I’m currently at a conference on Social Media for Government. Curtis “Bob” Burns from TSA is speaking on “How to engage the public with an agency blog.” The TSA Blog was launched in 2008; so far there are 250 posts, with over 2 million visitors and over 30,000 published comments. It is a successful example of blogging by a government agency.
His reasons for blogging:
-to engage the public
-debunk myths and false allegations
-explain the why of policies and procedures
-humanize workforce
-defend the agency
-announce new initiatives
Here are his tips on blogging or as he calls it his “Secret Sauce”:
-have thick skin and humor a must
-don’t be a robot
-keep it real – no press releases
-refrain from tooting your own horn
-capitilize on little victories
-write to the readers
-be responsive and estalish relationship with readers
-take negative comments in stride and you can learn something
-moderate all comments (prevents info leaks)
-allow anonymous commenters
-if TSA can do it so can you
Feel free to add your own tips here as well!
Contact info:
Other cool agency blogs: http://blog.epa.gov/blog/ and http://blog.usa.gov/
Attia,
Great post! Thanks for sharing. We have not yet launched our blog, but are in the research phase before doing so — these tips will be helpful. I especially like the comments about “keep it real” and “humanize workforce”.
Dorri
No problem Dorri! Best of luck with the blog…Let me know if you need any assistance.
Another cool blog: nbii-info.blogspot.com/