Government Social Media

							                       Government
                      & Social Media
Carol A. Spencer                                Public Information Techniques
Special Projects Manager                                Public Safety Academy
Morris County Information Technology Division                    June 11, 2009
    Social Media & Government

•   What is social media?
•   Is social media a fad?
•   What do all those terms mean?
•   What are all those little graphics?
•   How is government using social media?
•   Who creates and maintains it?
•   Where can I learn how to use it?
    Social Media: What is it?

•   primarily Internet- and mobile-based tools for sharing and discussing
    information (Wikipedia)

•   the use of technology combined with social interaction to create or co-
    create value (John Jantsch, ducktapemarketing.com)

•   online communications in which individuals shift fluidly and flexibly
    between the role of audience and author (Joseph Thornley,propa.ca)

•   a category of practices, technology, tools, and online sites that are
    based in social relationships, participation, and user-generated
    content (Liz Strauss, successful-blog.com)

•   shift in how people discover, read, and share news and information
    and content...a fusion of sociology and technology, transforming
    monologue (one to many) into dialog (many to many)
    (Brian Solis, webpronews.com)
The Shift

Newspaper readership is plummeting

• New York Times readership DOWN 4.5%

• Wall Street Journal readership DOWN 1.5%

• On average: Paid Circulation (M-F) DOWN 2.6%

• On average: Paid Circulation (Sun) DOWN 3.5%




   Source: Audit Bureau of Circulation, six months ending Nov. 2007
The Growth of the Web




  •   1998: 2,851,000 websites
  •   2000: 7,399,000 websites
  •   2002: 9,040,000 websites
  •   2006: 100 million and growing at a rate of
            3.5 to 4 million per month
  Source: Online Computer Library Center
Living on-line

Getting and using information:
• 75% of adults (18+) get health
  information online
• 71% shop online
• 55% bank online

  And key for us…..
• 59% visit government sites


  Source: PewInternet.org,
Is Social Media a fad?

Accessing Information
• Total US population is 306 million people
• 57 million blog readers in the US
• 39% of Internet users read blogs in 2007, up from
   27% in 2006
• 35% of adult Internet users have a social networking
   profile (up from 8% in 2005)


Going Mobile:
• 11.3 million people used mobile data searches last
  year
• These searches did not include phone numbers or
  directory assist
• 35 million people use mobile web, accessing websites
  on their phones
• 12 million people watch video on their phones


   Source: PewInternet.org,
Will it last?

Accessing Information
• Total US population is 306 million people
• 57 million blog readers in the US
• 39% of Internet users read blogs in 2007, up from
   27% in 2006
• 35% of adult Internet users have a social networking
   profile (up from 8% in 2005)


Going Mobile:
• 11.3 million people used mobile data searches last
  year
• These searches did not include phone numbers or
  directory assist
• 35 million people use mobile web, accessing websites
  on their phones
• 12 million people watch video on their phones


   Source: PewInternet.org,
The World is Getting Smaller
The World in Your Hand
       You know you all want one…..
         Or, already have one….
      Social Media Terminology

•   RSS Feeds                  •   Social News Sites
•   Blogs                      •   Podcasting
•   Widgets                    •   Wikis
•   Video / Photo Sharing      •   Virtual Worlds
•   Social Networking          •   Mashups


     All of these technologies have been created
         for the purpose of sharing information
The Social Media Icon Family

 Social Media icons are just logos for specific applications
RSS Feeds: Real Simple Syndication




 When new information is added to a page, it is sent to subscribers.
Feedburner: Create and Track Your Feed
Feedburner: Creates the code for you
What the subscriber sees in a reader….

 Feedly, Itunes, Google Reader among others
The Advantages of Using RSS

 • Subscribers don’t have to keep visiting a
   website to get information.

 • Subscribers decide what information they
   want to receive.

 • Subscribers decide where they want
   information delivered.

 • Subscribers can receive information
   instantly.

