The Digital Engagement Guide » Strategies

Increasing staff engagement with social media

Steph Gray — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 10:03:50 +0000

A great PDF summary of the potential for social media to help engage staff in corporate environments – in this case, the NHS:

This briefing discusses four main questions:
• How can social media platforms be used to engage staff?
• What examples of engaging staff through the use of social media platforms already exist?
• What could you do now to increase staff engagement by using social media content?
• What considerations should you take into account when using social media to increase staff engagement?

It is aimed at the NHS human resources (HR) community but will also be of interest to communicators and line managers.
This briefing contains case studies from the NHS and theoretical applications of social media. It is not a step-by-step guide, it is an overview of the different possibilities that social media offers individuals and organisations to increase staff engagement.

Key points:
• Social media won’t be your only staff engagement tool; it is one option when looking at how to engage staff in the work they do.
• Small, frequent reminders of how teams and individuals are making a difference help build staff engagement.
• By monitoring what is said about your organisation on social media platforms, you can begin to use social media to help improve staff engagement and the reputation of your organisation.
• Social media platforms give individuals the space in which to show their professional personality and celebrate the successes of those around them.

Social Media Guidelines: Kirklees

Steph Gray — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 13:01:51 +0000

Via the excellent Comms2Point0, here’s a local authority’s social media guidance site aimed at staff wanting to use social media to engage. It answer the ‘what are the rules?’ questions, but also has useful supporting case studies and examples:

We want our staff, ward councillors and partners to think about how social media can help us to achieve specific outcomes, work together better, improve public services and contribute to the aims of Kirklees Council.

HR and social media in the NHS.

Steph Gray — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 11:49:54 +0000

Guidance prepared by NHS Employers for HR and other strategic leadership teams about the role of social media in a professional context:

- Social media is used increasingly by patients to help them understand the growing number of healthcare choices and the quality of services available to them. The NHS should be helping patients find the right information online.
- It allows the NHS to understand emerging developments among staff or patients more quickly and in more detail, including any concerns about the quality of care, so that services can be improved.
- It supports stronger engagement between staff, employers and the public, which patients say improves the quality of care.

Profiling data on social network users: The Wall Blog

Steph Gray — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 09:32:19 +0000

Robust UK market research figures from Ipsos MORI on the profile of users of the main social networks, from January 2012:

- 4 in 10 adults have used Facebook (44%) and YouTube (44%) in the past 3 months.
- 17% have visited or used Google+ (the Google social network site), 13% Twitter and 7% Linkedin.
- PC/laptop is the main access method for social networking although the gap is closing with 22% accessing social networks on their mobile. Only 2% access social networking via a TV connected to the internet.

Cornwall Council – Social Media

Steph Gray — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 11:16:40 +0000

Cornwall Council have published a couple of very useful documents – their sensible corporate Social Media Policy, and a ‘Social Media Passport’ showing the decisions and thinking they ask staff to go through before setting up their own social media channels:

Recognising the growth and potential of using social media as a communications tool, Cornwall Council adopted a Social Media Policy in 2010. We believe in trying to create a communications model that is as accessible, engaging, transparent and as cost effective to members of the public as possible. As such we see the emergence of social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, and others, as a vital factor in this.

In the spirit of social media use, Cornwall Council has published its Social Media Policy for all viewers, both internal and external, to use and learn from, if they so desire.

The Policy is designed to help our staff and elected representatives realise the potential benefits, and pitfalls, of using social media and to help shape our current use and future development of it.

Once the social media policy has been read and understood, applicants who wish to proceed and use social media are required to complete a Social Media Passport application. This innovative step is designed to ensure that the council maintains an accurate and up-to-date record of which personnel or departments are using social media and that the communications service can offer advice and guidance if it is required.

Nurses and social media: Chief Nursing Officer Bulletin

Steph Gray — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:51:50 +0000

A good summary of the professional relevance of social media to nurses, but probably applicable to professional work more widely:

With over 100 million active Twitter users and more than 800 million Facebook users worldwide, social media is one of the most progressive tools available to professional communicators. Anne Cooper, National Clinical Lead for Nursing, explains why nurses and midwives should embrace these social networks to help them engage more effectively with patients and communitiesWith over 100 million active Twitter users and more than 800 million Facebook users worldwide, social media is one of the most progressive tools available to professional communicators. Anne Cooper, National Clinical Lead for Nursing, explains why nurses and midwives should embrace these social networks to help them engage more effectively with patients and communities.

Social networking guidance for employers – Acas

Steph Gray — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 08:56:43 +0000

Concise, practical guidance for employers by Acas, covering the implications of social media for recruitment, bullying, grievance procedures and more:

Smart phones, internet, tweeting, blogging – we have accepted all of these innovations, and many more, as part of our working lives, helping us to work more flexibly, stay in touch for longer and respond to each other more quickly.

But is it all good news? Some estimates report that misuse of the internet and social media by workers costs Britain’s economy billions of pounds every year and add that many employers are already grappling with issues like time theft, defamation, cyber bullying, freedom of speech and the invasion of privacy.

So how should employers respond to the challenges posed by social networking tools at work?

New research from the Institute for Employment Studies, commissioned by Acas, advises employers to:

- draw up a policy on social networking
- treat ‘electronic behaviour’ in the same way you would treat ‘non-electronic behaviour’
- react reasonably to issues around social networking by asking ‘what is the likely impact on the organisation?’
- The following fact-sheets offer practical tips on how to manage the impact of social networking on:

Managing performance
Recruitment
Discipline and grievances
Bullying
Defamation, data protection and privacy

Ten reasons why NHS CEOs should use Twitter

Steph Gray — Sat, 07 Apr 2012 16:10:01 +0000

Top ten reasons why a senior leader might consider using Twitter, written by the Chief Executive of Heart of England Foundation NHS Trust:

3. You are part of the debate. In fact, you are part of many debates – hearing, learning, shaping and being shaped, steering, correcting, leading or following. General chat, or specific and hash-tagged, you are in the mix, hearing and being heard, and that’s important

4. You will learn a lot from others. Opinions, views and ideas, but also academic papers, newspaper articles, blogs. All of these will be brought to your attention, often hyperlinked and available in an instant. Follow the right people and you cannot fail to be better informed

5. It will ensure you are in the moment. Twitter is immediate, instantaneous and spontaneous, here and now, just like the world we live and work in. You need not miss the moment, wherever you are

(via Stephen Hale)

Online Neighbourhood Networks Study

Dan Slee — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:41:10 +0000

Hyperlocal blogs are becoming increasingly important. What is a hyperlocal blog? They’re often digital bulletin boards for an estate, village, town or geographical community. Online Parish pumps they can be a way to engage with residents. This study by gives an insight into how they work and how best to connect to them.

The Online Neighbourhood Networks Study explores the ways in which people communicate online using local citizen-run websites, the impact of that communication, and the implications for local service providers.

The research shows that they serve to enhance the sense of belonging, democratic influence, neighbourliness and involvement in their area. Participants claim more positive attitudes towards public agencies where representatives of those agencies are engaging online. For their part councils are finding neighbourhood networks to be increasingly effective tools for engaging with residents and delivering services.

