The first episode of my Field work introduces Albert Datsomor , @Albertdat , the online lead for @BarcampTema .
[0:00] Hey guys, welcome. It's good to be back with you again for yet another exciting episode about digital marketing. My name is Enoch and I'm your host. Today's episode will take a different twist. Tonight, I'm introducing field work.
[0:31] Field work is basically interviews I hold with my friends and colleagues in the digital marketing industry. In field work, I go out and I interview them, ask them questions you wish you knew access to. In today's field work, I had a chat with Albert Dachemo, the online lead for Barkham Tema. And to those who don't know, Barkham Tema is one of the flagship networking events organized by Ghana Think Foundation. Usually, they organize Barkhams in all the major regions. We have Barkham Kumaase, Barkham Temale, which I started from, Barkham Coforia, and the ultimate one, Barkham Accra. And just as the name implies, Barkham Tema was held in Tema today. And just like any other Barkhams you've heard of, it brought together youth in Tema and its environs to have a discussion on the theme, building enterprising communities and creating wealth. And now back to my field work, Albert Dachemo is the online lead for Barkham Tema. And one of his duties is to lead the online activities of Barkham Tema. And among these activities is using social media to help in the organization of Barkham Tema. Today was good for the team. Their hashtag BCTema was trending on Twitter.
[1:55] With this win, I decided to have a chat with him, asking questions on how he and his team were able to accomplish this. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Albert Dachemo, the online lead for Barkham Tema.
[2:26] First of all, thank you for joining me. My name is Enoch and just a bit about the Enoch Appiah show is basically a show for the guitar market test. But then just quite recently I just introduced a new segment where I talked about tech news that happened in the week.
[2:48] So that one comes up every Friday. But then this part of the show comes up every Saturday, 7pm. So by the time we are done, it will be up at 7pm. So yeah, I just want to thank you for joining me. And as I said, I'm Enoch and I'm also part of Ganathink Foundation.
[3:07] So do you want to tell us something? Yes, sure. This is Albert, Albert Dachemo. My name is Andrew and I'm usually with all my family members at Albert. And then I'm the online lead for Barkham Tema and at the Ganathink Foundation. All right, cool. Thank you. So the quick question, how long have you been managing the Barkham Tema online pages? I know you have Twitter and Facebook.
[3:41] I don't know about Instagram, but I know Twitter because you are really loud on Twitter. So how long have you guys been managing? Yes, these are 8 Barkham so far. And then as an online lead, I started leading from last year, Barkham. I was formerly in the logistics lead. So I was moved to online to lead that participation when we met one of our colleagues. It's been running business 8 Barkham.
[4:12] Okay. So I don't want to talk about Ganathink now because I know Ganathink has been up since because I joined Ganathink when I was in uni way back in 2011. So I think even roughly Ganathink is more like 8 years.
[4:29] Yeah, like grandfather. Yes, yes. So I don't want to ask about that. But then with you, Albert, how did you start? How did you decide to join Ganathink and eventually become the online lead for Barkham Tema?
[4:46] Okay, I started on campus, University of Professional Studies. UPS. Yes, UPS. And then there was a Barkham Tema program at the Rotary Club in Tema. And then I went there.
[5:00] Once I went there, I experienced it, I realized that this could be done somewhere on campus in the CPSC. So I talked to Acho, the diet organization, and then I told him that I would like to have these on the University of Professional Studies. So yes, we partnered with Rotary Club outside Rotary Club of UPSC. So we partnered with them and then we organized the first Barkham campus UPSC. And then from there, I came to subscribe to Barkham and then I rose my ranks through volunteerism and it became a logistics meet now online.
[5:39] Definitely, cool. And you said you started from logistics, right? Yes. Okay, and now you are the Barkham Tema lead online lead. Okay, so I want you to tell me what you've learned so far in your lessons.
[5:55] Yes, it's been challenging and with challenges come lessons. So yes, from logistics lead, the challenges usually became venue and by Rotary Club of Tema has been very, very supportive.
[6:11] Now we are here to kind of put in our boss authority on the second floor. And then these two places and venues have been very, very supportive. It was challenging at first, especially with getting an organic date and then also food and all that and partnership.