 • You know your information is being read.
Blogs: Conversing with your Constituents

            It’s okay for government to blog.
       The Federal Government has more than 50.
Why Blog?

 •   Blogs get your message out and they are free.

 •   Blogs put a human face on government.

 •   Blogs are a sign of openness and a willing to accept
     criticism. Both increase trust.

 •   Blogs increase your opportunities to interact with
     constituents.

 •   People are naturally suspicious and fearful of what they
     don’t understand. Blogs help people understand their
     government.

 •   Blogs let you know what people are thinking.

 •   Blogs are a great source of new ideas.
Think Before You Blog

 • What will you blog about?

 • Who will write your blog entries? Will you require
   levels of approval?

 • How often will you blog? Can you blog often enough
   to keep reader interest?

 • What will your blog policy be? Your linking policy?

 • Will you allow public comment? Blogs don’t have to
   include comments.

 • Don’t blog anything you don’t want to read on the
   front page of the NY Times.
Blogs: Set Boundaries and Enforce Them

 SET RULES: “This is a moderated blog. That means all
   comments will be reviewed before posting.”

NOT ACCEPTABLE:
• Personal attacks (on both officers and
  passengers)
• Profanity (and I thought some sailors knew
  how to curse)
• Long embedded url strings (only because it
  messes up the format of the blog)
• Threats (enough said on this one)
• Duplicate posts (hitting submit 12 times
  won't make the comment appear any faster)
• Off-topic comments (and since we can't tell
  which topic a comment goes under when we
  moderate, we mean REALLY off topic, think
  plagues of locust off topic…)
• Sensitive information (TSA folks explaining
  exact procedures that could aid someone
  wishing to do us harm)
Other than that, all's fair in love and blogging.   Source: http://www.tsa.gov/blog
Blogs: What’s There to Talk About?

 •   Employee news items: trips, community contributions,
     unique talents

 •   Timely topics pertinent to your audience: new ordinances,
     changes in school policies. Explain why.

 •   Procedures: What happens at a Bd of Ed meeting? What’s
     the difference between the Zoning and Planning Boards?
     How to reserve recreation facilities.

 •   Useful Information: Recycling policies, Adopt a Hydrant,
     new “pick up routes” at the schools

 •   Elected Officials: Who they are. Their perspective on things
     happening around town.

 •   Meet the Bloggers: Let people know who is writing, add a
     photo, why they like / want to blog.
Widgets: Putting Their Info on Your Site
 The World of Widgets

      Small graphical applications that run on your website.
   Widgets can be interactive or provide links to relevant content.

• Yahoo Widgets
  http://widgets.yahoo.com/


• US Government “Gadget Gallery”
  http://www.usa.gov/Topics/Reference_Shelf/Libraries/Gadget_Gallery.shtml


• State of Virginia Widgets
  http://www.virginia.gov/cmsportal3/


• Widgetbox
  http://www.widgetbox.com/tag/government


• Article: Government Using Widgets
  http://www.informationweek.com/blog/main/archives/2009/03/government_usin.html
Sharing Photos and Video

                               Video
                               • YouTube
                               • Vimeo
                               • Motion Box
                               • MANY more….

                               Live Streaming
                               • UStream.TV

                               Stills
                               • Flickr
                               • Photobucket
                               • webshots

There are a LOT of these sites. Search, read terms & conditions,
watch for metered bandwidth, who owns video, etc.
The Big Names….
The Big Names….

        Facebook


        Twitter


        YouTube


        Flikr
          Why Use Facebook or Twitter
   Unique Visitor Count – Fastest Growing Member Community Sites


 RANK               Site                  Feb ’08                     Feb ’09                 % Growth
     1        Twitter.com                    475,000                  7,038,000                      1382%
     2        Zimbio                         809,000                  2,752,000                        240%
     3        Facebook                 20,043,000                  65,704,000                          228%
     4        Multiply                       321,000                  2,394,000                        192%
     5        Wikia                      1,381,000                    3,758,000                        172%
Nielsen Netview, 2/09, U.S., Home and Work




                        Source: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/twitters-tweet-smell-of-success/
   Why Use Facebook or Twitter

In April ’09, Twitter passed the
  NY Times in web visitors.