The study output offers a number of resources. You can click through below to access any part.

Creating a New Social Media Policy? Try US Gov Best Practices Approach

Al Smith — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:56:20 +0000

Blogpost points to best practice approaches across US government departments on policy,strategy, digital engagement and social media.

Are you looking to build a social media strategy and have no idea where to start? Try the US Government.

The US Government is not usually the first thing you think of when it comes to social media, but between extensive legislation and privacy policies those who speak on behalf of agencies and the military have to create strategies down to the most minuscule detail. It also just so happens that a majority of agencies and military social media teams post their strategies freely on the Web.

NYC.gov – Social Media Customer Use Policy

Al Smith — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:35:11 +0000

New York City page outlining its terms of usage to customers, this practice gives users guidance on monitoring procedures and acceptable usage.

New York City engages customers through many digital outlets, including NYC.gov and 311 Online. Communicating with the City through social media further enables customers to contact the City in a direct and meaningful way.

State of Texas – Social Media Policy

Al Smith — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:31:55 +0000

Forward facing site explaining Texas’ use of social media to the general public. An excellent example of how to communicate your internal practices to citizens.

Texas.gov will use the following policies to guide the use of social media sites in accordance with the Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) Social Media Policy.

Victoria State Dept of Justice Social Media Policy for Employees

Al Smith — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:27:59 +0000

Australia’s Victoria State Department of Justice offer policy guidance on social media usage and a YouTube video summarising their usage and its purpose.

This is the official policy for social media use at the Department of Justice and provides guidance for departmental employees and external contractors on their professional and personal use of social media.

All employees are responsible for knowing and understanding the policy.

Digital Diplomacy

Al Smith — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 20:24:05 +0000

Comprehensive guide to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s use of social media including policies, guidance and descriptive information on channels maintained by the FCO.

We encourage FCO staff to make full use of social media channels to achieve objectives. This includes on-platform channels like our blogs, and off-platform media like Flickr and Youtube.

Our FCO on Facebook page highlights which posts are doing what on Facebook and we’ve also listed details of which posts and which departments are part of the FCO on Twitter

Facebook vs. Television infographic

Dan Slee — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 00:44:24 +0000

An infographic is a useful way to get across really complex information. This one helps set the scene for Facebook and the stats that have driven it to be the world’s largest digital platform.

Living in a digital age with things like smart phones, tablets and laptops makes it easy to stay connected. People in the UK are now logging a lot more Facebook time compared to watching television these days.

The national average time spent on Facebook on a smart phone is two hours.

Social media policy – National Library of Australia

Al Smith — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 20:46:13 +0000

Creative Commons licensed social media policy from the National Library of Australia. Due to the open nature of Creative Commons copyright you are able to adapt and tweak this policy to meet your aims. A good starting point for any policy document.

The aim of these guidelines is to encourage employees to find a voice in social media, but at the same time protect the interests of the Library. It also informs Library employees of their responsibilities when using social media.

Digital Engagement for Police forces

Steph Gray — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:39:44 +0000

A short, accessible guide for police forces interested in considering digital engagement, incorporating case studies, mythbusters and ideas for applying digital techniques to meetings and other forms of collaboration:

The emergence of cheap and accessible information technology mean that police forces in England and Wales are beginning to use social media sites (e.g. Facebook and twitter) as part of their communications and engagement strategies. At the same time, in our communities, citizens are looking to social media as a platform to comment on or engage with policing.

The NPIA are engaged in an ongoing process to support the police service to arrive at an informed national position about using new technology and media when engaging with their communities.

To support this process working in partnership with ACPO, we have produced Engage: Digital and Social Media Engagement for the Police Service, this document gives an overview of the digital landscape, provides principles for officers who use social media, gives advice around security on line and gives case studies of how forces are using social media to engage with communities.

Evaluating online engagement

Steph Gray — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:52:46 +0000

Michele Ide-Smith, a former local government digital specialist, writes about ways of approaching evaluation of digital engagement:

Local government has traditionally asked citizens for their opinions using surveys, public meetings, panels and focus groups. Many local authorities have dabbled with social media as a communication channel. Some central government departments and local authorities have experimented with social media as a means to engage citizens in a two-way conversation. But true online engagement of this nature requires significant resource to moderate comments, publish timely responses, collate comments and feed them consultation or decision making processes.

For social media to be taken seriously as a tool for engagement, to which resources are allocated, Senior Managers will need to be convinced of its value. Which is where you need to start planning exactly how to measure the level, depth, quality and success of online engagement. Local authorities are used to reporting against KPIs and therefore familiar with quantitative statistics (often figures speak louder than words).

Online engagement guidelines – Ministry of Defence

Steph Gray — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:50:54 +0000

The MoD guidance on social media are detailed but clear, differentiating ‘personal’, ‘sponsored’ and ‘official’ presences:

The aim of this guidance is to enable Service and MOD personnel to make full use of online presences while protecting their own, Service, and Departmental interests, and to enable Commanders and communicators to harness this to communicate Defence.

Twitter guidance – DH

Steph Gray — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:36:35 +0000

Policy and staff guidance on use of Twitter as part of their professional work for the Department:

Social media is mainstream media now. It is commonplace for influential individuals to use Twitter to share ideas, offer first-hand comment, and build networks of influence.

Effective use of social media like Twitter is central to the DH digital communication strategy.

The development of social media has presented new challenges for Government and organisations because it tends to rely on relationships between named individuals. It is not possible to fully exploit the opportunities provided by social media without personal participation in digital conversations.

Official attributed content policy – DH

Steph Gray — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:34:59 +0000

The Department of Health supports staff who publish attributed official digital content, where it can help deliver policy and communications objectives.

This document outlines their guidance to staff who are intending to use semi-official profiles in social media to talk about their work – described by DH as ‘official attributed content’:

There has been a massive growth in the social web in recent years – people are using online channels to have conversations, collaborate, and co-create. Social media (eg blogs, social networks like Facebook or Doctors.net.uk, or media sharing sites like Youtube or Flickr) is now mainstream media.

Social media presents new challenges for governments and institutions because it tends to rely on relationships between named individuals. It is not possible to fully exploit the opportunities provided by social media without personal participation in digital conversations.

And as with any communications channel – whether interactive or not – comments from named experts can give credibility to a point of view in a way that anonymous statements cannot.

Digital Dialogues Digital Engagement Guide

Steph Gray — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:26:32 +0000

As part of its work commissioned by the Ministry of Justice, the Digital Dialogues project delivered by the Hansard Society, published a guide summarising learnings from the evaluations of digital engagement projects that had been undertaken by the project:

This guide outlines how government departments can develop sound strategies for effective digital engagement. The guide first clarifies how to establish and design online engagement exercises, and then draws on case studies from Digital Dialogues to identify some of the tools that can be used to broaden public participation or deepen relationships with stakeholders.

The guide contains recommendations for future practitioners and policy-makers. It is divided up into four sections.

