COI, Nick Jones

The importance of digital communications in local government. Nick Jones, Director of Interactive Services, COI Social Media Roadshow: Maximising the Powers of Social Media LGComms, Nottingham, 21 st January2010

Our conversation today What’s this digital comms, social media, Interwebz thing really about? Definitions Behaviours Examples Digital Communications is important because.. How the heck do we deliver our bit of the conversation? What next then?

Simple actions define social media Online technologies and practices that are used to share opinions and information, promote discussion and build relationships.’ “ It's a fusion of sociology and technology, transforming monologues (one to many) into dialogues (many to many) and is the democratization of information, transforming people from content readers into publishers.” Source: Wikipedia Does it allow you to create, connect and share more easily? And defined digital engagement dialogue : moving from broadcast to conversation; not only listening but responding ; two way collaboration sharing information, data, opinion, discussion; building and sustaining rational and emotional relationships moving audience from awareness to action . Metaphors: Engineering: power is transmitted when gears engage. Emotional: the ring in the finger is a commitment to share and listen

Platforms to create and connect and share Platform for others to tell their stories. Generative Web Allowing non-comms staff to be spokespeople

Act On Co2 User generated content takes many forms. Be prepared to manage odd-shaped and angry input SOCIAL 100

http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/royal-navy-engineer-officer-challenge/id339491226?mt=8 Leverage of competitive game play boosts the connections

Sharing can help shape service delivery http:// www.balanceyourbobbies.com/questions.aspx?txt_postcode =LL573TS

Our comms management needs to be connected too

Social media isn’t just for a small metro elite Asking citizens to post, comment and rate. Massive scale. YF: 500k+ visits, 400k+ visitors, 15k+ ideas, 73k comments, 38k votes. Lot’s of ‘hands on deck’. Be careful in the future when crowdsourcing. “A lot of crowd-sourcing now feels like a bit like begging.. only lazier” Tom Smith, Collaborative Software Specialist University of York, XXDX

Connections can be international, national, local, personal and business. Joint Media Operations Centre in Camp Bastion @MediaOps NHS Direct @nhsdirect Driving Standards Agency @DSAgovuk, @Liz_DSA Tom Calver: Blackburn With Darwen BC and RAF reservist, @tomcalver

Social media is simply telling the story and keeping it going Nottingham City Council youth services, and otther areas, worked with the local COI office to create interesting social media activities for disenfranchised youth - taking part in social media became an activity in itself. Part of a DfE programme to encourage participation in positive activity CIPR Award The combination of PR and digital skill sets is a powerful one.

It’s important because… It’s where the eyeballs are Allows sustained meaningful interaction that helps achieve business objectives Suits the new public comms paradigm

Digital behaviour is everyday behaviour. Social media is everyday digital behaviour 73% of homes have Internet access (ONS 10/10) Adults spend 14.2 hours online per month (ONS 10/10) 37m online (Kantar 06/10) Viewing video up 37% YoY (Comscore 04/10) 44% of Internet users have a social network profile (ONS 10/10) 25m on Facebook, 90% using it weekly, 60% daily (Facebook Q4/10) 62% of major organisations using Twitter to publicise but only 27% for customer service (econsultancy 09/09) 6% expect a reply in 10 minutes! (IAB 01/11) 35% of mobile users user their phones to get news online (AOP 07/10) 22% of mobile users use their social networks on their phones (AOP 07/10) 52% rise in Over 50s using social media on their mobiles. Rise of multi-screen usage leading to Splinternet Why not repeat the Nottingham youth model with an older group?

