Consider the last time you searched for the answer to a query or contacted a friend to arrange a catch up. Have you ever given much thought to how you went about doing these things? If you’re reading this blog there’s a good chance that you probably used a little help from the internet.
According to the charity GoOn UK these habits and skills belong to fewer people than you might expect. Set up to promote digital skills, the charity conducted a survey that used five key skills – the ability to manage information, communicate, make payments, solve problems, and create things – as a benchmark of online literacy.
To most Millennials, this sounds like a basic skill set. However GoOn UK has revealed that, incredibly, 12 million people and one million small businesses in the UK do not have the skills to prosper in the digital era. Given that we’re in the midst of a digital revolution this disparity is concerning.
According to the charity’s report, this skills shortage can restrict opportunities for individuals and businesses alike. So, while it might be a daunting task to move out of your comfort zone, it’s important to be aware of current missed opportunities – and what you can gain from getting involved. Perhaps you’re missing out on the communication potential of social media and therefore overlooking your market, or maybe you’re exposing yourself to online risk by ignoring your digital privacy settings.
If you’re feeling lost in the digital ocean you needn’t despair, however. Whether you’re trying to apply your social media knowledge to a business setting or you’d just like to have a better grasp of email functions, there are many resources available to help you get involved.
GoOn UK offer resources to help you build skills and deepen your understanding of how to master the online world and all it has to offer here: http://bit.ly/1MaaoK2
GoOn UK’s blog also offers some great insights in to a range of handy topics, from staying safe online to accessing free online tools that could help your business. You can access the blog archive here: www.go-on.co.uk/blog/
Remember, we’re always here to chat, so if you have any questions about social media we would love to hear from you!
-Georgina Hawkins, Community Manager.
Kate Tyler is the founder of Shake Social and our long time social media expert. A regular speaker at events, Kate offers consultancy and training on a range of digital marketing topics, in particular safeguarding and using social media in an educational setting.