- The first provides a background to the Cultures of Engagement, providing information about the government’s strategy to promote democratic participation.

- The Principles of Online Engagement are described in the second section, which outlines the five cardinal rules and describes the main opportunities for digital communication throughout the policy cycle.

- The guide then outlines the processes involved in Developing an Engagement Exercise, from scoping the project through to developing the platform. This can be read in conjunction with the other material referred to in the Cultures of Engagement section.

- The final section, on Developing and Managing Online Content, describes how to produce content ahead of going live, once the engagement is running, and after an exercise has finished.

Video model release form

Steph Gray — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:16:45 +0000

This form is intended to be used when capturing vox pops or more significant video footage from non-members of staff, to ensure they are aware of the intended purpose of the activity and to avoid confusion about rights over the resulting footage.

Strategy for multimedia social channels

Steph Gray — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:13:14 +0000

This document was drafted by a former colleague, and aimed to set out clearly the rationale and governance around the organisation’s use of ‘rich media’ channels such as YouTube and Flickr as part of its work, covering the goals for setting them up, how they were managed day to day, and what the measures of success were.

Political vs official social media channels

Steph Gray — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 23:04:14 +0000

This briefing was written to help ministers and special advisers understand the issues and boundaries between official corporate social media channels and digital activities they might want to undertake themselves, incorporating political content.

Moderation policy

Steph Gray — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:54:24 +0000

House rules are a useful way to keep discussion online on-topic, clean and constructive. Writing them down and posting them prominently makes moderation and community management much easier.

I drafted a simple moderation policy for DIUS social media channels in 2008 which has found its way into all kinds of central government channels subsequently. Following some feedback that the original draft was unfairly excluding under 16s from commenting, I adapted the wording to reflect the specific issues for this group:

Moderation Policy

By default, comments on this service are pre-moderated. This means that comments will not be published instantly; they will first be checked by the moderators.

Moderation is intended to ensure debate is fair and inclusive, and will not be used to suppress legitimate, reasoned debate about the issues raised.

Comments will normally be approved for publication as long as they:

Respect other commenters and individuals. Comments should not be malicious or offensive in nature, and should not constitute a personal attack on a person’s character;

Don’t incite hatred on the basis of race, religion, gender, nationality or sexuality or other personal characteristic;

Don’t include swearing, hate-speech or obscenity;

Don’t publicly reveal personal details, such as private addresses, phone numbers or email addresses;

Don’t break the law. This includes libel, condoning illegal activity, and breaking copyright;

Are reasonably concise, and don’t constitute spamming of this service;

Don’t advertise commercial products and services. You may mention relevant products and services as long as they support your comment;

Don’t impersonate or falsely claim to represent a person or organisation;

Are in English. Unfortunately, we do not currently have the resource to moderate comments in other languages;

Are on-topic. Please don’t post messages that are unrelated to this channel;

If relating to an Official document hosted on this service: are not party political in nature.

Under 16?

If you are aged 16 or under, you may want to talk to your parent/guardian about the ideas on this website and the opinions that you want to express. Please don’t leave any personal details that might identify you (apart from in the email address box, which won’t be published anyway), and you may want to use your first or last name only, rather than your full name.

Moderators reserve the right to suspend comments at any time. Where a comment is not published for a reason other than those listed above, the site moderators will endeavour to reply to the commenter by email explaining their reasons and inviting them to make appropriate changes so that the comment can be reconsidered.

Digital Engagement launch plan & blogger outreach

Steph Gray — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:47:38 +0000

This simple plan was written quickly to pull together ideas for launching a Government strategy on Open Source & Open Standards. It describes the goals, audiences and targets for the launch, and suggests a draft email approach to interested bloggers.

Digital Engagement team skills

Steph Gray — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:43:58 +0000

This simple skills framework was developed at BIS to help inform objectives and job descriptions for a digital engagement team with junior, junior management, and team leader positions.

It is based around 20 skills areas:

Strategising & Managing

Develop strategic project briefs, including providing constructive challenge and creative thinking to policy/comms colleagues and agencies
Prepare digital engagement delivery plans for policy/comms teams
Manage delivery of digital projects, co-ordinating internal channels, external agencies and freelancers
Evaluate impact of digital engagement projects and share lessons learned
Handle enquiries and administration around digital projects, e.g. FoI requests, PQs, case study requests and financial management
Horizon-scan for opportunities, threats and risks to digital engagement in the organization and contribute this thinking to team plans and strategies

Networking & Facilitating

Listen actively to online discussion about the organisation and major policy areas
Identify, approach and engage with online influencers and potential partners
Manage engagement with online communities around major policy areas, including moderating online discussion and dealing with conflict
Build links with colleagues elsewhere in the organisation to spot opportunities

Creating & Communicating

Write engagingly and edit content for digital formats
Commission and create effective multimedia content
Be an effective interviewer, presenter and demonstrator of tools and techniques
Share in open innovation as part of the team: writing up tools and approaches, meeting colleagues from departmental family, OGDs and beyond, speaking at events etc

Deploying & Developing

Commission digital platforms and tools to deliver on project plans
Deploy simple digital tools and work with technical colleagues or suppliers to deploy more complex ones
Manage digital platforms in support of project objectives

Coaching & Learning

Deliver coaching and training in effective use of digital tools for engagement to colleagues with different levels of experience and enthusiasm
Learn continuously from colleagues, online and other sources to keep skills and experience up to date and make the most of opportunities which arise
Be a maven for useful information and tools, trends in digital engagement, policy launches, or cross-gov initiatives – researching and sharing these constantly with the tool and where appropriate, with wider audiences

Information risk assessment checklist for social media

Steph Gray — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:27:52 +0000

This template risk assessment checklist was designed to get people thinking about some of the potential risks to the organisation’s information that might be presented by delivering a project through social media.

That’s not to say those risks are necessarily very serious; but by thinking them through and mitigating the worst eventualities, it’s easier to keep everyone in the organisation happy with the strategic decisions to use social media.

This checklist aims to ensure that when a new project is initiated which involves sharing or distributinginformation online, we have properly assessed and mitigated risk where possible, and that there is senior acknowledgement and support for the level of risk we are accepting.

Designing social media policy for government

Al Smith — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:38:02 +0000

Practical guide from the University at Albany’s Center for Technology in Government. This article outline the basis for designing a digital engagement strategy.

Government agencies are increasingly looking to leverage social media to improve the quality of government services and elicit greater citizen engagement. Developing a social media policy can be an important first step for government agencies considering using social media and can ultimately serve as a key enabler for responsibly and effectively leveraging social media tools. Yet, many governments are struggling with what such a policy should encompass and convey. This report outlines the different reasons government employees engage in social media use and begins to answer the question, what are the core elements of a government social media policy? Our analysis identified eight essential elements for a social media policy: 1) employee access, 2) account management, 3) acceptable use, 4) employee conduct, 5) content, 6) security, 7) legal issues, and 8) citizen conduct. The report closes with brief guidance on strategies for getting started.

