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California Encourages Agencies to Use Social Media

Kelly — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:15:48 +0000

The great State of California was compelled to issue guidelines today for the use of social media within the state’s government agency environment, saying Governor Schwarzenegger has had “great success” in using them. It’s not a step-by-step plan on how to use Twitter. It doesn’t say anything about Facebook being better than MySpace. It’s a way to to tell agencies, “Hey everyone, it’s okay to let your staff experiment with these things, just be smart about it!”

There’s many schools of thought on whether to, or not to, use social media tools for government public information. When I do classes on how they can be used to improve your ability to communicate, the inevitable question is asked, “So what is your official policy for using these sites?” Usually uttered by government types – public information officers, communications directors, agency executives and the like.

I suppose it’s a valid question if you’re used to being comforted by a vetted plan and procedure. But you can’t nail down social media tools like that because they’re always changing, expanding, improving or imploding. They’re much more dynamic than the speed of government. So you’re really experimenting to see what works for you and developing your own web of outreach. That’s what we do. Any PIO worth their salt is doing just that. How can you ignore it? Are you still using a typewriter and mailing press releases out?

It’s my understanding that the folks that put the California plan together were trying to help alleviate the reluctance and discomfort some folks had (or still have) with using these new tools. Good for them! The guidelines begin with the most important part of the document,

Agencies and departments are encouraged to use Social Media technologies to engage their customers and employees where appropriate. Many state entities, including the Governor’s office, have used Social Media communication with great success…

So if you’re one of those people that doesn’t feel real comfortable stepping out on a limb and trying them without a plan, this might be a great starting point for you to create your own agency guidelines or procedures. I’ve included some links to other plans below – making it even easier for you to save time! And, there’s even a Microsoft Word document you can download!

Do you have a plan in your agency or business? I encourage you to share your own plans by commenting below. We all could learn from you!

California Policy

IT Policy Letter – Social Media (PDF or doc)

Other Resources

CIO Council’s Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media by Federal Departments and Agencies – http://www.cio.gov/Documents/Guidelines_for_Secure_Use_Social_Media_v01-0.pdf
Intel Social Media Guidelines – http://www.intel.com/sites/sitewide/en_US/social-media.htm
IBM Social Computing Guidelines – https://www-950.ibm.com/blogs/09100912-b777-4fcf-b726-f28424d9dc44/resource/IBMSocialComputingGuidelines.pdf?lang=en_us
Best Practices for Social Media Usage in North Carolina – http://www.records.ncdcr.gov/guides/best_practices_socialmedia_usage_20091217.pdf
New Media and the Air Force, Air Force Public Affairs Agency, Emerging Technology Division – http://www.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-090406-036.pdf
Department of Defense: New Policy Authorizes Social Media Access, With Caveat

Fact Checking Using Social Networking Sites

Kelly — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 18:30:05 +0000

There’s a great post on Mashable titled “The Journalists Guide to Facebook” where the author Leah Betancourt says the world’s largest social networking site can be invaluable to journalists. Facebook gives reporters a means to connect with communities involved with stories, find sources, and generate leads.

It’s also a great place for public information officers and professional communicators to find out information the might not have access to elsewhere. However, there’s one big “but” about using it for facts or source material – you need to verify.

“Verify, verify, verify. Facebook is a great source for story ideas, but no news story should be solely-sourced through social media,” said Jane E. Kirtley, Professor of Media Ethics and Law and director of the Silha Center at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota,. “Seek corroboration. And if at all possible, interview the person either by phone or face-to-face. It is so easy to lie on the Internet, and to misrepresent oneself. No journalist wants to spread falsehoods or be taken in by a hoax.”

According to Kirtley, “Most news organizations realize how valuable social networking can be, both as a newsgathering tool and as a way to promote the news organization’s ‘brand.’ The trick is to accommodate the competing interests without stifling the exchange of ideas. It’s not an easy task.”

Ethics Tips from Jane E. Kirtley

Verify facts, identification of sources, etc. Be as certain as possible that the information you are providing is truthful and accurate, or, if that can’t be determined, making very clear what the source of it is.
Remember that nothing on Facebook or social media is really private.
Once it’s posted there’s no way to take it back or restrict what other people might do with it once they get access to it.
Reporters should disclose in their stories that they utilized Facebook as one of their reporting tools.
Be cautious about friending controversial individuals.
Be aware that others may draw inaccurate conclusions from your decision to friend someone.
Friending an unnamed source is the same as revealing the source’s identity. If you’ve promised confidentiality, you shouldn’t do it, even if the friend is using a pseudonym.
Journalists are regarded as “journalists” virtually 24/7, especially nowadays with people with all kinds of agendas who are constantly looking for evidence of journalists’ bias.
Use images and content from sites such as Facebook with care. How do you know it’s accurate? Don’t spread lies.

