Social Media

Mapping Australian Twitter discussions

Associate Professor Axel Bruns, who has previously done marvelous work mapping Australian blogs and tracking social media activity around the Queensland bushfires, has released his team’s latest research on mapping the Australian Twittersphere. Drawing (slightly paraphrased) from the joint CCI and Queensland University of Technology media release: With as many as two million Australians nowRead… Read more »

The EPA releases guides to using social as an agency employee

As you know, it’s imperative to be cautious about what you’re posting online as a public servant. Representing your agency isn’t something that just turns off after-hours, and it’s important to keep this in mind when using social media. The EPA recently released two documents to help its employees successfully use social as a representativeRead… Read more »

10 Steps to Measuring Social Media ROI

Last week I was able to present at the Obtaining Value and Insight With Social Medial Analysis event hosted by IBM Analytics Solution Center. The abstract for the event was: The internet is in a second wave of innovation. At the turn of the millennium, we saw a technology-driven, website-centric new-world-order. We are now partRead… Read more »

Working the Network – a New Guide to Using Twitter in the Federal Government

Currently, the federal government operates over 1,000 Twitter feeds. Federal civilian agencies maintain over 360 Twitter feeds, while the Department of Defense hosts more than 650. In addition to its official English feed, the State Department produces Twitter feeds in
 Turkish,
 Farsi,
 Arabic,
 Spanish, and 
French. It is fair to say that the federal governmentRead… Read more »

Protect Yourself Online – Just Common Sense

There is a lot of hysteria about online privacy. It’s easy to understand when there’s an ad scrolling across the top of your screen referencing the words you just typed into the email you’re composing. Creepy. I mean, if they’re watching what you type, what else are they doing with your private information? I guessRead… Read more »

Sneak Peak of HP New Media Gallery at Newseum – Audio

Last week I had the chance to get a sneak peak of the HP New Media Gallery, which will open on Friday at the Newseum. The exhibit is absolutely fantastic, and is a great display of social media’s increasingly important role in journalism and society. From a Newseum press release (download here), “The gallery isRead… Read more »

Is it theft if you personalise & retain an official social media account when you leave an organisation?

One of the legal and ethical dilemmas organisations are beginning to struggle with is the ownership of social media accounts. When a staff member creates and uses a social media account solely or mainly for official organisational purposes they can build a large following over months or years based entirely on their paid work activities.Read… Read more »

Guesting on #GovChat today

This week I am the guest on #GovChat, a Canadian operated weekly Twitter chat through PSLeader, featuring high profile public service and thought leaders from around the world. The chat starts at 10:00AM today for Aussie east coasters, 9:30AM in the middle and at 8:00AM if you’re in the west. For participants around the world:Read… Read more »

My thoughts on the Clerk’s 19th Annual Report to the Prime Minister on the Public Service of Canada

Even as an external consultant, every year I very much anticipate the Clerk’s Annual Report. It’s usually full of solid guidance quotes and it gives a good sense of some of the challenges faced in the prior year (albeit carefully written). This year, my favourite excerpts are as follows: “…the traditional relationship between government andRead… Read more »