Month: August 2009

Social media staff guidelines

There is a lot of discussion about social media policies, especially in government. People want documents to set out how staff can and should use social networks and other websites to engage with citizens and groups, and what the protocol should be when staff comment on blogs or forums in an ‘official’ capacity.

The obvious starting point for this stuff is the online participation guidance for civil servants. These are the high level pointers that Tom Watson requested be developed when he was Minister for Digital Engagement.

These guidelines should, I think, form the basis of any social media policy. Most organisations will, I think, probably want to refine them a bit, however.

In a recent bit of work I have been doing for a client, I wrote up an online participation policy for a specific campaign. This basically listed the standard guidelines, but on top I added three scenarios and what the approach should be to contributing in online discussion spaces:

  • If the information you are posting is already in the public domain, for example it has been included in a press release or similar communication, then post it without needing to discuss with others
  • If the information you are posting is merely a pointer to another online resources, then again, post away with confidence
  • If, however, the response you need to give is providing either new guidance or content, or is expressing a view, then check this with the appropriate policy and communications officials to ensure it is accurate and that everyone is aware of what is being said

Another good place to start for anyone developing this kind of policy would be Carl Haggerty’s blog, where he has kindly shared the document he is developing for his local authority.

If you need even more inspiration, then check out this post from Laurel Papworth, linking to loads of different examples of enterprise level social media policies. Thanks to Steve Dale for pointing out the link.

Free Local Gov E-Learning Event in Ripley

Learning Pool

Learning Pool are running a free breakfast meeting for local authorities in the East and West Midlands.

This meeting will give you the chance to see and hear what your neighboring local authorities are doing with E-Learning, hear how you can create efficiency savings using e-learning as well as give you an opportunity to share your own thoughts and ideas.

It takes place in Ripley, Derbyshire on 3 September between 9.30 and 12.30.

You can find out more and book yourself a place by visiting the Learning Pool website.

You’d be daft to miss it.

GoogleLocalGov community

Those who attended, or would have liked to have done, the Google event last week might be interested in a new group we have set up:

http://groups.google.com/group/googlelocalgov

To talk about how local government can use Google tools. Though this isn’t an official Google space, it will have Google folk as members who will be able to join in where they feel they can help.

To save you a click or two, here’s a handy form…

Google Groups
Subscribe to GoogleLocalGov
Email:

Visit this group

Win! Win! Win!

I was lucky, in a sense, to get this through the post today as a reward for subscribing to a magazine:

“In a sense”, because I already own it.

‘So!’ I thought. ‘Here’s a chance for a competition!’

If you want the book, all you have to do is comment on this post. Put what you like in the body of the comment, all I really need is your name and email address. Mossychops will then pick a winner at random next Friday (21st August).

Good luck!

Getting noticed: The Five Step Programme

The second Wednesday guest post! Thanks to Sarah for this great post – if you’d like to contribute, just email me – and being called Sarah isn’t necessarily a requirement!

Online communication isn’t always taken seriously. It’s a nice to have on top of offline work or something organisations have been told to do. It isn’t necessarily considered a channel in its own right. And those that work online aren’t always respected in terms of their skills, their knowledge or the value they can bring.

Convincing others of your worth within an organisation is sometimes a bigger hurdle than convincing them of the value of online communications.

So, how to go about raising your profile and getting social media offerings to the table? I’ve worked up a list of five approaches. This list isn’t exhaustive. I’d like to hear people argue against or add their own take and experience.

1. Passion

Fall in love with online but don’t be blind to limitations and suitability. Talk to anyone who will listen about the possibilities but respect their concerns. Be able to explain why you are passionate about online – have examples of where social media has helped improve life, improved efficiency (internally or for citizens) or has saved money (pick according to your audience). Be savvy and believe in what you’re trying to get others to see the value of. And while being a geek is something to be cherished try to remember than social media is about being social so get out there and talk!

2. Persuasion

You may be the only person that believes that online communication, social media and digital engagement has an important part in your organisation. This can lead to frustration, doubts about your sanity and a relentless need to persuade others to listen to your suggestions. A good way to get people to listen to you is to listen to them – why don’t they value / understand / like online? Once you understand where they are coming from you can work out how best to showcase options to them. They still might not be sold but at the very least they will be more aware of what social media is (and probably think you’re a decent, reasonable sort as well).

3. Persistence

Things move slowly in the public sector, and social media is developing fast. Be the middle ground between the need to develop strategy, policy, protocol and being left behind because by the time you get to the dock that particular online ship has sailed.
Just because the answer is no today doesn’t mean the answer will be no tomorrow. Keep making suggestions, keep listening to the concerns around the use of social media, keep trying out ideas. Just keep on keeping on.

4. Private sector attitude

If you believe you could lose your customers to a competitor you’ll try harder to be the first with innovation and the best with services. We’re all citizens as well as public sector employees so what use of social media would make your personal dealings with the council easier? What would your neighbour, your mum, your friends find more useful. In the private sector you need to get the edge on your competitors and by having this attitude in the public sector you’ll get closer to delivering above and beyond what is expected and be able to prove why what you’re doing is of value to the organisation.

5. Play, practice, prove

Alright, that’s not one but three things. I really mean knowing what you’re talking about. Being passionate and persuasive will come more naturally if you use and know social media. The Internet is a playground so don’t be afraid to try out new platforms and ideas. Get to know other people in the sector and find out what they’re doing, share your ideas and experience with them. Collectively we can be more innovative and efficient than working in silos. And gather your evidence. Know how many people are online and using social media, know the demographics of different platforms, know how far you reach with online communications, know what your citizens think of what you’re doing. Know which tool to use for which job.

So, what do others think? Anyone used a different approach or mix in order to get word out about what they can do for the organisation with social media?

Sarah Lay blogs at www.sarahlay.com, works in online communications for Derbyshire County Council (who don’t necessarily share her views) and is studying for a Masters in eCommunications, concentrating on local government use of social media. She is also the organiser of the first social media cafe for Derby and Derbyshire. If you live or work in the area and are interested in online communications and social media come along to meet others – find out more and join the group.

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