Digital Engagement Evaluation Toolkit

Steph Gray — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 20:22:44 +0000

Digital Dialogues, a project commissioned by the Ministry of Justice from the Hansard Society, published a number of reports into innovate use of technology to increase citizen participation. One of its final outputs was a useful engagement evaluation toolkit:

Digital Dialogues was created to spread the knowledge gained by pioneers in the field. Commissioned by the Ministry of Justice and delivered by the Hansard Society, Digital Dialogues has identified what techniques and processes support effective digital engagement over a four year period. Through this project, we have been able to develop good practices that can be used not only to successfully engage online but also to assess the impact and value of that digital engagement.(1)

This toolkit outlines a number of methods, providing tips and sample questions that you can adapt to suit a range of situations when undertaking self-evaluation.

At whatever stage of the policy cycle, whether you are seeking to understand public opinion or to involve stakeholders in the decision-making processes, this toolkit will help you to judge whether your digital engagement has provided benefits. Good evaluation helps you to learn about what worked well and what can be improved in future engagement exercises. The toolkit can be adapted for evaluating offline engagement but draws on the key advantages of digital technologies, not least their capacity to provide quick and easy ways of monitoring trends and gaining feedback.

From Housing and Litter to Facebook and Twitter

Dan Slee — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:41:31 +0000

This free download from BDO Local Government acts as a report to set out the benefits in a hard headed and pragmatic way. It rounds up a series of case studies from across local government.

We are living through an unprecedented time of budget cuts for local government and are only at the beginning. At the same time we are facing a digital revolution that is changing the way that people communicate, socialise, share information, work and even access
goods and services.

Councils are currently leaving no stone unturned in the search for ways to do things differently, better, and more cost effectively, whilst continuing to meet the increasing demands of growing and ageing populations. The budget impetus has presented an opportunity for many local authorities to rethink the service delivery model from the bottom up, and look to how the relationship between council and citizen can be changed to enable the challenge to be met together.

Local by Social: Using Social Media to Achieve More For Less

Dan Slee — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:26:17 +0000

The Local by Social report commissioned by Local Government Improvement and Delivery is a landmark document. It’s publication in 2010 signalled the moment that the battle was won on ‘if’ local government should be using social media. It remains a timeless starting point for people looking to understand the possibility and power of digital engagement.

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.

How Yammer can help local government innovate

Dan Slee — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 22:19:51 +0000

Yammer is an internal social network that helps you engage with staff. A giant water cooler it’s more work-focused than anything and asks the question: ‘What are you working on?’ This case study btalks of how Walsall Council used it and features research on what kinds of things people were talking about.

“Yammer?” a colleague once asked, “isn’t that a Black Country word?”

Actually, no. It’s a web-based platform to allow people from the same organisation to talk to each other.

Used by 80,000 comanies as of Septrember 2010, it’s a way of sharing ideas, links to useful websites and for asking for help to crack a problem.

You need your organisation’s email address to access it so it’s a walled garden to allow discussion that cuts across directorates and teams.

The best thing of all?

It’s free.

Provider Engagement Network: BuddyPress

Dan Slee — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:54:49 +0000

Building a platform to engage with people can be tricky. Here Carl Haggerty talks through a case study of how in Devon they have used Buddypress as a platform to engage and share ideas.

I suggested we create a buddy press test site on my teams hosting and we explore it further with some of his other colleagues the following week.

So that is what we did, we sat down and went through the out of the box features and they loved it…we refined some of the features and created some additional privacy which took about 2-3 hours - we didn’t even create any visual design aspects, as we said we could apply these at any time once they had them created. We then handed over a fully functioning online network platform last week and they launched it last Friday!

You shape your intranet. Thereafter, it shapes you.

Dan Slee — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:51:06 +0000

The intranet should be the place an organisation starts to talk to people. If it can’t talk to its staff then no matter what it’ll struggle to communicate to the outside world. This blog by Sharon O’Dea talks about an approach to the social intranet.

In his book Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man, Marshall McLuhan said “we shape our tools. Thereafter, they shape us”.

McLuhan’s focus was language; he argued that language doesn’t describe that which is in the world, but rather, we can only see the world through the medium of language. Language is limiting; our tools don’t let us do whatever we want, but instead limit and often dictate what we do.

His thesis is that while the way we work, think and communicate have led to tools being designed the way they have, once this design is finalised it closes the loop and that tool influences how you think or behave.

Department of the Navy Guidance for Official Posts

Dan Slee — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:45:30 +0000

Sometimes organisations fear using social media on security grounds. When you realise that some of the best proponents of digital engagement are the US military that argument starts to ship water. Fast. In this slideshare the US Navy talk about how they advise staff on how to use digital platforms.

Do link to related appropriate articles.

Do identify yourself and your affiliation.

Do tell the truth and use spell check.

Do treat others with respect.

Do correct misinformation politely.

BT’s social media guidelines

Dan Slee — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:33:18 +0000

In the private sector engaging online is an important aspect of customer care and communications. BT have developed their own guidance which is issued to staff who are using social media. The advice ‘keep calm’ is well worth remembering. There’s lots of insight in this blog which repeats the policy.

About Articles BT 2.0 case study (12/09/08) BT 2.0 case study (12/11/07) BT’s social media guidelines
BT’s Social Media Guidelines
[NB: some of the links in this document will only work for BT people with access to the BT Intranet]

Contents:

What are social media tools and why are they important to BT?
Who can use social media tools?
Guidelines for the safe use of social media tools on the internet
Specific user guidance for blogging and social networks
Relevant BT policies and guidelines
Guidance on the use of local languages in social tools
Guidance to help identify unsuitable content and be an effective moderator
Social media tools available on the BT Intranet
Glossary of tools and definitions
Guidance on what makes a good blogger
1. What Are Social Media Tools And Why Are They Important To BT?
The term social media (sometimes also referred to as Web 2.0) is an umbrella term used to describe a suite of tools on the web, which typically have the following characteristics:

mostly free to use
extremely simple to use requiring no prior training or technical knowledge
support global collaboration and sharing of opinions, insights, experiences and perspectives often with strangers
content within them, and often the functionality, is managed and regulated by the user community itself and not the provider of the tool or a third party institution.
Some typical examples of social media tools are: blogs; wikis; social networking sites; podcasts and message boards (see Glossary of tools and definitions). There is a fuller definition of social media on Wikipedia, the internet encyclopaedia.

While social media tools were originally conceived for social collaboration, businesses are increasingly finding that these tools can help them achieve their business objectives and are being rapidly embraced by corporations globally.

Police Code of Conduct approach to Social Media

Al Smith — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 21:25:16 +0000

Stuart Hyde, Chief Constable of Cumbria Police gives his views on how staff should conduct themselves when interacting with members of the public online.

An issue for us and many others is how you offer guidance to staff about their use of social media. Should we create a new set of rules to cover a new phenomenon or should you just use old ones. Is it really a “new thing” or is it really just normal networking in a digital environment.

