First Nations Voice

PAGE 14 • JULY 2014 Over the past few years Facebook has drastically changed the way people obtain information and most certainly the way many now socialize. Social media has become an established way to not only communicate but now is becoming the most effective way to get a message out to an audience. The key to success is creating an audience of your friends, family and followers. Last year when Neechi Commons opened we also saw the huge potential in 'free' advertising opportunities that Facebook offers within our own networks of Neechies and supporters. Since opening our Facebook page we now have almost 1,800 followers on our page with more than 620 visits and each week more than 300 people 'engaged' in our posts. Recently we opened the new 'Come 'N Eat at Neechi Commons' page within a week we reached an audience of 100 and now have a regular engagement of over 35 people weekly and only growing as more people see our adverts and events posted. These kinds of Facebook 'insights' are what page managers get to see when on the page. There are many elements on the management for these pages that are not at all hard to figure out since Facebook provides all the tutorials needed. Taking into account the almost addictive environment Facebook offers, getting people engaged has been a great way to advance our Social Enterprise using social media! The big advantage Facebook gives is the very public and immediate nature of information distribution. When we have wonderful reviews that works in our favour of course, but equally public and potentially damaging is when unhappy customers or others post their concerns online. Whether on our page or within Facebook once Neechi Commons is spelled out we are 'tagged' and get to see that feedback on our page where our followers get a glimpse as well. This brings to light a very real and hard reality for our Indigenous organizations and people in general a concept known as lateral violence. It's something that happens in oppressed societies and those in poverty in particular tend to fall 'victim'. It's a phenomenon where people literally attack one another in various forms to cause havoc and harm over a healthy resolution of an issue. In the immediate neighbourhood this lateral violence has occurred many times over the years for Neechi Commons long before Facebook and Twitter. It's a result of passive/aggressive behaviours that have become an accepted way to communicate within neighbourhoods with high incidents of poverty and social issues. It's also a direct result from the loss of family values and individual responsibility that Residential Schools and colonization has eroded. It's not an easy path for anyone who lives in these environments when kindness and sharing are seen as weakness rather than as strengths. Often time people are completely unaware of how their interactions affect others. Very rare do you find individuals who care enough to bring these difficult issues to light. But once the problem is identified communication can start to happen and the learning to work in better ways can get started. Allowing everyone to share their gifts and make positive contributions is essential to successful relationships. Yet when a few among the group have poor communication skills it effects everyone and makes it more difficult to learn those better ways. It's no surprise Neechi Commons has endured so many staff changes in the past year as departments were established and our community Social Enterprise learned many different things as a brand new Supermarket over being a local Corner Store. We now have over 40 staff with training ongoing for both new staff and those who change departments. Many challenges have been met some more successful than others. Social media has been a vehicle for much 'drama' in the everyday lives of many and at times that overflows into our community organizations as well as businesses like Neechi Commons staffed with community members. It's been a learning curve in many respects over the year and social media is one area that has not gone unaffected. Many organizations have created personnel policies on using social media and how online behaviour can reflect upon the organization. Young people are seemingly not aware many employers use social media to see what kind of public posts are made to determine the character of a potential employee. So far we have been fortunate at Neechi Commons to have received constructive feedback for the most part and to have amazing staff who help to promote our business over creating 'bad press' online. A successful business needs not only advertising but excellent staff to be successful something we have in our favour as we continue to grow and learn in our beautiful big new Supermarket! Neechi Commons NEECHI SOCIAL mEDIA and LATERAL VIOLENCE

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