Just read an interesting article on a Washington survey from the National Journal. Interesting to see that Social media seems to be a bigger deal to Government than private sector. The results:
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Over 1/2 of Capitol Hill staffers, federal executives and employees of corporations, lobbying firms, nonprofits and other private sector organizations view Twitter as “pointless babble.”
- Almost 1/3 called Twitter a “passing fad.”
- Twitter is useful if you want to reach the outside-the-Beltway audience.
- People using Twitter inside the Beltway are those whose job is to inform people outside the Beltway
- Almost 20 percent of congressional employees said they use Twitter on a daily or weekly basis, but only 6 percent of feds do so, and 85 percent of them do not Tweet at all.
- 1/2 of federal executives visit social networking sites in general, vs. 82% of Hill staffers and 67% of private sector employees.
- Congressional employees report the highest level of personal use.
- Private sector respondents had the highest rate of using the sites for professional purposes.
A little about the survey respondents:
411 federal executives, more than 75 percent of whom were GS-14 or higher. Almost 60% over the age of 50, and 70% have been in public service for 15 years or more. Over 1/2 of Hill staffers surveyed were 30 years old or younger.
Interesting stats! I’ve seen Twitter and other social media tools compared to the telephone, just tools. But one reason I think that Twitter is getting a bad rap is it’s like when the telephone first came out: “How do I use it?” “None of my friends has one.” “It’s just a bunch of busybodies and layabouts who need their own telephone.” We can call social media sites just tools, but for someone who’s never used them, they are pretty alien.
@Adriel agreed tools to help individuals/ organizations maintain(strengthen), and or create new relationships. In addition, it allows organizations to observe activitity that was hidden without this technological tool. For instance: what your competition is up to, what people are saying in reference to your niche/service/product, damage control, etc….
It is hard to change well entrained modes of communication, such was the case with the advent of computers/internet, can you imagine NOT using either today? How about consider going back to using a Commoder 64? Understanding the strategic and practical application for useage is important and how people use media generationally is critical. I would not use a lawn tractor to trim a shag rug, I would not use a drill to stir a martini, wrong tools for application or job can impact the results for end result. Know thy tools well and their functional and strategic reason for use.