[6:27] But then because of team effort, these challenges are pushed through and then it becomes a success. With online, yes, the main goal with online being online lead is to share to the world that there's hope for Ghana especially when it comes to networking the youth together and bringing them all together to achieve something great as a means of this country in our generation.
[6:54] And then when we are given a month to which we've already been given, but most people don't realize it yet. We're still doing great things with it. So it's to motivate others and give them hope that so and so is going on in Ghana, especially in Africa. And that's there is our hope is not lost. And then also to encourage others to have such passion and such dream, not to encourage you to be great. And then also to take out that particular month and also do similar or even better organizing events like this.
[7:25] All right, cool. So I see back home, all the back home pages in Ghana are really, really active online, whether on Facebook, Twitter, Worlds, Eventbrite. Yeah. So I just want you to run me through how the online team helping organizing back camps and especially let's concentrate on BC Thema, how the online team helping organizing back camp Thema this year.
[8:00] Okay, so first of all, I'd like to indicate that we are not back on the back of Ghana. So they are back home in almost every region. I think all regions and some regions are too.
[8:13] Yes, like Accra. We are back up to my back. Yes. So we are not in the back of Ghana program and back on Ghana days and online. So we all report to him. That's a trick. And then he actually directs us on our part. So basically we make sure that back camp is known when it's about to be organized, the day it's the venue and then also to engage people because the main goal of back camp is to bring people together, especially the youth, tertiary and above, most especially because we have junior camp for the younger ones. So basically is to connect them together. And you talk today on age and our generation now are more into social media.
[8:55] So the online really comes into play to let them be aware that the student is going on and that they should join and be involved. And when you come together, a lot of great things happen here. We have a lot of startups during our camp, especially in the breakout session, which is happening now. And we've also had people networking and people also finding they are passionate in junior. So if they are not told about it through online, it becomes very difficult to achieve our goal as back camp. Thema.
[9:22] Just want to get it. So is it just posting on social media? Is there thoughts behind all the activities you do in organizing? Like, I just want you to break it down. Like maybe before we start to organize the first month, we do this, we do that.
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[10:54] It's great. So before we put everything in place, everything begins after the current back up. So the moment we are done with today's back up, exactly. You start preparing for us. We start one for the next because when usually. Talk about planning. Yes. We've had an experience where we waited and they affected our planet in the event. But even though it was a success but not too high expectations. So basically we learned from that. So immediately after each back up I think is done almost all back up now. We sit down, look at our experiences, look at what didn't go on well, what went on well. And then in the future we should correct and what we should start correcting now even after this back up. So that's where it begins from. So right from this then we start planning on the venue and the date which from next year, next year's back up, it starts at the beginning where we have our general team for back up Ghana where we carve all our theme out of.
[12:04] So that's when it begins. After today that's where the next action begins. Then from there we start looking for venue and then date. One that is confirmed online begins to come today.
[12:16] Online begin before the venue and it's just that people know about experiences that were achieved and an experience that people gained from the previous back up. So once the venue and dates confirm we begin share that to the world and the world know that this is going on.
[12:31] This is happening. Yes. Okay. The moment we are done today you start looking for speakers, you start looking for, you start thinking about the hashtags you use, you start thinking about the topics, everything. Wow. And all these, do you encounter any difficulties?
[12:49] Yes, we do. We do. It's very stressful. This is not really a profit organisation so most of us are volunteering. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I did whilst in uni or was and in fact whatever I'm doing now it was because the volunteering I did for Ghana Think when I was in uni. Yes. And yeah, with that I just told him he has that special place in my heart.
[13:20] Great. But yeah, whatever I'm doing now it is because I was part of Ghana Think and also where volunteering on campus. So with the volunteering I did totally. Yes, yes.
[13:31] Because we all have a common goal we want to achieve. Yeah. We want our nation to be in a particular place where we all dream about a suit and then we like to take it so. So this is one of the medium at which we can get to our particular destination and that's true welcome.
[13:51] So to make that happen we need not to think about profit or else we begin to lose sight of why we are here. Yeah. So basically most of us are volunteering. So that's one challenge.
[14:01] Imagine that way to work outside and everything. So this kind of is it. I see your hashtag BC Tamar. Yes. I know the hashtag for Tamale is BC Tamale. Yes.
