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Girl Scouts Louisiana East encourages adult members to become a part of council's Facebook community

SEPTEMBER 2009

 

 

Adult Girl Scouts have long shared stories, recommended various activities, and supported other Girl Scout volunteers with advice and assistance garnered from the wisdom that comes with experience.  This dialogue is now online as Girl Scouts Louisiana East (GSLE) is in the beginning stages of integrating social media, particularly Facebook, into the membership-based organization.

“The council created its own Facebook page to strengthen our relationship with adult members and to provide an online forum for talking about Girl Scouting,” said Marianne Addy, vice president of communications at the Girl Scout council.

According to Addy, the council’s involvement in social media is not so much about building membership as it is about encouraging communication among members.  While updates about various Girl Scout activities and events will occur on the council’s Facebook page, it’s the two-way dialogue that makes Facebook so appealing to Addy.

“The council website (www.gsle.org) provides members and supporters a lot of information but why stop there!” said Addy. “Our members know what’s going on in their own communities, and in a under a minute they can share information with other Girl Scout parents and volunteers, as well as provide valuable feedback to the council.”

Girl Scouts Louisiana East’s foray into social media is timely with recent figures from Nielsen showing that social networks and blogs have surpassed email in popularity, making “member communities” the front-running online communications tool worldwide. 

The council has posted social media guidelines (based on the Girl Scout Law) for all GSLE adults – staff and volunteers – who represent the council.  These guidelines can be found at www.gsle.org/news/socialmedia.asp along with a sample of the council’s Facebook page for those unfamiliar with Facebook.  Adult members are also encouraged to visit www.letmeknow.girlscouts.org for guidance around social network safety. There is a similar

website for teen girls at www.lmk.girlscouts.org. Girl Scouts under 13 are not allowed to use Facebook based on the age limits set by Facebook, and girls 13 and above must have parental permission for use of a social networking site based on the 2009 updates to the Girl Scouts of the USA publication Safety-Wise.

Additionally, the council’s parent organization, Girl Scouts of the USA, has recently updated its website at www.girlscouts.org with links to its own Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Flickr, and UTube pages/networks. Addy said these pages may also be of interest to southeast Louisiana adult Girl Scouts wishing to join in conversation with Girl Scouts across the country.

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Media contact: Marianne Addy, VP of Communications
(504) 733-8220, ext. 2226 or maddy@gsle.org  or Cathy Pottschmidt, Public Relations Specialist, at (225) 927-8947, ext. 1238 or cpottschmidt@gsle.org

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