Co-op Voices
Meeting Members Where They Are
I’ve tweeted on Twitter and been friended on Facebook. My image has been captured on Flickr, and I have watched and been watched on YouTube. I love to follow and add my 2 cents to a good blog dialog, and I’ve been located on LinkedIn.
Robert Hance
Move over Ashton Kutcher, this grandpa is doing social media.
Just a few years ago, the Internet was a place where you sent e-mail or conducted research. Today, as a result of the influx of social media platforms, it is changing the way we communicate and providing a forum for steering public opinion.
It’s considered by many as the biggest shift since the Industrial Revolution, credited through its ability to facilitate grassroots campaigns for launching a relatively unknown senator from Illinois into the role of the 44th president of the United States and bringing Betty White to “Saturday Night Live.”
Welcome to the age of social media.
Some have suggested that electric utilities have no real purpose or need for entering this arena, but I would argue otherwise. Social media is opening up new, interactive lines of communication, allowing us to engage with people who wouldn’t pick up our monthly magazine or read our bill newsletter.
We have to recognize that some people embrace new communication platforms as they come out of the gate, while others choose to ignore them. Regardless of which camp you’re in, the reality is that social media platforms are not going away. In fact, I would venture to say they will continue to grow and proliferate. So, our goal is to do what we can to meet our member-owners where they are.
Midwest Energy is now in the process of developing a presence on some of these exciting new platforms. These will not replace our traditional communication tools, such as Michigan Country Lines magazine, but rather supplement them as a new forum for communication.
Again, meeting our member-owners where they are.
We’re dipping our toes in the water as we evaluate the myriad of platforms to determine which is the most effective in meeting our ultimate goal, which is to engage our member-owners in active communication.
Whether it’s blogging about issues affecting the energy landscape, tweeting about power outages or load management, or facebooking about the great things we’re offering in the community, we want to get our member-owners involved in the life of their electric co-op.
Exciting stuff is coming down the pike; the possibilities are clearly as endless as the minds creating this stuff. We’re even planning some community forums and educational events to de-mystify this thing called social media, and give member-owners some basic tools to help them join the fun.
We’re encouraging our member-owners to join us on this journey and help us shape the tools that will be most helpful. We’ll see you online!
Robert Hance is president and CEO of Midwest Energy Cooperative, Cassopolis, Mich.
Tags: Co-op Voices