[14:15] And it's a major thing today because when I checked on Twitter it was trending. Okay. It was trending. So I don't know. I don't know. Can you just tell us how you guys got it to trend on Twitter because training on Twitter is a major thing. It's a major thing for an event like this.
[14:37] So how do you guys got it to trend? On Twitter we understood the mechanism around it if not almost part of it. So what we basically do is we don't start tweeting from the event.
[14:53] We start tweeting before the event. Wow. Yes. How before? Yes. Especially maybe a week, two weeks, three weeks to the event we have a Twitter chat where we discuss about the topic. That's major.
[15:08] Yes. And then also previous backgrounds, the experience and all that. And these are build-ups. Yeah. What you guys are doing. I don't see you winning just only online.
[15:20] But actually you are just telling people that this is about to happen. It's not. This is about to happen. And I once joined while I was following the chat and I realized that you guys were posting whilst you are chatting. You were also posting about the event that will happen.
[15:37] Exactly. Yes. And I think that is a good thing for now. Exactly. Yes. So after you were before the event you start tweeting, organizing your Twitter chat three weeks before the event. Exactly.
[15:50] Then what again? Yes. So from there through the Twitter chat we involve a lot of others. So we involve people on Twitter as well by asking them, by putting on their Twitter though on most of our comments and all that. And then also what we do next is also talk to them in person.
[16:11] Okay. You move from online. Yes. And come offline. Yes. That's cool. We bring them online. That's cool. Yes. So sometimes we use other mediums aside Twitter. We use WhatsApp, talk to people personally, private chat them and tell them that this was going on.
[16:27] They should join in. So then they join in and then when it comes to engaging. So with Twitter trending, you need to get a lot of people talking about the same thing. So one person can't tweet and then train. So yes, basically that's the main goal. We get people both offline, online to join the online scheme. And then right from there build up to the event. On the event day we engage the participants to tweet. And those who are new to Twitter also get to know about it.
[16:54] And then they realize that it's very interesting. Yeah. Because well, you know Twitter, if you have some, if you are part of the cool gang, then you become, you know, you will enjoy using Twitter. Exactly. Yeah. That is how Twitter is. If you are part of the cool gang, you love using Twitter. So back then when I was coming on Twitter, I wasn't part of these cool gang and actually gonna think was my cool gang. Yeah. So with them I was able to, you know, use Twitter because the moment I tweet, I know that some somebody out there is actually listening and we engage with my tweets. Yeah. So I just want to put it out that gonna think was my first cool gang. You know, the first people I got in contact with on Twitter.
[17:42] Yes. And since then everything is on course now. Now we are still on the difficulties. I don't know if I've already mentioned, but I want to, I want you to tell us, you know, the difficulties you guys have encountered online. Okay. Online. So with online, I mentioned one idea that is related to major work and major work with the background and that has been one difficulty for almost all of us.
[18:16] And then also the fact that we are new to most of the new technologies that come up. So we need to learn more about it. Finding time to learn more about it becomes an issue, but we need to do it.
[18:29] Definitely. That's basically some of the difficulties. And it's a team effort. So sometimes they become difficulty in teamwork, where someone slags somewhere or forgot something, then immediately we need to catch up. That's why sometimes I can forget to do some things online and then I have someone like a tool to put me on my tools and then begin to do it immediately.
[18:55] Definitely. Coming back to the hashtag, what if today was the event was going on? What is the hashtag that didn't trend? If it didn't trend, you don't have to trend. You don't have to trend.
[19:12] Yes. Because you know you've put everything in place. There's a lot of effort. But Twitter changes the algorithm and they can just change it without telling us. If it changes during the event, you realize it. We have to realize it and make sure it works. Because we've not in the outcome that we've not trained before. Yes. So it's a hallmark to always make sure it happens. If it doesn't happen, I'm in trouble.
[19:43] Okay. So do you have any tools to check the efficacy of the hashtag? Yes. When you visit Twitter, there's a pathway you can see the trends, especially in Ghana, and then also in other parts of the world, the worldwide Google bar. So we use that particular medium to check whether we are trending on Twitter or Twitter.
