Have you heard the saying “you can’t teach an old dog, new tricks”? I hope it’s not true, because I’m an old dog, and I’m here to learn some new tricks.
My educational background is in Communication. I have a degree from Carleton University in Mass Communication, a certificate in Public Relations from Niagara College, and numerous courses over the years for stakeholder engagement. I love learning about and working in communications. But my work in the government over the last decade had focused on those old, antiquated forms of communication.
I work at Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency. I’ve actually worked in energy efficiency my whole career, mostly in regulatory compliance. Comfortable work, but not interesting. That all changed a year ago when I was offered the opportunity to work for the ENERGY STAR for buildings program. Talk about a brand, am I right!
Our ENERGY STAR for products team have already embraced social media but those of us in the buildings team are just getting started. Much of our communication to date have been Eblasts and webinars. When I was as to draft some posts for our ENERGY STAR Canada social media channels, it hit me, I really don’t know anything about social media and more specifically, the intricacies of social marketing. I’ve been faking it for the last few months, but I really do want to learn more. So, here I am, not only to get a better understanding of social media, but more importantly to gain confidence in this field.
I had no idea social media had so many different areas. For instance, I had heard of blogs, but I didn’t really seek any out until this week. This is the first blog I read, it’s my work blog, the Office of Energy Efficiency’s blog: Spotlight on energy efficiency. I hadn’t read it until now because honestly, didn’t understand what it was all about. I do like how this blog gives simple tips on how to be energy efficient in your home. It’s clear and has a positive tone, with simple graphics that are not too distracting and short articles that are not too daunting. It makes you feel good, because you are doing your part for the environment.
My personal view of social media before starting this course is that it was a black hole, sucking up everything around me. But after this week’s lesson I am starting to see the benefits of social media. It is re-creating that sense of community that had been lost with globalization and giving power back to the people to have their voices heard. I still feel a little overwhelmed with the social media field. But I am looking forward to demystifying this field one weekly lesson at a time.
I often feel like I’m one of the last hold outs to get involved in social media. Or do you think there are still masses of people out there refusing or too afraid to get involved in social media?
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
Great post! I do think that there a lot of people that are not on social media, it can be an overwhelming process for those that are not familiar with it, so getting started can by tricky. I think a lot of older generations don’t like the idea of there personal information being broadcasted online, I know it took a lot of convincing to get my parents on social media. I think once your on it and use it a bit, it gets easier to navigate and you can see the benefits.
Josh
Hi Mandace! I thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog post and a bit about your life and career. It’s really neat how you had the opportunity to work with Energy Star, plus you seemed incredibly enthusiastic about it! I love the passion that you have for your work with the company too, it’s incredible that you’re so motivated to learn more about social media. Lovely read.