Social Media

Victorian government launches inquiry into the use of social media in the house to reflect on the office of Speaker, by parliamentarians and public

Reading the eGovernment Resource Centre’s newsletter this morning, the Victorian government has launched an inquiry into the use of social media to reflect on the office of the Speaker, looking at use while parliament is sitting by both parliamentarians and the public galleries. The Legislative Assembly Standing Orders Committee is considering: (1) Should any restrictions,Read… Read more »

Social Media in Government Reading Discussion: Nicholas Christakis’ Connected

This week, we read selections from Connected, by Nicholas Christakis. Why I Assigned This Text This is the second of two texts that focus exclusively on how social media/social networks function and the relationship between people’s online social behavior and their offline activities. There are a few key concepts that this text brings into sharpRead… Read more »

Mobile app design and organization

Mobile apps are hot. Everyone’s got one, from grocery stores to travel companies to whisky distillers. Last week Rob Giggey began an interesting discussion about whether or not agencies/departments within a single government entity should have their own mobile apps.Should we separate a public library database search from emergency services and general info into theirRead… Read more »

Six Ways Politicians Can Use Pinterest

Mark Drapeau (Washington, DC) — If you were living in a cave during the last quarter of 2011, you may have missed out on hearing about Pinterest – the hottest new social platform to hit the tech scene in some time. Judged by leading tech blog TechCrunch as the best new startup of 2011, PinterestRead… Read more »

The Social Media Paradox: Hurting Your Career by Helping Your Company

It’s social media week all over DC and other major cities this week which basically means a ton of FREE great conferences and workshops. I’d encourage you to check them out here: http://socialmediaweek.org/washingtondc/ With all that said I attended the Ethics in Social Media workshop this afternoon and there were some eye popping numbers. FirstRead… Read more »

Social Media in Government Reading Discussion: Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone

The Web Manager University launched a pilot 12-week class this week that explores in-depth, the issues pertaining to social media in government. In each class meeting, we read excerpts from one book, listen to (and ask questions of) one expert in a field related the reading and the topic of the day, and then movesRead… Read more »

Social Media Success: More Than Fans, Followers, and Likes

Yesterday, GovLoop’s blog in the Huffington Post addressed a hot topic in our community: how to measure social media success in local government. The GovLoop community came back with several responses on the original thread, agreeing that the number of fans, followers, and likes was not an accurate measure of success; rather, citizen engagement wasRead… Read more »

Social Media: Is it Worth it?

As the Information Age progresses and is still in its infancy, the transfer of information has become nearly instant. Government has been using Twitter and Facebook to connect with its constituents, though some say that social media in government is unnecessary. Others suggest that government should serve citizens the best way possible, including utilizing socialRead… Read more »

Who’s the boss?

Every good, successful team is lead by an effective leader. Part of your organization’s media plan must focus on your team’s structure, even if there are just two members. A social media team is only as knowledgeable and functional as its players…with a leader who delegates responsibility and provides guidance towards achieving objectives and establishingRead… Read more »