Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Charities and New Media and Case Study of ChildLine
There has been a change in how charities operate since the development of new media such as the internet, web 2.0 and the prevalence of mobile communication. This has changed how a charity interacts with their audience and has lead to positive changes in how they raise awareness , funding and volunteers. Helen Beckett, head of communications at Media Trust, says many voluntary groups are showing a great deal of initiative in the way they are approaching new media. "Charities' use of online communities is becoming more prevalent," she says. These networks are joined and maintained by individuals rather than organizations, which makes them great for raising awareness or fundraising among friends, peers and colleagues. They are informal but extremely powerful."
Web 2.0 has seen charities developing networks, discussion forums and blogs. This is not only allowing them to spread messages, but ensuring that their beneficiaries are talking to each other and to them about their ideas and problems or to get support and advice.
An example
Amnesty international is a charity that proliferated there brand across the world and the web has had a key role in this. Many nations have their own site idiosyncratic to there domain, which details local events , offers a place to donate and provides a wealth of information on human rights.
Martin Bailie, planning director at ad agency Glue London, explained in a recent interview that : "Charities and companies have never been in control of their brands and what people say about them, only now audiences can share their thoughts with the world. This is a wonderful time for organizations to welcome ever more stakeholders in what they do. But they need to be prepared
This is an acute observation; new media has allowed charities to improve their services but also in a quicker more efficient way, now that the public’s feedback can be instant . It also allows for new marketing strategies and how membership to a charity can be online and profile based, which also always for a personalisation of the interface and heighted sense of gratification for the user.
Challenges in control emerge with the greater means of communication: The message of the charity may be challenged and confused by the ill informed members of the charity and the forums around it. Charities have to accept that people may use such forums to express a range of views about them and their work, but that this in turn will make them even more accountable and effective.
A Case Study-ChildLine
Why does ChildLine exist?
ChildLine’s aims and objectives are: to protect children from harm, to share children and young people’s difficulties and help resolve or alleviate their problems to raise public awareness and influence policies and practice that affect children’s lives and development.
A brief History
In October 1986, a BBC special programme on child abuse, called Child Watch, launched Child Line. British Telecom provided Child Line with space to work from .Child Line quickly took root in the minds of children and young people as “their line”. Child Line is established as the place that children and young people identify as their own.
Child Line in Ireland operates in the same impartial space for child to seek help. I asked a child line volunteer to answer a few questions. Have a read there...
The Interview
Tell me what is your role as a volunteer?
As a Child line online volunteer my duties are to communicate with the child users through the mediums of text message, one on one instant messaging and responding to their emails. Though many children contact us with problems, the emphasis is on us to be non directive, that is, to represent a listening ear rather than a problem focused helpline.
Who is child line aimed at?
Any child under 18, there is no specific 'target audience' though naturally children are often 8 years plus, given that the service r some degree of technological know-how.
Is there an ethos or mission statement that underlines how child line helps children?
Yes absolutely. As I mentioned earlier, key to the child line service is what they call a 'non directive', 'child centric' service where the idea is not to be problem focused but to be a listening service for the child. The idea is to empower the child, and if there is a problem, to allow them to decide the best solutions for themselves, rather than telling them what to do.
What are the primary ways a child can contact child line?
They can either phone the service, or text, or go online and either send an email or enter into a one on one conversation with a volunteer.
Can children ask for a particular volunteer? And are they allowed build a relationship?
No this is something that child line aims to avoid. This is both to protect the volunteer’s objectivity and to avoid the Childs overdependence on the service. As such, child line will never give out information on volunteers shifts, but instead reassure the child that they all do the same thing.
Which is the most popular form of contact? And why?
Not too sure- the phone lines are open 24 hours, so they are the most available. Whereas, text and online conversation are restricted to day and evening shifts during the week.
Do you think texting and online contact has made getting help for these children more accessible?
Yes definitely. This form of communication seems to be overtaking phone calls in their daily lives and is something they are very familiar with. It is perhaps easier to present as mere 'words' rather than as a voice, and may make them feel less vulnerable.
How does child line screen calls? Are there instances when you are not allowed to respond?
No calls are screened in that every call/ message will be answered unless they are unable. in rare cases certain callers who are over dependent on the service will be recognised by the volunteers. These are often aware that they have been given scheduled times to call (to stop them calling all the time) and if they outside these times, child line will remind them of this. but no call is purposely unanswered
To other children on the site communicate with each other, as I have seen on the website there is public form?
They can post publicly, but there is no forum per se where they can communicate with one another.
Is the means of communication tiered, as in the first point of contact on the website and then the child is encouraged to ring?
No not necessarily, the child dictates which service they prefer though we do tell them about the other services so that they are aware of all of them.
Does child line work with any other charities?
Not sure! Though with regard to the volunteers work, we have a select, approved set of websites/ books that we can recommend for the child that may be better equipped to help them with queries such as homosexuality or bullying (It is important to say that child line does not like to explain things, but rather encourage the child to find out for themselves..)
Has child line solicited more donations and interest because of new media such as the web 2.0 features? (Web 2.0 in interactive real time chat and many features of social networking sites?
Well the instant messaging has no doubt really helped how child line communicates with children and is a key component.
