Social Networking in Community Agencies (SNICA)

The Social Networking in Community Agencies (SNICA) Project is an initiative of the St Kilda Inclusion Project in conjunction with Port Phillip Council. Port Phillip Council supports and directly funds a range of community organisations, including Neighbourhood Houses and Youth services. In line with their interest in developing community organisations and building more connected communities, Council and the St Kilda Inclusion Project are interested in exploring whether there is latent potential in the social networking milieu for community organisations.

Initial discussions with community organisations indicate some interest in pursuing the issue from a number of perspectives. Agencies questions whether Social Networking can:

• Better connect organisations to the broader community -activating and connecting volunteers and supporters?

• Become a resource for homeless and transient people providing better connection with community?

• Be harnessed as a means for organisations to fundraise and to market and present themselves better?

A short survey was developed in April this year and distributed to agencies in St Kilda. Ten community agencies completed the survey and the results are included in this report. The survey tested for enablers and barriers for use of social networking