On November 9th Facebook proudly announced their latest
In explaining the reasoning behind this initiative Facebook
cited research conducted by Morning Consult
in partnership with the US Chamber of Commerce Technology Engagement Center and
Facebook themselves, which indicates that “62% percent of US small
businesses using Facebook said having digital or social media skills is an
important factor in their hiring decisions - even more important than where a
candidate went to school.”
Additionally as much as 80% of US SMEs reportedly stated
that Facebook helps them to connect with people in their local community, and
one-in-three assert that the platform has helped them to grow their business.
According to Facebook the ‘Community Boost’ program will provide
assistance in the following areas:
- If you’re looking for a job, we’ll provide training to help you improve your digital and social media skills.
- If you’re an entrepreneur, we’ll have training programs on how to use technology to turn an idea into a business or show you ways to create a free online presence using Facebook.
- If you’re a business owner we’re going to offer ways your business can expand its digital footprint and find new customers around the corner and around the globe.
- If you’re getting online for the first time or you want to support your community, we’ll provide training on digital literacy and online safety. And we’ll also help community members use technology to bring people together, with features like Events and Groups.
Despite this however the initiative has been welcomed by
representatives of the included cities and states, with Houston Mayor Sylvester
Turner commenting, “We’re happy to welcome Facebook to Houston to boost our
residents’ digital skills and make sure our vibrant community of entrepreneurs
and small businesses gets more out of the internet. I’m glad that Facebook recognized
that one of the first five cities to benefit from this program should be
Houston, the most diverse city in the nation, the largest economic engine of
Texas and a proving ground not only for innovation in tech, energy, medicine
and space exploration but also for mom-and-pop small businesses that reflect
all the cultures of America and the globe.”
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