[20:08] Okay, cool. What we've been discussing is all about the event, how you guys, you help the event to be successful. You go about how your hashtag will trend. Now we are done with the event.
[20:27] What kind of content do you post on Twitter? Because if there's an upcoming back on Temma, we know, just as he said, you post about what the participants learned from the previous backgrounds and all. But then what if we are done with the background, like we are in June, right?
[20:48] So let's say in the month of August going, what do you post? Okay. So after the back home, we post experiences, pictures that were taken, we post them online so that intact those we know, the rest when they find out they get started. So basically, that's the first time we edit the pictures and then post them so that people in the world see the experiences. As I said, the main goal is to talk for that. Yes, I see if we can come together and do greater things. Yes, to network around with the world. So basically, that's the first thing we do after each back home. And then also, after that, we try to engage. We have other activities we do like Temma Connect. So we try to engage people about it. Yeah. And that is to, it's basically a little bit our back home, but it brings them closer to mentors or people in a particular field. We organize Temma Connect on our WhatsApp pages as well. And then also on, yes, on some physical locations, which we broadcast on social media. So online always comes in, and in this particular field. And then also, as time goes on, anything happens in Temma, and then we get to hear of it. We immediately, we let the one know if it's great, we let the one if it's bad, we know out which suggestions to put in place, and then they won't know about it. So that those in charge or those who are in authority can take it up and see how it generates results. Okay. Jess, you just mentioned social media, but then I haven't even asked you the platforms you guys are on. Okay. So basically, we are on the Google Plus. Google Plus. We are on Twitter, obviously. We are on Facebook, obviously. So we have WhatsApp pages, yes. Yeah, WhatsApp group or some groups. And yeah, it's kind of those active platforms. We are here to go to Snap. We are trying to understand how it works a lot more before we venture into it.
[22:59] So go and listen. Okay. So this is actually my last question. Okay. And before I've been asked you, I just want to thank you for joining me. Yeah, because I know how busy you are, but then you just took time to join me. So before I ask you, I just want to thank you.
[23:17] Now, my last question is, how's the event is going on? Obviously, we're telling people to tweet. What if they don't tweet? How does it affect productivity? How does it affect you?
[23:31] Does it affect you in any way? If they don't tweet? We basically don't think about it in our way. And if they don't tweet, we don't think about it as to how it affects us. We think about it as why they don't tweet. So is it that they don't know how Twitter works? Or they just don't have data? If they don't have data in it, we provide them data. We hotspot one for participants to tweet.
[23:58] And yeah, so basically, we ask for why and not what it will affect us. So immediately, you solve it and then we solve it right there. All right. Charlie, thank you very much. Really appreciate it. Great. So as I said, the, you know, kapia show is basically about show about the guitar marketing. So I talk about the guitar marketing based on my years of experience.
[24:22] And whatever I come on board, I just, you know, talk about it. And recently, I just introduced a new segment where I talk about the tech news that happened in the week before. Okay. Yeah.
[24:34] The first episode went out yesterday. So the upcoming week that is coming out, just be sourcing out a valuable news content, which is tech based. So that I just push it up. Great. But yeah, if you do one with Tamar, you should know. Definitely. Definitely. Definitely. Thanks, man. Thanks, man. So yeah, once again, thank you.
[24:58] So that was in my first fieldwork. And from our conversation, this is what I get it. One, planning is everything. Not only does planning help you win your events offline. Same thing applies to winning your events online. You have to lay down strategies and stick to it when it comes to organizing your event with the help of social media. And two, they say teamwork makes the dream work. And it's clearly shown here. I like the way he said, it's all about team.
[25:49] It makes you know that without your team, you practically can't do anything. And three, it is very okay to volunteer. Not only are you actually helping people in the society, you're improving on your skills. I've already started as a volunteer. And now he's the online lead for bar camp Tamar. I think that's all I have for you this week. Thanks for joining me this week. Make sure to subscribe to the show on ankle, Stitcher, Spotify, or via RSS so you'll never miss a show. While you're at it, if you found value in this episode, I'd appreciate your comments and ratings. Or if you simply tell a friend about the show, that will help me out too. I'm available to answer all your questions relating to social media marketing. And be sure to tune in next week for my next episode. Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.