When you are meeting peers or potential clients, you may already have a business card. If you don’t have a website on your business card, what kind of website would you like to present to others when you present your card? If you do have a website, what is the purpose of the website? How are you being represented online?
Websites are great networking tools because community members are invited to spend dedicated time being introduced to you in a manner that is almost entirely controlled and curated by you. What are the key points you want every visitor to walk away with? How is your message being conveyed?
Of course your website should meet your expectations, but having a website can be crucial in cases where vital information or resources are being shared. If your community members rely on having access to you – your professional location, your intellectual content, your tools and resources – having a website can be a professional obligation.
You can provide support to your clients and community 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, when you have a virtual collection of content that can add to your arsenal of approaches. Social Workers that work with teenagers would agree the internet can feel like a safe space for some young people. When things IRL (in real life) get out of control, the internet is where they can feel some freedom. Websites can help comfort, empower, educate and advocate.
Social Workers love sharing hand-outs, activities, articles and referrals. What content have you wanted to share with your people? While blogs seem trivial in many ways, they are a great way to express concepts in long form writing, post inspirational tidbits, informational and reference material, or your insights and experiences. Do you have an article or website you wish you could email to every client, or collections of links for different situations?
The limits of the internet are constantly being expanded, and websites are becoming more integral to our day to day lives, personally and professionally. A website is a powerful, flexible, reliable resource that can be adapted and developed to meet the needs of more people every day. Whatever your Social Work goals may be, owning a website may become one of your favorite tools.