Coca Cola social media principles

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 22:17:59 +0000

Coca Cola is a corporate bohemoth. Take a look at their social media and it’s just a bit effective. On Facebook, more than 40 million ‘like’ their page. They’ve got the strategy right. Here is that strategy:

6. When in doubt, do not post. Associates are personally responsible for their words and actions,
wherever they are. As online spokespeople, you must ensure that your posts are completely accurate
and not misleading, and that they do not reveal non‐public information of the Company. Exercise sound
judgment and common sense, and if there is any doubt, DO NOT POST IT. In any circumstance in which
you are uncertain about how to respond to a post, send the link to online.relations@na.ko.com.

7. Give credit where credit is due and don’t violate others’ rights. DO NOT claim authorship of something
that is not yours. If you are using another party’s content, make certain that they are credited for it in
your post and that they approve of you utilizing their content. Do not use the copyrights, trademarks,
publicity rights, or other rights of others without the necessary permissions of the rightsholder(s).

8. Be responsible to your work. The Company understands that associates engage in online social media
activities at work for legitimate purposes and that these activities may be helpful for Company affairs.
However, the Company encourages all associates to exercise sound judgment

Photo credit: natetheape21 on Flickr

Red Cross toolkit for social media

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 22:13:03 +0000

The US Red Cross have a Google doc that sets out their approach to social media. It’s useful to take a look at it if you are thinking of honing your own approach.

This handbook is meant for all Red Crossers interested in how social media can help us deliver our mission critical services.

This information will familiarize you with our national social media philosophy, invite you to find, join, and participate in our national social media presence, and guide you in creating your own local social media presence.

You’ll find steps to adopting a social media strategy, best practices from your fellow Red Cross units as well as from outside experts, and an explanation of various social media tools.

We’ve included a powerpoint presentation for you to use however you’d like. Feel free to use the whole thing, cut it up, and/or rearrange it. It’s meant to be a tool both for you to learn from and for you to teach others.

We love building online communities using social media tools, but make no mistake, adopting a social media strategy at your local unit is a significant commitment of your time both daily and long term.

We think it’s worth it, but plan accordingly!

Photo credit: Gematrium on Flickr

trust me, I’m a follower

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 22:07:36 +0000

Opening up social media is one of the biggest challenges the public sector has. Carolyn Mitchell hitthe nail on the head when she quoted a police officer who spoke at an unconference in Scotland.

During the conference we covered all the usual topics – which social media channels for which job, community engagement, security issues, publishing and monitoring tools, social media use in emergencies, QR codes and location tools etc.

However the line that blew me away came from the Gordon Scobbie, the Deputy Chief Constable from Tayside Police @DCCTayside. He encourages his staff to use social media, even bobbies tweet on the beat!

“I trust my staff with a baton. I trust them to remove your liberty. Why wouldn’t I trust them with a Twitter account?”

When I tweeted this line after he said it @jonbolton came straight back with “We trust social workers with care & protection of most vulnerable people. We need to trust them with socialmedia”. We’d obviously hit on something.

Study: Auto-Posting to Facebook Decreases Likes and Comments by 70%

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:50:54 +0000

Cracking Facebook can be tricky. It’s tempting to use a third party application to post to Facebook but this study counsels against this idea.

Facebook Pages that automatically publish content to the news feed through third-party apps such as HootSuite, TweetDeck, and Networked Blogs receive an average of 70% fewer Likes and comments on their posts per fan, according to a new study by Applum, developer of Page tool EdgeRank Checker.

The study says the difference is likely due to Facebook reducing the prominence of posts published by third-party APIs, and Facebook collapsing updates from the same API from across a user’s friends and Liked Pages.

As Likes and comments increase a post’s prominence in the news feed — thereby driving more impressions and clicks — all Pages using auto-posting apps should look to switch to manual posting if possible.

social media and the council mag

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:45:59 +0000

With budgets shrinking there is pressure to do more for less. One of the first victims has been the printed magazine. Attacked by politicians. Blamed by the newspaper industry the residents magazine has been a staple of local government communications. This post by Ross Wigham from Northumberland County Council shows how it’s possible to blend the old and the new to keep residents informed.

Council magazines may seem like a strange topic for discussion given the amount of time and effort we now spend on social media but I just wonder if we’re now discarding a tool that’s still got so much to offer in the internet age.

Whatever the format, people still love reading stories that build a narrative about where they live and what interests them.

Given that local authority mags now seem to be the communications equivalent of the bowler hat I’d like to reassess what they can provide, particularly in tandem with social networks.

What Is Pinterest and Why Should I Care?

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:35:46 +0000

Pinterest is an emerging photosharing site. It’s the new kid on the block and it’s worthwhile getting the low-down before it lands on your ‘to do’ list. This piece works as a basic introduction to the site.

On the cold, crowded beach that is the Internet, another monster wave has been spotted on the horizon. This wave is called Pinterest and it looks like it could be — or already is — the Next Big Thing in social media.

This week, Techcrunch blared, “Pinterest Reaches 10 Million U.S. Monthly Uniques Faster Than Any Standalone Site Ever,” based on Comscore data.

Last week, a study was making the rounds that claimed to show that Pinterest was driving more referral traffic than Google .

We’re getting to that point with Pinterest where (in tech circles at least) it feels awkward to ask what it is even if you’re not exactly sure. This is your quick guide to the site.

Five Benefits of an Internal Social Network

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:32:08 +0000

Internal communications is vital for any organisation. Increasingly, as the web gets social there are opportunities for a social approach to talking to your staff using the web.

When considering an internal social network for your agency, understand that it could:

Consolidate communications to save time, support collaboration and build a strong culture, OR Serve as an ultimate time waster and productivity distraction.

By defining and expressing the goals of the network upfront, and setting the standards through initial engagements with your agency or partners, you can employ a time-saving communications tool at a relatively low cost compared to other infrastructure needs.

QR codes: more than a toy? – The CIPR Conversation

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:29:06 +0000

What the flip are QR codes? Are they just for geeks? Stephen Waddington who comes from a PR background takes a beginners look.

How many people do you know that regularly use QR codes? I bet that its less than a handful.

The machine readable barcodes were invented as a mechanic to connect the physical world with the online world. But so far they have failed to go mainstream.

Tech savvy smart phone users have likely downloaded a QR reader onto their smart phone, used it a couple of times, and then moved on.

Here’s the issue: QR codes are a solution looking for a problem. If they were embedded in a compelling application then maybe they’d take off. But as a standalone mechanic I’m really not sure.

Is there anybody out there?

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:22:34 +0000

Creating a digital strategy is vital. But actually, how do we know people want us to have one? This blog by Sarah Lay of Derbyshire County Council asks some fundamental questions we all need to ask ourselves at some stage or other. Should vwe use the web more? But how?

What it comes back to time and again for me is the need to ask questions. The need to ask a lot more questions than seem to be asked at the moment. The need for critical thinking as much as common sense. The utterly essential need to know your users (residents / citizens / audience / whatever you want to call them).

See if your organisation is already asking them whether they are online, how often and from what device. See what your website analytics tell you and marry this to your population stats or other data.

Most of all, for what you can’t piece together think about the direct route and ask them. And don’t just ask them the basics of are you, when are you, how are you, where are you? Be brave, ask them – do you want us to be online with you, what do you want us for, where do you want us?