Tips on Using Facebook from J.D. Lasica

Be human. You’re not a detached observer, but a participant who need to share and give back instead of just taking.
If you’re using Facebook just to publicize stories you’ve written, you’re using it wrong.
Remember that Facebook is about sharing, not about broadcasting.
It’s all about karma. The community won’t share with you unless you’ve shared (your experiences, your thoughts, your passions) with them.

To read the entire post called “A Journalists Guide to Facebook” click here.

The 3 Big Questions About Using Social Media Tools in Emergencies

Kelly — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 12:16:08 +0000

There’s no doubt your head is spinning because your boss, city council, board of supervisors, mayor, etc wants you to figure out whether or not you should be Tweeting on Twitter or connecting with the community on Facebook. You’re the expert communicator with all the answers, right? Yikes! If you like many folks, you’re still just learning about the various new ways to connect with your community beyond the tried-and-true newsletter, press release or periodic community meeting.

It’s hard to ignore. A whole new information sharing environment is upon us and people are expecting information quickly and in many new forms – especially during emergencies:

Text messages on their cell phone
E-mails sent to their personal and work accounts
Twitter updates
Custom iPhone and Blackberry applications (devices known as PDA’s)
Immediate information accessible on a web page

And, they want it on ALL those platforms IN ADDITION to the simple “Reverse 911″ phone message or knock on their front door when a crisis strikes.

There’s a lot to be said about what we’re seeing happening with Twitter and the political uprising in Iran. Who knew that this simple little application would become the most vital communication tool for a virtual revolution? You can also give credit to Google for providing some easy-to-use, free mapping technology that helped people during California’s worst wildfires in 2007 and 2008 (I know because I was building Google Maps right on my laptop from home). But there’s still lingering questions for those of us folks that need to reassure the public that we have “official” information.

The Three Big Questions We Need Answered

Even though there’s a lot of neat stuff out there, the big three questions remain:

Is it totally free? (No hidden tricks that force you into paying for a “Pro” account down the road)
How much control do I really have with the popular free social media tools? Are embarrassing ads like “Viagra” going to pop up somewhere in my official messages? (Yep, you guessed it, already happened to me during a live web stream test of a press conference.)
Is it reliable enough to use in an emergency and going to be around for a while? (ie, This is not a “startup” company that may morph into something else or disappear from the web on a moments notice.)

** Okay, so there’s more than three questions… but you still want answers to all of those questions!

A Potential Answer

There’s a new service that seems to have a lot of promise called Nixle. According to their website, Nixle’s Municipal Wire is the first standardized, secure, and certified communication platform for local police departments, municipalities, and their agencies to communicate important, neighborhood-level information to the residents of their communities. Nixle’s Municipal Wire is available at no cost to residents or police departments, and uses the same compelling model as social applications, such as Twitter and Facebook, while adding the security that is critical to ensure information received by users is Trusted and Accurate. Residents receive all information immediately by text message, email and web.

This service was build exclusively for:

Municipal governments and their agencies
Local police departments & law enforcement agencies
Fire departments & local emergency service agencies
County, State and Federal agencies with a need to communicate neighborhood-level information.

Here are some case studies that might help you understand how Nixle is hoping to change the dynamic of public information, warning and communications.

Their “team” also includes an impressive cadre of very experienced folks in the public sector – namely Craig Mitnick, the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of the company. He’s a former attorney and government prosecutor, a law enforcement academy instructor and worked in the news industry.

To be up front, I haven’t fully tested or played with this system yet, but by the looks of what is happening in other communities like my home town of Modesto and their police department, this might be a very promising comprehensive “solution” to reaching today’s digitally-connected community members. It seems to answer our first two questions and the third is yet to be answered.

