The BBC has been dipping its toes in the social media pool of late, and with some interesting results. Whilst at first this might look like Aunty Beeb jumping on to the latest buzz-fuelled bandwagon, this really could be the beginning of a real change in the way we digest broadcast media.

iPlayer has been around for a while now, but the BBC clearly has bigger ideas for the way it uses the web (and specifically the social web) above and beyond showing repeats of its shows.

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I, along with 7.9  million other people tuned in to Question Time last night to see how Nick Griffin, leader of the BNP, would be received and treated by the public at large. As well as his awkward responses to the grilling he received from the panel and audience, the other thing I couldn’t help notice was the frequency with which the Question Time Twitter address was flashed up at the bottom of the page, so I started following on my phone as I watched.

It seems I wasn’t alone.  Around 75,000 tweets used the #bbcqt tag in the hour. This sort of Twitter storm isn’t uncommon (the reaction to the recent and odious Jan Moir article published in The Mail being an obvious example), however what struck me was that the BBC clearly knew that this was a contentious issue, knew that it would be great Twitter fodder, and did everything it could to make the most of it.

This may have been a bit of a publicity stunt, but it illustrated very well how social tools like Twitter have the potential to transform the way we interact with TV. News and current affairs programmes have encouraged viewers to call and e-mail with their opinions for years, but those viewers voices only got heard if they were put through to the studio, or their comments read out. With social media, everyone can see everyone else’s comments immediately – we get an instant snapshot of public opinion.

The Beeb has taken this a step further with Strictly Come Dancing, which as well as having a Twitter feed has its own dedicated microsite, stuffed full of social tools, which buzz (and tweet!) with activity every Saturday night as the celebs do their thing on the dancefloor.

Until now TV has been a relatively passive medium that we sit and absorb. With social media, we are starting to be able to take part. The ability to react and interact real-time could be applied fantastically in other areas – think of TV dramas where multiple versions are shot and the audience gets to choose the outcome, or who gets killed off! Think how the same technology could be applied on election night or live sport. I for one will be looking with interest at where the BBC goes next with social.

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BBC, BNP, course, Nick Griffin, Question Time, social media, social media course, social media for business, social media marketing, Social Media Training, Strictly Come Dancing, training, Twitter

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