Know your audience, your users and know, really start to know, whether your effort is in the right place in the right way. Accept that a number, no matter how big, how enticing, how ‘right’ it feels will never tell you the whole story.

Above all, assume nothing, question everything.

Blog readership: Build and maintain an audience

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 21:06:33 +0000

Blogging can be hard work. But the rewards are there. How do you build a blog that generates interest? While aimed at the academic community this blog has some useful pointers that cut across the public sector.

Know your audience

What makes your blog stand out in its field? This can be a daunting question, especially when comparing yourself to more experienced bloggers. As a PhD student or Early Career Researcher, your fresh approach to your subject is your strength. Some of the best blogs highlight the work-in-progress aspect of research – your readers will return to your blog to see how your methodology is developing.

Find a style that suits you and stick to it! It’s good to be informal but show your grasp of materials and theories. Be clear about what’s relevant to your readers and your style will flow naturally. Don’t forget: insight is important but so is expression.

Opening Up Social Media in an Organisation

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:57:07 +0000

This YouTube clip of Monmouthshire County Council’s Helen Reynolds shows how her organisation has opened-up social media internally to make their staff more digitally connected. After all, you staff are supposed to be your best advocates and if they can’t view the platforms you are using to connect you are missing out.

Helen Reynolds works for Monmouthshire County Council and is responsible for the council’s social media programme. As a result of the work she’s done Monmouthshire Council has taken a number of innovative approaches to engagement, won UK social media and PR awards and the authority has become a vastly more approachable organisation. She’s particularly passionate about making government accessible and easier to understand.

Alastair Campbell on social media:

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:52:20 +0000

Few helped create the era of ‘spin’ than former Downing Street communications chief Alastair Campbell. So when even he says that era is over it’s time to take listen. This clip and blog on the future of public relations sets out where communications is headed. The future is bright. The future is social.

“You’re not necessarily going to connect with people on day one. You’ve got to do it day two and day three and day four and day five and you just never stop. And so you communicate and you connect over time,” he says.

Gone are the days of command and control media relations where a programme of activity could be mapped out against media titles. The 24 hours news cycle is almost a memory and the number of outlets has proliferated.

“All you can control is who you are, what you say, how you say, how you say it, and how you put yourself across to people,” says Campbell.

But there is one benefit of working in this newly emerging media environment. Fortunately says Campbell, “The public are much more reasonable than the media.”

Mob rule: Iceland crowdsources its next constitution

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:47:04 +0000

Some things just re-write the rule book. When the financial crisis hit sweeping all before it Iceland simply pulled up their sleeves and started the hard work of re-building their country’s governing architecture. Instead of using traditional routes they used Facebook in a pioneeing way to engage with 2,500 citizens on what is a fairly dry subject.

It is not the way the scribes of yore would have done it but Iceland is tearing up the rulebook by drawing up its new constitution through crowdsourcing.

As the country recovers from the financial crisis that saw the collapse of its banks and government, it is using social media to get its citizens to share their ideas as to what the new document should contain.

“I believe this is the first time a constitution is being drafted basically on the internet,” said Thorvaldur Gylfason, member of Iceland’s constitutional council.

“The public sees the constitution come into being before their eyes … This is very different from old times where constitution makers sometimes found it better to find themselves a remote spot out of sight, out of touch.”

Made of String » Coventry City Council’s use of Facebook

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:42:16 +0000

Coventry City Council has carved out a fine reputation for using Facebook. Ally Hook, who created it, sets out her thinking in this blog which contains a link to the poresentation she gave to the Coventry & Warwickshire Social Media Cafe. Essential to anyone looking at using Facebook better.

Starting out

Deliberately called it Coventry – (“who would become a fan of Coventry City Council? About 5 people”)

Also allows them to put out press releases from partner organisations (like the Herbert Art Gallery)

Started November 2009 as a pilot experiment, let’s see what happens

Started out putting out the same press releases as on the website

Got 500 fans in 2 months

U.S. Army Social Media Handbook is Here!

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:39:11 +0000

The US military use digital channels effectively. More than a million like the US Army Facebook page and more like the US Marines page. They’ve produced a handbook on how they approach it which is essential reading with a stack of good learning.

Last year, the Online and Social Media Division helped produce the 2010 Social Media Book. While this is an excellent product, it only scratched the surface of Army social media use. We decided it was time to produce a document that provided more guidance, additional case studies and more advanced tips and best practices.

So here it is, the 2011 Army Social Media Handbook! This document provides extensive social media guidance. It contains information for Army leaders, guidance for Army Families, operations security tips, branding information, checklists, regulations and frequently asked questions.

Elections 2009: a post in two parts

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:34:12 +0000

This landmark post from Derbyshire County Council’s Sarah Lay has not dated. Setting out how she used the web and social media to let people know election results this approach sets out the starting points to consider for election night.

Today is polling day in the county council and European Parliamentary elections. It’s an important date in the calendar. Politically it could turn out to be a significant vote for this county. It’s will also be of significance to this team and the work we do whatever the political outcome.

In a lot of ways it feels as if this day has been a long time coming as planning and work on how we will cover the election on our website and in the greater online space began at the tail end of last year. In smaller ways I would still like a bit more time to tweak and improve and do even more than we have. But time and voting waits for no web team and so here we are: polling day 2009.

Infographic: How to train employees on social media

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:30:39 +0000

It can be tricky going from 0-60 in digital communications. Sometimes you need a little outside help. This fun infographic sets out what you may need to do, think and consider.

Social media strategy varies for every business, large or small. Some hire consultants or social media managers, while others train their current employees to handle the social load.

Whatever the technique, the goal to find a social media rock star for the company, and get the entire team on board with the company’s goals.

Comms Planning Pack

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:23:10 +0000

A communications plan is an essential tool for communications. A good one will take a long hard look at where you are, where you would like to go and who you want to tell your story to. This pdf from the communications 2 point 0 blog can act as a comms planning kit.

This communications planning pack is designed to help you to create an action orientated comms plan using the popular mind mapping technique …

1. on each page, using the topic at the centre of the page as your guide … write what comes to mind, drawing a branch from the main topic for each idea or thought. keep it to as few words as possible.

Walsall 24 – a ‘day in the life’ on Twitter

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:18:49 +0000

Walsall 24 was a campaign that won gold in LGComms 2011 annual awards. A cross-section of everything the council did in a 24-hour period was posted to Twitter from a variety of platforms. Overall, an online audience of 120,000 followed on Twitter alone. This explains the thinking behind it.

We’ve all heard from the bar room expert who tells the world all the council ever does for them is empty their bins. It’s true local government has never been that great at explaining what we do, but now as never before we need to remove those urban myths.

We do thousands of things every day to improve people’s lives. Why not tell people?

That’s the simple idea at the heart of the Walsall 24 experiment. Starting at 6am we used Twitter to give real time updates to give a snapshot of what we were doing across a 24-hour period.

Surrey Police to use Twitter to report every car crime

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:15:30 +0000

For high profile campaigns, Twitter can work beautifully. This initiative from Surrey police saw them tweet car crimes for a seven day period.

