Philip Wride – Social Media Marketer and Community Manager

Today is Safer Internet Day and I’ve got the pleasure of attending an event that will be sprinkled with MPs, young people, grandparents and various industry stakeholders. The subject for Safer Internet Day this year is Connecting Generations and it is interesting to learn how different demographics view and use the internet.

As a tenuous link to Community Management, crossing the generational divide and understanding what it is different demographics want from their internet experience can aid you in building your community. If you are targeting younger people how do you plan to gain buy in from parents or guardians? If you are targeting the slightly older generation what functionality do you need to include, or terminology?

On the safety side of things, what different moderation tools do you need to include and what self-service options should there be for users to help themselves resolve or report an issue? I can appreciate every community is different, and that different platforms come with their own challenges but some of the fundamentals remain the same; catering to your audience and being able to manage the community.

For more information about Safer Internet Day and the activities going on head over to the UK Safer Internet Centre.