Digital Inclusion Wales

It has been four months since the launch of the ‘Digital Inclusion Wales Stakeholders’ Forum’ and I am thinking more about how to take the site forward as the Christmas period draws closer. For some, this may seem the wrong way round as Christmas is normally a relaxing, festive, time; however, I have set myself the challenge of using the Christmas period to get to grips with Google+. (Google+ is the new social network site from Google)

I am one of many who have grown up through the ages of social networking, be it from MSN Messenger, MySpace, YouTube, Bebo…. into (what seems – the world-dominating phenomenon that is) Facebook. But where does the social networking landscape go next? Is the future of a ‘Social Network’ to be a platform that incorporates music purchases, shop purchases and the ability to Skype with contacts or will it be a more advanced platform for texting to individuals’ mobile phones? The vast majority of new mobile phones have applications built in to serve social networks; where contact details would previously only contain a landline number and mobile number, it now offers the contacts’ latest tweets, status updates, email address, mobile messaging numbers – but how much information is enough?

What is next for social networks? How long will it be before you are able to order your Chinese takeaway on a Saturday night by tweeting the number of each dish to the restaurant, or Facebook messaging a pizza company your order before collection? Are we currently aware of what other countries are able to do on these platforms and to what extent they are exploiting them? 

Social networks work, because they are adaptable to everybody’s needs….. 

So can social networks be used to reduce the digital divide? Are there advantages of using social networks? If so, what are they? Is it the case that by using a social network to help spread a message, you can reach a wider audience than might do a stand-alone website? 

I currently have a theory that, by using a social network platform linked to a website, it can help reach an audience who may not otherwise be aware, and so help reinforce the website. All it takes on a social network site is for a friend of someone who you know to like/follow a page of a site for it to then also automatically show on your page. (Confused, well it is not easy to explain or initially understand!) OK. Let’s try and explain: ‘everybody’ knows that if you want to search for something on the internet, one word normally springs to mind…… Google! So how can a similar level of brand recognition be achieved by using a social network to create an identity, say around digital inclusion in Wales? By having an identity, does it help those who have never used technologies, or are more apprehensive around them, feel at ease or slightly more confident in the end result than perhaps a less recognised name/brand would achieve?

Have you or your organisation tried this approach, and if so to what extent has it succeeded or failed? Have you, through the use of social networking, been drawn to a page/site because someone you know, or someone who your friend knows, has followed or liked the page/site?

Please share opinions, views, failures and successes. It is through such sharing that we can improve and develop an understanding around all things Digital.

I wish you all a good and enjoyable Christmas, and I hope that my first success of 2012 will be grasping how Google+ works and to share with you how best to use such a platform and build an identity for Digital Inclusion in Wales.

Mae pedwar mis wedi mynd heibio ers i ‘Fforwm Rhanddeiliaid Cynhwysiant Digidol Cymru’ gael ei lansio, ac rwy’n meddwl mwy ynghylch sut i ddatblygu’r safle hwn wrth i’r Nadolig nesáu.  Gall hyn ymddangos o chwith i rai, gan fod y Nadolig fel rheol yn amser llawen i ymlacio; ond, rydw i wedi gosod her i mi fy hun i ddefnyddio’r cyfnod hwn i ddod i ddeall Google+. (Google+ yw safle rhwydweithio cymdeithasol newydd Google) 

Rwy’n un o nifer sydd wedi tyfu yn yr oes rhwydweithio cymdeithasol, boed hynny’n MSN Messenger, MySpace, YouTube, Bebo... i (yr hyn sy’n ymddangos fel ffenomen sydd wedi cydio ar draws y byd) Facebook. Ond beth fydd nesaf i rwydweithio cymdeithasol? Ai bod yn llwyfan sy’n cynnwys prynu cerddoriaeth, prynu o siopau a gallu defnyddio Skype gyda chysylltiadau fydd dyfodol ‘Rhwydwaith Cymdeithasol' neu a fydd yn llwyfan uwch i anfon negeseuon testun (i ffonau symudol unigolion)? Mae rhaglenni wedi’u cynnwys yn y rhan fwyaf o ffonau symudol newydd, sy'n caniatáu defnyddio rhwydweithiau cymdeithasol; yn y gorffennol byddai ond yn bosib cynnwys rhif llinell gyffredin a ffôn symudol, ond nawr gall gynnwys trydar, statws diweddaraf, cyfeiriad e-bost, rhifau anfon negeseuon i ffonau symudol y cysylltiadau – ond faint o wybodaeth sy’n ddigon?