“During the week our staff will be tweeting all vehicle crime incidents that come into the force’s contact centre and we are encouraging the public to respond if they have any information that can help us bring the offenders to justice.”

In October 2010, Greater Manchester Police tweeted all crimes over a 24-hour period, but Surrey will concentrate on reporting only thefts from or of vehicles.

Snow Champion is, Champion

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:06:02 +0000

There’s plenty of social media theory. There’s less social media in practice. This blog from Sandwell Council shows how they used Facebook and Twitter to crowd source images for their snow champion campaign. This saw thousands of people given a grit supply and a shovel to help clear roads, paths and look after neighbours.

Take 2,500 snow shovels, tubs of rock salt and high visibility vests. Add a band of willing people ready to help their community. Sprinkle generously with snow…

You may have heard about Snow Champions taking to the streets of Sandwell in the bad weather. They’ve certainly been making an impression on Twitter and on the Sandwell Facebook page.

Personfessional – do you speak the new social language?

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 20:02:08 +0000

Striking the right tone for social media can be hard. Too official? Too polite? Too much like a press release? This blog from a local government officer has some insights into how to approach your social media content.

Companies, brands and local government having a presence in the social world is, on the face of it, like inviting your Granny to a rave. It’s two separate worlds where collars meet chatters, daytime intrudes on playtime and the well-spoken face the outspoken.

We now know that, despite this apparent oxymoron, there’s room for us on Twitter, Facebook and so on – but only if we get the language just right… it needs to be personal but with a decent tinge of professional remaining. It needs to be Personfessional – the new social media language for businesses.

You’ve been pinned – local government and Pinterest

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 19:59:16 +0000

Pinterest is the new kid on the block. But how can the public sector use it? Rather effectively as this blog shows with some excellent case studies too.

Government has a great opportunity in Pinterest to showcase not only its own events, topics or campaigns but the content of other people or organisations it wants to be associated with. Just have a look at the US Army, US Navy and US National Guard Pinterest pages to see how government bodies can rock this platform (and have a look at the US Army’s Social Media Roundup Slideshare introduction to Pinterest and its related social media introduction presentations for another example of how the Army is also rocking social media guidance.) Can you see your organisation doing the same?

Wolverhampton Homes Social Media Guidelines

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 19:56:27 +0000

A useful set of social media guidelines written for a housing association but perfectly usable across the public sector.

Social media presence will be managed by named officers, who take ownership and responsibility for all content published. All officers will use either their initials or first names in posts, and where applicable job title, so that we are accountable for all we post on behalf of the organisation. This serves a dual purpose: it also shows the human face of the organisation. As members of staff change or move roles, the profile of Twitter and Facebook should be amended accordingly.

The Communications Team will be responsible for up-skilling officers who wish to use social media, advising on campaigns, projects and initiatives and taking overall responsibility for social media content that is generated by Wolverhampton Homes.

BBC English Regions Social Media Strategy

Dan Slee — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 19:53:32 +0000

To use Social Media? But how? And what to say? This English Regions BBC crib sheet is surprisingly sensible with some excellent advice on how to use Twitter.

All messages posted on Facebook or Twitter must adhere to – and be complied according to – the
News division’s guidance. A friendly, informal tone is acceptable – and often desirable – but
“txtspeak”, misspellings and poor grammar are not allowed.

On programme accounts, it’s a good idea for individuals to announce themselves when posting (“Hi -
Robin here…”) especially in the case of on-air talent and others who will be recognisable to the
audience. Research shows that me

Selling social media to the internal audience

Dan Slee — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:33:08 +0000

Winning the internal battle to use digital channels is ongoing. This Prezi – relating to PR, Communications and Employee Engagement in Social Housing - shows how a presentation can be delivered to an internal audience to open the door.

Selling social media to your internal audience is as vital as to your external audience. I delivered this prezi to Wolverhampton Homes senior managers today. It seemed to go down well :) Feel free to pinch/adapt any of it.

‘Connected councillors: a guide to using social media’

Dan Slee — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:24:46 +0000

A brilliant guide for politicians on how to use the social web to listen and talk to communities.

Social media is changing the way we work, socialise and govern. It can also help your council save money. This new publication shows how you can use social media to achieve more for less.

People turn to the web to find out about many things – from days out, entertainment and shopping, to making connections with friends and colleagues. They expect to be able to comment and contribute to everything, from online versions of newspapers to items they purchase from online retailers like Amazon.

Citizens will increasingly expect local government to provide its services online with the same level of interactivity that they find elsewhere. It wasn’t that long ago that email was a novel way to contact your councillor. Many councillors are already interacting with the people they represent online through social media, and it won’t be long before this is a common expectation, too.

Some practical guidance to help councillors use social media has been developed by:

Local Government (LG) Improvement and Development (formerly IDeA)
the Leadership Centre for Local Government
the National Association of Local Councils and Standards for England.

How to Deal With A Disappointed Fan of Your facebook fanpage?

Dan Slee — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:11:26 +0000

At some time or another someone will hurl a half brick at your social media profile. Now what? This blog gives some good strategic advice.

Wow, your facebook fanpage looks uber cool. But lol! What is this? I can see some angry comments probably from your clients or former clients raising their ugly heads in the middle of such blissful state. Does not sound cool huh? Now, what you are supposed to do if you face the situation? Would login in and delete the inflammatory comments from the posts or will you take some time out of your hectic schedule and concentrate on finding out the reason why the person is so much upset? It is your pick. But for those who are clueless and looking for a solution to deal with disgruntled facebook fans, this post is dedicate for them.

Twitter to help answer questions and queries

Dan Slee — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:05:31 +0000

Twitter has often been used as an extension of the comms team. This case study shows how it can be embedded into an organisation to help answer questions and queries.

In October last year colleagues of mine in our customer service team took over responsibility for replying to enquiries we received through Twitter. I’d like to say it was my idea but actually the desire to do this, and the foresight of how it could be developed, came from customer services.

And the reason I’d like to say it was my idea is because, four months on, it’s been working brilliantly – I’ve been surprised by how brilliantly. Enquiries are up, feedback has been great and we’ve had several people who, having come to us to complain on Twitter originally, have been so pleased with the speed and manner of the response that they’ve ended up complimenting us and telling their followers how great we are.

A basic guide to Flickr in local government

Dan Slee — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 22:02:25 +0000

A picture tells a thousand words. Flickr is a great site for sharing pictures and this basic guide shows how it can be used across the public sector to connect as well as communicate.

You know why Flickr is great? Because all you need is an ability to look at a good picture and say ‘wow.’

Slowly but surely Flickr is starting to spread across local government.

It’s a site that’s a brilliant mix of social and creative.

It’s also a place to celebrate the place where people live.

Not one big Facebook page please, but lots of little ones

Dan Slee — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 21:41:13 +0000

A useful look at how to approach Facebook strategy for an organisation. It tackles the question of one page or many pages firmly coming down in arguing for the diverse approach.

Suddenly, it became quite clear.