To Conclude
Child Line is helping a wider audience , with a means of communication that allows children to find their voice and choose how they ask for help, be it a text message, an email or a phone call.
We can see through Child Line the positive ways in which new media can be used. Though there is concern for how the medium may be compromised or misused, as Public forums can be hard to monitor , with child line there has been concern over people pretending to be children but this can be hard to determine through a text or email.
Web 2.0 has seen charities developing networks, discussion forums and blogs. This is not only allowing them to spread messages, but ensuring that their beneficiaries are talking to each other and to them about their ideas and problems or to get support and advice.
An example
Amnesty international is a charity that proliferated there brand across the world and the web has had a key role in this. Many nations have their own site idiosyncratic to there domain, which details local events , offers a place to donate and provides a wealth of information on human rights.
Martin Bailie, planning director at ad agency Glue London, explained in a recent interview that : "Charities and companies have never been in control of their brands and what people say about them, only now audiences can share their thoughts with the world. This is a wonderful time for organizations to welcome ever more stakeholders in what they do. But they need to be prepared
This is an acute observation; new media has allowed charities to improve their services but also in a quicker more efficient way, now that the public’s feedback can be instant . It also allows for new marketing strategies and how membership to a charity can be online and profile based, which also always for a personalisation of the interface and heighted sense of gratification for the user.
Challenges in control emerge with the greater means of communication: The message of the charity may be challenged and confused by the ill informed members of the charity and the forums around it. Charities have to accept that people may use such forums to express a range of views about them and their work, but that this in turn will make them even more accountable and effective.
A Case Study-ChildLine
Why does ChildLine exist?
ChildLine’s aims and objectives are: to protect children from harm, to share children and young people’s difficulties and help resolve or alleviate their problems to raise public awareness and influence policies and practice that affect children’s lives and development.
A brief History
In October 1986, a BBC special programme on child abuse, called Child Watch, launched Child Line. British Telecom provided Child Line with space to work from .Child Line quickly took root in the minds of children and young people as “their line”. Child Line is established as the place that children and young people identify as their own.
Child Line in Ireland operates in the same impartial space for child to seek help. I asked a child line volunteer to answer a few questions. Have a read there...
The Interview
Tell me what is your role as a volunteer?
As a Child line online volunteer my duties are to communicate with the child users through the mediums of text message, one on one instant messaging and responding to their emails. Though many children contact us with problems, the emphasis is on us to be non directive, that is, to represent a listening ear rather than a problem focused helpline.
Who is child line aimed at?
Any child under 18, there is no specific 'target audience' though naturally children are often 8 years plus, given that the service r some degree of technological know-how.
Is there an ethos or mission statement that underlines how child line helps children?
Yes absolutely. As I mentioned earlier, key to the child line service is what they call a 'non directive', 'child centric' service where the idea is not to be problem focused but to be a listening service for the child. The idea is to empower the child, and if there is a problem, to allow them to decide the best solutions for themselves, rather than telling them what to do.
What are the primary ways a child can contact child line?
They can either phone the service, or text, or go online and either send an email or enter into a one on one conversation with a volunteer.
Can children ask for a particular volunteer? And are they allowed build a relationship?
No this is something that child line aims to avoid. This is both to protect the volunteer’s objectivity and to avoid the Childs overdependence on the service. As such, child line will never give out information on volunteers shifts, but instead reassure the child that they all do the same thing.
Which is the most popular form of contact? And why?
Not too sure- the phone lines are open 24 hours, so they are the most available. Whereas, text and online conversation are restricted to day and evening shifts during the week.
Do you think texting and online contact has made getting help for these children more accessible?
Yes definitely. This form of communication seems to be overtaking phone calls in their daily lives and is something they are very familiar with. It is perhaps easier to present as mere 'words' rather than as a voice, and may make them feel less vulnerable.
How does child line screen calls? Are there instances when you are not allowed to respond?
No calls are screened in that every call/ message will be answered unless they are unable. in rare cases certain callers who are over dependent on the service will be recognised by the volunteers. These are often aware that they have been given scheduled times to call (to stop them calling all the time) and if they outside these times, child line will remind them of this. but no call is purposely unanswered
To other children on the site communicate with each other, as I have seen on the website there is public form?
They can post publicly, but there is no forum per se where they can communicate with one another.
Is the means of communication tiered, as in the first point of contact on the website and then the child is encouraged to ring?
No not necessarily, the child dictates which service they prefer though we do tell them about the other services so that they are aware of all of them.
Does child line work with any other charities?
Not sure! Though with regard to the volunteers work, we have a select, approved set of websites/ books that we can recommend for the child that may be better equipped to help them with queries such as homosexuality or bullying (It is important to say that child line does not like to explain things, but rather encourage the child to find out for themselves..)
Has child line solicited more donations and interest because of new media such as the web 2.0 features? (Web 2.0 in interactive real time chat and many features of social networking sites?
Well the instant messaging has no doubt really helped how child line communicates with children and is a key component.
To Conclude
Child Line is helping a wider audience , with a means of communication that allows children to find their voice and choose how they ask for help, be it a text message, an email or a phone call.
We can see through Child Line the positive ways in which new media can be used. Though there is concern for how the medium may be compromised or misused, as Public forums can be hard to monitor , with child line there has been concern over people pretending to be children but this can be hard to determine through a text or email.
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