This stuff works. Social functionality improves the communication effect German research study Small sample but well designed. bFake law ;-) 4-8% increase in the communication effect Moderate social functionality best The less interested the respondent is in policy the higher the enhancement of communication effects social media delivers Source: Daniel Heine, http://www.slideshare.net/ionsanion/government-communication-on-the-social-web-3289811

It reflects the emerging comms paradigm Command and control Collaboration The passive citizen I invent I direct I do I invite We invent We or you do Active participation From To

It’s got to be perform if we are to avoid the comms outcome gap Earned ? ? ? ? ? ? Current Reduce paid. Increase owned and earned Finite capability of owned and earned. Accept outcome shortfall? Purchased Purchased Efficiencies Owned Owned Owned Earned Earned Earned Outcome gap Outcome gap Outcomes and expenditure More control Less control

How to deliver Set principles and communicate them Strategise strategically (apologies) Counter the fear

Staff principles Be credible Be accurate, fair, thorough and transparent. Be consistent Encourage constructive criticism and deliberation. Be cordial, honest and professional at all times. Be responsive Share insight and create a dialogue Be integrated Make it part of something bigger, not just an add-on Be a civil servant Remember that you are an ambassador for your organisation. Wherever possible, tell people who you are Principles for Online Participation. Part of the Civil Service Code http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/resources/participation-online.aspx :

How to make it stack-up and stick. Social media strategies… Start life… As an add-on to campaign activity With part-time resourcing In the tool-shed Powered by enthusiasm

…should nest in a digital comms strategy… Such strategies… Integrate all digital comms activity Content: reuse, sharing, signposting Cooperation across paid, owned, earned channels Conversion: pull towards action goals Feature full-time resourcing Tools and time Powered by the comms plan

…and contribute to digital engagement strategies going forward. Integrated beyond traditional comms function Public participation Data Enabling the workforce Resourcing from beyond comms Operations Delivery Tools and time are applied in a system Powered by the business plan It should become business as usual

Common fears of using social media and how to counter them Losing control of the conversation vs. Missing the chance to participate in the conversations Anti-trust and privacy vs. Lack of trust Experiments that fail vs. Failing to experiment Members won’t use it vs. Organisations that don’t use it Spending too much time without seeing returns vs Spending too little tie and watching your value proposition erode http://www.diaryofareluctantblogger.com/2009/01/fear-no-more.html

Our crowdsourced calendar of social media predictions 20 11 1. Integration and Screens Greater integration of social across media, specifically increased use of hash tags and TV, as well as general blurring of lines between 1. communication and services and 2. messages and experiences 2. Social Commerce Rises More virtual group buying opportunities and discounts, as well as bricks and mortar storefronts moving into Facebook to give the mix of shopping and social media to drive further sales and retention. But conversely… 3. It Gets Serious As organisations become more social, they will grappl3 with issues of reputation management, security and privacy like never before. As we’ve seen social media being used in backlashes against corporations, this could force organisations to become more risk adverse and cautious with their social media activity. 4. Internal Comms Greater focus on social media for internal comms as organisations search for meaningful, valuable ways in which they can use tools effectively. Social media becomes part of the job description of the masses, not just a job title for the few. Which begs the question: . 5, Common sense Will the term ‘social media’ lose it’s cache as organisations realise that it’s less smoke and mirrors and more common sense? . 7. Smart Listening to Optimise Listening is just one example of (4). Organisations dedicate resource to listening and measurement and try to figure out how what people are saying in social spaces can effectively be embeded into various functions across organisations. From a government perspective, the drive for ‘more for less’ will put an emphasis on both end-to-end evaluation and real-time optimisation. 8. Keep On Crowdsourcing We also foresee more crowdsourcing across govenment to satisfy public appetite for digital participation and engagement 9. A Nation of Billions And while Facebook may reach 1 billion users, 9. Twitter Commercialises and, hopefully, Twitter get serious (more bandwith, no more Fail Whale, advertising, UK sales team), 20 11 10. Social Fatigue Sets In we may see more withdrawl into the off-line world as bloggers stop blogging, (it can be exhausting). And Finally… We predict that social media will be used to greater extent for prediction http:// iabuksocial.co.uk/?p =1429#more-1429

Help and thank you. Let’s keep talking. Web standards and guidelines www.coi.gov.uk/webguidelines Usability toolkit www.coi.gov.uk/usability Digigov blog www.coi.gov.uk/blogs/digigov Twitter @nickjonescoi [email_address] Thank you

COI, Nick Jones

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