Would a zumba enthusiast be more likely to sign-up for zumba updates? Or zumba floating in amongst gym, badminton, squash, swimming, weight lifting and judo?

Or to ask another question, when you look for information on a council website, would you want it straight away or would you want to have to go through six other services before you got the lollipop?

That’s a simple question. You want the one.

So, maybe, what we need is not just one big Facebook page. Or even an oligarchy of pages based on services. What we need are lots of little ones for each class, group or community.

Monmouthshire County Council: social media guidelines

Steph Gray — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:07:16 +0000

A concise but specific policy for staff and elected members, describing how to manage the risks of engaging professionally in social media:

The Monmouthshire County Council Electronic Communications Policy and Code of Conduct provide the foundation for the council’s policies and guidelines for social media.

The same rules that apply to your actions in general, as found in the Code of Conduct, apply to your conduct online.

The council respects the legal rights of employees and, by and large, what you do on your own time is your concern. However, actions in or outside of work that affect your work performance, the work of others, or the council’s interests are a suitable focus for council policy.

The lines between public and private, personal and professional are hazy in online social networks. This policy covers the responsibilities of employees both inside and outside of work.

Monmouthshire County Council: social media

Steph Gray — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:03:08 +0000

Monmouthshire County Council is pioneering the organisation-wide use of social media, and provides a useful round-up of the policies and social media accounts currently in place from a single page on their corporate website

Monmouthshire County Council wants to engage with as many residents, community groups and partners as possible – the council is embracing social media sites such as blogs, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn to get involved in local conversations.

All our staff have permission to use social media to improve the way they work – social media can empower residents who need to find out information about services but it can open a new world of contacts and knowledge to council staff and councillors too.
Here is a list of our most popular social media accounts for anyone who wants to keep up with what’s going on and join in with discussions about their area or interests.

Digital engagement strategy

Al Smith — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 19:04:14 +0000

Department of Health’s digital engagement strategy, written in April 2010.

This document – written in April 2010 – describes digital engagement and social media, sets out the context and background to their use in the Department of Health, and develops a framework for the future development of digital engagement.

COI – Social Media Guidance

Al Smith — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:39:17 +0000

Central Office of Information guidance on social media and engagement best practice.

NB. COI is set to close on 31 March 2012 and GovUK is currently revising this guidance

Digital technology has revolutionised the way in which people communicate and share information – at local, national and international levels. Civil servants need to understand these changes so that they can operate effectively in a dynamic media environment.

This guidance features advice for press officers; marketers; internal communicators; and policy officials, as well as signposting where to go for expert advice on using social media in your work.

Social media guidance for public servants

Al Smith — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:33:57 +0000

Excellent blog from former civil servant on what should be included in new Cabinet Office guidance on social media.

What should new Cabinet Office guidance on social media contain? What challenges does it need to address?

Just under a year ago while I was still in the civil service, I started making representations to the great and the good about updating social media guidance for public servants. Some of you may be aware of existing guidance here, produced by the COI. Some of you may have also noticed the planned closure of COI – which means that either the new guidance has to be out before its closure or Cabinet Office will have to think where best to host this guidance until the new guidance is published.

Departmental Dialogue Index

Steph Gray — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 09:06:37 +0000

This tool, developed by Lindsey Colbourne for the ScienceWise public engagement with science programme, helps organisations to assess and explore their readiness for undertaking engagement activities. It shares a similar format the Myers-Briggs personality types assessment:

Lead by Lindsey Colbourne, this research project has identified and developed a diagnostic and toolkit, the Departmental Dialogue Index (DDI), to support people within organisations who are interested in improving their organisation’s use of dialogue and engagement.

This applied research project showed that the cultures of different individual departments, teams and organisations link to different levels of readiness to apply and utilize public engagement and dialogue.

Rather than recommending wholesale ‘culture change’, we have developed a diagnostic tool which can be used to:

understand your organisation’s preferences and beliefs
consider how this affects your organisation’s propensity to engage
use these insights to find effective ways of promoting and using engagement which goes with the grain of your organisation’s character, and therefore are more likely to be accepted

Michele Ide-Smith: Digital engagement framework for local government

Al Smith — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 20:30:48 +0000

Michele Ide-Smith examines digital engagement from an academic standpoint as applied to local government organisations.

I’ve been doing a bit of research into citizen engagement models for my MSc research and started to think about how these models relate to digital engagement. I looked at various models and frameworks and combined them to help me conceptualise digital engagement.

Firstly I evaluated the participation model provided by David Wilcox in his 1994 participation framework, which was based on Sherry Arnstein’s ‘ladder of participation’ from 1969.

I noticed some similarities with Charlene Li’s and Josh Bernoff’s ladder of Social Technograph profiles. The profiles are based on survey research into consumer participation in social technologies. The ladder was recently updated to include a category for Twitter users!

The Groundswell site provides an interactive profiling tool which is based on demographic and behavioural data, to help companies define their commercial social technology strategies. However I think the tool has some transferable relevance for defining citizen participation profiles and assessing the propensity of certain age groups and genders to engage.

What would be really useful would be to overlay this behavioural data with the type of profile data that some local authorities have access to, either through OAC or Mosaic, along with other data layers, e.g. Council survey data, Place Survey data.

Li and Bernoff suggest various activities which the Social Technographs participate in. I have adapted these along the lines of Catherine Howe’s recent ‘long list’.

Lastly I thought about what type of roles might be involved at each level and drew inspiration from Steph Gray’s digital engagement roles. I have added other roles which are more relevant to local government, where communities are likely to play a more active role in engagement. Particularly where there are active hyperlocal sites in existence.

So, voilà! An adapted digital engagement framework for communities and local government. It’s a first draft so any comments welcome.

Civil Service Principles for participation online

Steph Gray — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 22:34:17 +0000

Published in 2009 after much internal discussion, the following points – and the Civil Service Code on top of which they sit – have been the primary source of guidance for civil servants engaging professionally in social media:

The Civil Service Code applies to your participation online as a civil servant or when discussing government business. You should participate in the same way as you would with other media or public forums such as speaking at conferences.

How the Civil Service Code applies to online participation

Disclose your position as a representative of your department or agency unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as a potential threat to personal security. Never give out personal details like home address and phone numbers.
Always remember that participation online results in your comments being permanently available and open to being republished in other media. Stay within the legal framework and be aware that libel, defamation, copyright and data protection laws apply. This means that you should not disclose information, make commitments or engage in activities on behalf of Government unless you are authorised to do so. This authority may already be delegated or may be explicitly granted depending on your organisation.

Also be aware that this may attract media interest in you as an individual, so proceed with care whether you are participating in an official or a personal capacity. If you have any doubts, take advice from your line manager.

Be credible
Be accurate, fair, thorough and transparent.

Be consistent
Encourage constructive criticism and deliberation. Be cordial, honest and professional at all times.

Be responsive
When you gain insight, share it where appropriate.

Be integrated
Wherever possible, align online participation with other offline communications.

Be a civil servant
Remember that you are an ambassador for your organisation. Wherever possible, disclose your position as a representative of your department or agency.