Donkey Sanctuary Aruba, a Caribbean Social Media success story

For the past couple of months I have been a FaceBook fan of the Donkey Sanctuary Aruba . The amount and quality of interaction with their fans really impressed me. By well use of new "free" social media to promote themselves an reach their goals, in my opinion, they really got it right.
This is a good example on how using social media can be an important tool for small Caribbean organisations in communicating, exposing themselves & reaching goals on an International playing field.

I had the opportunity to interview Desiree Eldering, who manages the FB fanpage for the Sanctuary. She shares the following with us:

TT: When was the Donkey Sanctuary established and how long have you been active on FaceBook?
DE: The donkey sanctuary was established on April 1997 and we have our FB page since July 2009 and started by an adoption parent as Aruban Donkey Sanctuary. This had its limits cause I couldn’t write as Donkey Sanctuary Aruba. So in February this year I made a new page which is Donkey Sanctuary Aruba. It took me a while before I was really a fan of the whole idea and now I try to post everyday something on the page.
TT: For a fanpage of a Non-Profit organisation on a small Island, you have a large number of followers, who are also very active. what in your opinion is the main reason for their engagement on your page?
DE: I think because I try to keep it is as positive as possible, don’t point a finger to what is wrong, or complain and react on what people write. I ask people specifically to place their pictures (when they have visited us) on our wall.
TT: What level of priority does the managing of your fanpage have in your daily to-do list?
DE: I check the page every day, but taking care of the donkey sanctuary itself has a bigger priority.
TT: Is there a big difference in the amount of interaction/visits of your fanpage in comparison to your website?
DE: Oh yes it is. Like you say there is interaction. We do appreciate our website as well though, cause that is more like giving information.
TT: Can you tell us of any special stories, or occurances that happened as a result of your fanpage?
DE: I learned a lot about donkeys in other places, donkeys in general on FB. We have donkeys been adopted because of the stories on FB, orders in our e-shop and I even designed a logo for Walk with donkeys on Crete…..
TT: In what way has your fanpage helped you achieve your goals as an organisation?
DE: It helps us to grow. We started 13 years ago with 10 donkeys and today we take care of 106 donkeys. People become aware of us and visit us. Not only because of FB but also our website, so Internet in general helps us to grow….
TT: As an organization operating in the Caribbean, targetting an international audience, what advice can you give to others regarding facebook fanpage management and developement?
DE: Try to post something positive (even try to give a positive twist on a negative event/situation) every day. Answer people who respond on your post. Do not complain or whine and ask questions, so you invite people to interact with you. Make it personal. People like it when they are remembered or appreciated.

http://www.facebook.com/donkey.sanctuary.aruba

Grotere kaart weergeven

Are Caribbean professionals longing for home....?

The Caribbean.....sounds like a dream destination to live and work.
At least that is what everyone I meet tells me. "Why are you living in Europe?" is one of the classic returning questions I constantly get.
Well, other than promoting my Home Island Aruba, I also enjoy the possibilities to develop myself professionally and as a person. My standard answer therefore is: "Aruba will not go anywhere and it will always be my home to which I can return at any time". Still, for many people in Europe working and living in the Caribbean is still an aspiration.
Now that I am about 34 years of age, I start asking myself: "what would be a good age to return and actually work and live in the Caribbean?". This possibility is a certain reality for me, so not such a far fetched idea.
One of the obstacles I find is that in The Caribbean, especially on the smaller Islands, the professional possibilities are limited. for most of the Islands Tourism is one of the main industries, next to sugar and other agricultural exports. Meaning that mid and top level managerial jobs are not abundant. Yet every year over 200 young students leave Aruba to continue their studies abroad. Many of them obtaining bachelor and Master degrees in various fields.
The local government stimulates this as it is good for the Island. constantly reminding us that we should come back and give back to the Island. They are concerned about "Brain drain". However, I am in a generation where we have a "Brain overflow". On Aruba, in the year 2000, about 15% of the population has enjoyed a higher education (source: CBS Aruba; www.cbs.aw). This is still a bit lower than Europe and the USA, nevertheless, on a small territory with only 2 main industries and a limited amount of mid and top level positions, the competition is tough. Also keeping in mind that most of the jobs at the very top are usually filled by foreign professionals.
These last couple of days I did a small enquiry amongst fellow Caribbean Professionals about whether they would give in to lesser jobs in order to be able to live in the Caribbean or pursue a career with more possibilities to grow abroad. The outcome somewhat surprised me. Most of them were willing to give up their lives in the Caribbean for a career abroad. I have to mention that most wanted to retire back home of course. My surprise came from the fact that during our student times, most Caribs I met always indicated that they would return home as soon as they finished their studies. My conclusion here is that when one gets more involved with their career and the impact it has on their lives increases, the allure of living in the Caribbean fades away a bit. Maybe this is also influenced by the fact that in the Caribbean and Latin America we still battle with the "colonial mentality syndrome" (a psychological remnant from colonial times where everything/one from the mother country was better). But I'll dedicate a separate blog on that interesting topic.

There is always the argument that maybe the narrow job market is a stimulus or indicator that people should become more independent and start their own businesses. With the Internet connecting even the smallest region in the Caribbean to the world, the possibilities are many. However, starting a business in a market-place with a limited supply of local (affluent) customers could be difficult. That's when I hear a lot of people say: "well...focus more on tourism, there is a large and potential market".

However, gaining experience and capital in order to effectively start your own business (some may say that this is just an excuse) is still popular amongst professional Caribs. Not to mention how popular culture romanticize career building in large western cities.  Movies, TV sitcoms and series are mostly based on life in  cities such as New York, Los Angeles, London etc.

In contrast to Western professionals, THESE are the dream destinations to live and work for professional Caribs. The big difference would be that we Caribs know both worlds. First our childhoods in the Caribbean, followed by our lives abroad studying and starting our careers. And after talking to my peers we all agree that we remain torn between 2 worlds, having tasted the sweetness of both.

I Guess the grass will always be greener at the neighbours.....