Find out More About Nixle.com by clicking this link
Please comment below if you’ve been successful using Nixle or another platform

The 5 Biggest Things I’ve Learned About Using Social Media

Kelly — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:25:59 +0000

1. The Best Way to Have Lopsided Relationships

We all love ways to optimize our ability to keep connected with our friends, especially when we have friends in different cities and different professions. I love being able to update my status and share pictures of my weekend motorcycle excursions with my “friends” on Facebook. The process of posting isn’t what I enjoy. It’s the reaction and comments I get from those who read my status updates – a handful of comments is rare. But my experience has repeatedly been a bit lopsided. Everyone else is absorbing what I’m sharing, but I’m not necessarily able to enjoy the same from my friends because many don’t put that much effort into sharing. There’s nothing wrong with that – but it’s a side-effect, if you will, of relying on social media to maintain relationships. It’s replacing that phone call question, “So what have you been doing lately?”

Instead of picking up the phone or making the effort to drive a distance to see some of my closest friends, I fall victim to social media laziness. And, as a result, I miss out on the rich interaction of being in person and sharing a cup of coffee. Ironically, my best friend doesn’t use Facebook and I really look forward to meeting him for lunch as often as I can to catch up. Interestingly, I think Facebook or Twitter would actually come in-between us in a bad way. Similarly, when I do connect with my friends that read my posts, I find they already know about everything I’ve done and I end up “shocked” that they’re so caught up.

So my point is that you shouldn’t let social media get in the way of good, old-fashioned personal interaction with those you wish to have meaningful relationships with. Don’t forgo coffee or that boring drive to see your friends and family just because you now have Facebook. Don’t think that because you’re Facebook “friends” with a famous reporter at your local TV station that they know, or care, about you. You still need to develop an interpersonal relationship.

2. Using 140 Characters Is Not a Conversation

If you’re familiar with Twitter, you know that the limit to your “tweets,” or insightful thoughts, is 140 characters. It’s interesting that Twitter “traditionalists” say that the whole point of Twitter is to have a conversation — a two-way street where people interact. Well, my experience with Twitter is less conversation and more contest – who can get the most followers and post the most “tweets.” Ashton or Oprah good enough examples? Now I’m not speaking on the quality of the free service as much as I am my practical experience with it. I’ve employed my Twitter account (@procomkelly) as a place where I can broadcast things I find interesting enough to share, but not so interesting that it would warrant a blog post (www.procommunicator.com). I’m experimenting with it and trying to find the right place for it in my toolbox, but I’m long past considering it a tool to have a conversation with people.

3. You Need to Make the Right Decisions, Early On

In one breath I’d encourage anyone and everyone to experiment with social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin and everything else out there that’s popular. However, in another breath I’d caution you not to jump into the deep end of the social media tool pool and start posting all your photos and commenting on the state of the Union. Before you know it, you’ll get a friend request from your boss; a photo of you from a political rally will be tagged with you in it (I’m sure there’s a few out there of me); and your mother will somehow end up finding your Flickr photostream and ask why she wasn’t invited to that dinner party (oh, and confront you on lying to her about where you were that weekend). All of your profiles and accounts are, by default, open to the world until you figure out how to manage the privacy settings. By that time, it’s usually too late – and your boss is wondering why you haven’t accepted his friend request. Yikes!

So make a decision early on what each of these tools is meant to accomplish for you. Is it for personal relationships? Business contacts? Purely professional? For example, I have a Twitter account (@procomkelly) that is solely a companion to my tools and tips blog (www.procommunicator.com). I’ve decided I won’t be posting family pictures or blabbing my political opinion diatribe on there because that audience doesn’t care and that’s not the point of my blog. I’ve made a decision that my Twitter account is intended as a companion microblog, and as a tool to drive traffic to my website. That’s where I’ll be posting helpful stuff that my colleagues (you) should find useful. As for Facebook, well I have a couple hundred “friends,” many of which I haven’t even met. I’m still debating how, and if, I’m going to clean that up. See, I put the cart before the horse, and if I delete a bunch of “friends” that really aren’t personal friends, there are unintended consequences and fallout. What to do. Hmm… My point exactly.

4. Technology Shouldn’t Feel Like a Flu Shot

Just because Oprah is Twittering or your colleagues are asking you what your screen name is – and you don’t have one, doesn’t mean you need one. I have done several presentations before groups of public information officers, public relations professionals and public officials. The minute I start talking about Flickr, MySpace, Twitter or Blogging, I will see a few people roll their eyes or give that look of “What the heck are you talking about?!”

Right off the bat I make it clear to those I’m presenting to: Just because everyone else is doing it doesn’t mean you have to. I tell people to remember that all this “online stuff” is simply a bunch of tools that you can considering using if it works for you. Just because you hear that I’ve used web pages, blogs, auto responders, photo sharing sites and SMS notification tools for high profile media cases doesn’t mean you have to know it all, too. This is no different than deciding whether or not you use a word processor or just hand write talking points for a press conference. At the end of the day, all that matters is whether or not you were able to reach your audience with those messages you scribbled or neatly typed.