Beth nesaf i rwydweithiau cymdeithasol? Pa mor hir fydd hi cyn y byddwch chi’n gallu archebu eich bwyd Tsieineaidd ar nos Sadwrn drwy drydar rhif pob pryd i’r tŷ bwyta, neu anfon neges Facebook at gwmni Pizza i archebu eich pryd cyn i chi ei nôl o’r siop? Ydyn ni’n gwybod beth mae gwledydd eraill yn gallu ei wneud ar y llwyfannau hyn, ac i ba raddau maen nhw’n manteisio arnyn nhw i’r eithaf?

Mae rhwydweithiau cymdeithasol yn gweithio am eu bod nhw’n gallu addasu yn unol ag anghenion pawb... 

Felly ydy hi’n bosib defnyddio rhwydweithiau cymdeithasol i leihau’r bwlch digidol? Oes yna fanteision i ddefnyddio rhwydweithiau cymdeithasol? Os felly, beth ydyn nhw? Allwch chi gyrraedd cynulleidfa ehangach drwy ddefnyddio rhwydwaith cymdeithasol i ledaenu’r neges, na fyddai’n bosib ar wefan unigol? 

 Mae gen i theori ar hyn o bryd y gellir cyrraedd at gynulleidfa, na fyddai'n ymwybodol fel arall, drwy ddefnyddio llwyfan rhwydwaith cymdeithasol wedi'i gysylltu â gwefan, gan helpu i gryfhau'r wefan felly. Yr unig beth fyddai ei angen ar safle rhwydwaith cymdeithasol fyddai i ffrind rhywun rydych chi’n ei adnabod hoffi/dilyn tudalen ar safle iddo ymddangos ar eich tudalen chi yn awtomatig. (Wedi drysu? Wel, dydi hi ddim yn hawdd esbonio na deall hyn i gychwyn!) Iawn. Gadewch i mi geisio esbonio:  mae ‘pawb’ yn gwybod mai un gair sy’n dod i’r meddwl os ydych chi am chwilio am rywbeth ar y rhyngrwyd fel rheol... Google! Felly sut mae’n bosib cael yr un lefel o ymwybyddiaeth brand drwy ddefnyddio rhwydwaith cymdeithasol i greu hunaniaeth, er enghraifft, ynghylch cynhwysiant digidol yng Nghymru? A yw cael hunaniaeth yn helpu'r rheini sydd erioed wedi defnyddio technolegau, neu sy'n fwy pryderus yn eu cylch, i deimlo'n gyfforddus neu rywfaint yn fwy hyderus gyda'r canlyniad yn y pen draw, na fyddai enw/brand llai adnabyddus yn ei wneud?

Ydych chi neu eich sefydliad wedi rhoi cynnig ar y dull hwn, ac os felly, i ba raddau mae wedi llwyddo neu fethu? Ydych chi, drwy ddefnyddio rhwydweithio cymdeithasol, wedi cael eich denu at dudalen/safle oherwydd bod rhywun rydych yn ei adnabod, neu rywun mae eich ffrind yn ei adnabod, wedi dilyn neu hoffi’r dudalen/safle?

Rhannwch eich barn, safbwyntiau, methiannau a llwyddiannau.  Drwy rannu gwybodaeth fel hyn, fe allwn ni wella a datblygu dealltwriaeth am bopeth Digidol.

Gan ddymuno Nadolig da a llawen i chi, a gobeithio mai fy llwyddiant cyntaf yn 2012 fydd dod i ddeall sut mae Google+ yn gweithio a rhannu'r ffordd orau i ddefnyddio llwyfan o'r fath gyda chi, a chreu hunaniaeth ar gyfer Cynhwysiant Digidol yng Nghymru.