      Source: http://industry.bnet.com/media/10001662/compete-twitter-passes-new-york-times/
Why Use Facebook or Twitter

Facebook vs MySpace vs Twitter




     Source: http://industry.bnet.com/media/10001662/compete-twitter-passes-new-york-times/
             Facebook Users

• New Users Dec ’07 to Dec ’08
  –   7.3 million aged 2 to 17
  –   22.8 million aged 18 to 34
  –   24.1 million aged 35 to 49
  –   13.6 million aged 50 to 64
  –   3.2 million aged 65+

• Mobile Facebook
  – 10.6 million users in the US alone
  – 156% increase in one year



          Source: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/global/social-networking-new-global-footprint/
Facebook Demographics




  Source: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/global/social-networking-new-global-footprint/
        Facebook Explosion

• Facebook has hit 200 million active users
  only seven months after the social network
  hit 100 million users and 90 days after
  reaching 150 million.
• On average, Facebook has added 500,000
  new members a day since late August
• If it were a country, the site would be the
  fifth most populous, larger than Brazil and
  Japan.



          Source: http://www.mediapost.com/publications/?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=103704
Twitter
Twitter

 – Micro-blogging
 – Text message limit is 160 characters
 – Twitter limit is 140 characters
 – Easy to scan and determine if you want
   to read more
 – Send and/or receive via web or mobile
 – Information anywhere, any time



     Source: http://industry.bnet.com/media/10001662/compete-twitter-passes-new-york-times/
How Twitterers Get their News




   Source: PewInternet.org
Managing & Maintaining Social Media

  Have Policies
  •    Internet Terms of Use
  •    Privacy
  •    Accessibility
  •    Linking
  •    Social Networking Use
  •    Intranet Terms of Use

  Have Structure
  •    Limit who can blog, tweet, and post on Facebook
  •    Use RSS feeds to automate tweets and Facebook
       postings
  •    Be sure administration has usernames and passwords
       for all applications
  •    Assign responsible party to keep an eye on postings
Social Media Resources*

  RSS Feeds: feedburner.com
  Feed Readers: feedly.com, reader.google.com,
      itunes.com
  Blogs: blogger.com, wordpress.com
  Widgets: usa.gov, widgets.yahoo.com, widgetbox.com
  Photo Sharing: Flickr.com, webshots.com,
      photobucket.com
  Video Sharing: Youtube.com, vimeo.com,
      motionbox.com
  Live Video Streaming: UStream.tv
  Social Networking: Facebook.com, MySpace.com
  Twitter: Twitter.com

  *There are more companies that provide these services.
 This list represents solutions we have evaluated in the past.
Government Resources

  USA.gov: list of Federal blogs, widgets, and more
  WebContent.gov: lots of information about social
     media and gov’t
  GovLoop.com: Social Network for government
      employees
  NAGW.org: National Association of Government
     Webmasters
  GoWProNJ.net: Gov’t Web Professionals of NJ
Government Examples

 Montgomery County MD:
   http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/
   YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Podcasts
 Allen County ID:
    http://www.allencounty.us/blog/archives/tag/facebook
    Facebook, Twitter, Blog
 Roanoke County VA:
   http://www.roanokecountyva.gov/
   Twitter, Facebook, RSS, Video
 Morris County NJ:
   http://co.morris.nj.us
   Twitter, RSS, Video
Learning Web 2.0 Website
Sharing Information Internally
 co.morris.nj.us/learning20/resources.asp

Carol A. Spencer                                Public Information Techniques
Special Projects Manager                                Public Safety Academy
Morris County Information Technology Division                    June 11, 2009