This is an optional session, focused on introductory elements for folks who are newer to the Social Pinpoint platform, however, all participants are welcome regardless of experience. Week 0 will cover the basics of using the platform, ensuring that all participants can navigate Social Pinpoint to engage with the rest of the course. We will also cover some basic vocabulary around public engagement best practices.

Part 1. What is public engagement?

Any process that includes the public in problem-solving or decision-making. Public engagement uses input to make sustainable and enduring decisions. It is respectful of the interests and expertise of those involved, and should be transparent about its scope.

Thought leaders in this space often refer to the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Spectrum of Public Participation as a ground spot for discussion.

For every project, you should take some time to define your public. This should include two parts: (1) a demographic analysis, and (2) a decision tree. Here, we will focus on the latter.

Part of building trust, is being transparent about how decisions will be made and what the realm of public influence looks like. The below graphic can provide a helpful guide to this discussion. At a local government level, for example, the decider may be City Council (who are presented a recommended course of action by a Planning Commission), the planners may be your City staff and consultants, the advisors may be members of a steering committee or community leaders, reviewers may be those who attend and participate in public meetings, observers may be those who attend a public meeting and show interest but don't complete a survey, and unsurprised apathetics are those who see the flyer and decide they don't need to learn more.

From a digital engagement perspective, there is a unique opportunity to quantify observers and unsurprised apathetics. These groups will leave a digital footprint that can be recorded and are a powerful way to show the breadth of your communications strategy. The loudest voices in a room might be opposed to your bike lane project, but if you know that you reached over a thousand community members who observed your project (think viewers in Social Pinpoint reporting) then you can interpret that those individuals saw what you were doing and said "I'm good" and didn't feel the need to participate further. These voices, while silent and sometimes uninterested, are still giving you feedback on community perception of your work and are still an important part of your process.

Part 2. Learn Social Pinpoint

Now, let's dive into Social Pinpoint. We will cover, in order, how to do each of the following. The recording of this session will be uploaded below for your reference at any later date. You will also find links here to pages on the Learning Center (the Social Pinpoint self-help desk!) for further details on how to accomplish each of these learning objectives and dive in further as you have time and interest.

1. Log in
2. Navigate the user interface (tool bar, dashboard, sitemap)
3. Create a project page - project title "LAST NAME, ORGANIZATION Explore"
4. Add an image and image management
5. Add content and engagement tools:
   • Add a text box
   • Add a quick poll
6. Use the clipboard (navigate to: "Copy and paste content tools" and "Copy and paste feedback tools" to learn more)
7. Explore page settings, manage content (versions, mobile preview, etc.)
   • Project settings
8. Understand the differences between save, publish, and scheduled publish
9. Find data for your pages and engagements (overview, results, and people reports)