Update: Kampala, Uganda

The UNDP offices in Kampala, Uganda hosted 28 for this weekend’s Social Good Summit. UNDP’s Sheila Kulubya reports back:

The Global Conversation: What was the most surprising thing you learned at your meet-up?

Sheila Kulubya: That engaging with new media, particularly social media, is a full-time job! New media tools and technologies are continuously flooding the market and you have to keep up to remain relevant or get left behind.  

That numbers don’t really matter: it is quality and well-tailored content that gets people talking about your idea, product or service – an excellent learning point for development agencies whose impact at times is difficult to package or measure at the individual level.

TGC: What were the main themes you saw?

SK: Quality (content) versus Quantity (numbers) – in which basket do you put all or some of your eggs?

• Cost versus choice of medium – So many tools, but what is the most appropriate for one’s audience? More importantly, in an ever evolving field, how do you tell which technology has a longer shelf life without having to switch to the next big thing (tomorrow!) before you’ve properly utilized the old one.
• New media and development: Pushing the envelope - How do we integrate new media technologies in to development (UNDP’s) work beyond tweets and Facebook updates?

What single thing would you want the world to learn from your meet-up?
Engaging people using new media is a bit like traditional marketing: there must be substance underneath all the fancy packaging. People’s offline experiences with your idea/product/service must match with their online experiences so as to identify with you and support you.