Gov 2.0 Practical Guide Principle #10 – Status Updates #OGI

The final principle from the new practical guide to Gov 2.0 is status updates.

Consumer social networking has driven the status update phenomenon, with most services including function so we can see what our friends, family, coworkers and other associates are up to. While it may seem that the status update is too frivolous or fun for the enterprise, it offers a powerful tool to engage users within communities. Within a social learning community, setting the status update to what are you learning provides a relatively simple, yet robust way to communicate with and engage others in the community. Status updates are particularly interesting as they have proven very effective within consumer social networking sites and now users are comfortable with communicating in this manner. They provide an easy way to engage users that may be hesitant to participate as the approach closely mirrors something they are likely doing on a personal level. As these users visit the site to do status updates they are apt to become engaged in other activities over time.