Social media resources for Local Government

A flurry of activity around social media this week from our chums at the Improvement and Development Agency.

The first thing is Local by Social, a rewriting of the excellent Social by Social by Andy Gibson. As the IDeA website states:

Social media is changing the world in which we work, socialise and govern. From Twitter to eBay, Facebook to YouTube, new tools are emerging every year that place the connecting power of the internet in the hands of every one of us.

In this context, the expectations on councils to engage, work openly, be accountable and move more quickly on issues are growing. Meanwhile, councils are facing the biggest cuts in spending in the post-war period and are being asked to do more with less just as demands from local people are rising. Higher expectations combined with drastically fewer resources make the imperative to innovate critical. A new set of tools is needed to meet this challenge.

This document outlines how local authorities can use social media to achieve more for less. It also highlights the risk to councils if they ignore the technological advances of social media and the people using them.

Download the guide here (PDF warning).

Backing up this work is a set of three case studies from local authorities, which have been published on Work Together – a prototype social site for the sharing of good practice in local government, focused on partnership working.

The case studies are:

• Kent County Council’s use of digital technology
• Devon County Council’s digital engagement work
• Brent Council’s use of social media

Do visit the site, read or download the case studies, and make sure you leave your thoughts, or ask questions, in the comments!

Massive props to Ingrid Koehler for driving this agenda forward with IDeA; Steve Dale, who is managing the development of the Communities of Practice and the new Knowledge Hub (more on that soon); and Romilly Rogers, who looks after Work Together.