Now, I will admit that I’ve seen quite a bit of peer pressure mounting in this arena. When I did a presentation before a public relations group in Sacramento recently, a person came up to me after and whispered that she doesn’t know anything about Twitter and her coworkers make fun of her. She was almost ashamed, and said she “felt stupid” because everyone else knows about Twitter and she doesn’t. I reassured her that you don’t have to keep up with anyone. Set aside some time and get online with these tools to play with them. Use Google to search for things you’re not sure about and read what others are saying. You might just find that using them is not that scary and could prove easier in the long run. But find out at your own pace. You’re in control, not the technology.

5. Don’t Put all Your Eggs in One Virtual Basket

I’m just a naturally curious person and won’t hesitate to open a new account just about anywhere (as long as its free). I have a LinkedIn account that I’ve not really paid much attention to – although I’m finding that I probably should because some of my colleagues are sending me messages on there instead of email. I had a MySpace account that drove me crazy – mostly because every time I opened someone else’s profile I’d have to listen to their favorite music embedded on their profile page. Head Banger Music Anyone? Mute! But what’s even funnier is that when I tell people I spend more time on Facebook than MySpace, some react by treating me as a traitor. Really? Then they go on to tell me about how X is better than Y and I shouldn’t use Y. Seriously? Kudos for having an opinion and sticking with something, but the argument is flawed to begin with.

Here’s the bottom line. If you want to enrich your online experience; gain insight from a wide range of colleagues or friends; drive traffic to your website; discover new things and enjoy your experience – then you need to diversify and explore. Don’t get caught up in what everyone else thinks. Look at #3 above to decide what you’re using the tools for and then start exploring everything available. Nothing says you have to stay on a site – most have an easy way to delete your profile. Done! Next!

A Place to Go

42+ Social Media Marketing Tools. I knew you would ask, so here’s a great post on Junta42 Blog that has a collection of social media tools to play with. I could come up with my own list, but Joe’s got it nailed.
Here’s Joe’s blog: http://www.junta42.com/ (thanks Joe!)

Should You Be Using Social Media Sites at Work?

Kelly — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 12:32:58 +0000

In many of the presentations I’ve given about the wide array of web 2.0 technologies and free social media tools available for government communicators, the question inevitably comes up, “What are your policies for using this stuff?” Some people are concerned that this technology is so new that it could turn into a nightmare without clear policies and procedures on what can and cannot be used.

The short answer is – there really are no consistent policies and practices – yet.

Social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, Flickr, UStream and others are so new to the scene that most government agencies haven’t had enough time to really test their effectiveness and understand the potential downsides. Some agencies don’t even want to test them because they see them as kids games or useless distractions the workplace. As a general rule, most government webmasters and IT folks have wholesale blocked access to these sites because they perceive them to be a threat to security or uncontrollable. To some degree, they’re right.

Should We Be Using Social Media Tools at Work?

The answer is, yes – assuming you have access to them. I always encourage professional communicators and crisis managers to explore every available tool out there – especially if it’s free and there’s a big audience that can be tapped.

However, you should also talk to your IT and management staff to see what your company/agency policy is (if they have one). Let them know ahead of time that you’d like to test these technologies to see if they can benefit your organization and then reassure them that you would like them to be a part of the process – so they can feel comfortable you’re not going to download the world’s largest virus or cause the FBI to seize their servers (because that’s what they fear the most).

What is the Federal Government Doing with New Media?

President Obama’s arrival on the federal scene has dynamically changed the tone and temperment of those who previously discouraged the use of social media tools. Here’s some interesting links to what’s happening:

How the White House is Using Web 2.0 Technologies So Far

Six New Media Challenges: Legal and Policy Considerations

What the White House Does

The President will sample a small number of e-mails that are received
Setup a voting system to assess what are people most interested in
Encouraged to experiment and try a lot of things

The Challenges of the White House

Get thousands of emails and comments
Getting clearance – How do you respond to what’s said?
How do you use free services hosted by someone else? Facebook, YouTube, Twitter.
Conditional use approach – rules in place on how to use the software
Privacy, terms of use and access for the disabled (Section 508 of Disabilities Act)
Should federal employees being able to use Web 2.0 technology – like Facebook or Twitter at work?
There’s rich media and interactivity that comes with these technologies
As we get experience, we need to set policies that works for everyone