most often rolled out with Campaign Commander supporting us in the background. So overall it gets a firm thumbs up from the ZN crew.

Recently Campaign Commander contacted ZN to capture our views of their tool on camera, so here follows a quick one and a half minutes by CEO Nicholas Brooke who introduces the company’s communication services, followed by yours truly talking about the value of the tool itself.