To 2.0 or Not 2.0? That is The Government's Question
And we've got the answer. Three of them actually: Listen, learn, and let go. Let's face it, Web 2.0 is a buzzword. And when it comes to government, change, and innovation, we have to reach beyond buzzwords. Surprising to some, the government isn't too far beyond.
Government is doing some amazing social media initiatives to better serve their constituents, and why not - social media is all about increasing the democratization of communications. The government serves its people, and thus, it's a perfect match.
We government-familiar types know of the greatness that is CDC - from their virtual world explorations in Whyville and SecondLife, to their numerous podcasts, e-cards, MySpace page and blog, and their CDC-TV channel, they are leading the way. But there's more.
The EPA has its own cause on Facebook for its EnergySTAR program to stop global warming. The U.S. Intelligence Agency has it's own data-sharing and social network-esque called Intellipedia. TSA uses its blog Evolution of Security as instrumental to its customer service abilities. Not to mention, there are currently 7 head directors and decision makers with their own blog. But, I will admit that some areas in government just need some more coaching.
If you are within government or outside of government, here are three helpful strategies to be the social media maven for your agency: Listen. Learn. And Let go.
These three strategies are listed in no particular order as they all circle one another. Think back when you learned how to ride a bike. You did not let go of the training wheels, until you have learned how to ride the bike. But, you couldn't learn how to ride the bike, until you listened to the instructions. Same deal.
Listening
The more you learn about the space, the more comfortable you will become. This will involving listening to webinars and speakers on the topic. For starters, the CDC is having a live web dialogue on September 18th with an expert panel to talk about how government health agencies can integrate social media practices into their initiatives. There are currently 217 people signed up!
Listening also involves learning how to search, and how to search effectively. Largely, learning how to navigate the RSS feeder. I know it looks intimidating. I was at first too. But, it's called Real Simple Syndication for a reason, because it really can be simple. Check out Google Reader or Bloglines or email me, and we can work together.
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Very nice write-up on Web 2.0 It's really hard to get those old beaurocrats to listen learn and let go. That's why private industry trives in the USA.
You are so on with this. Government will likely have a hard time, but there are people and like you @immunity are doing great things and educating our public servants. Society has much to gain from a socially engaged public sector.
Bear in mind that many well-meaning government employees are burdened with outdated rules and regulations that limit their ability to get involved in Web 2.0. These include rules on accessibility, IT security, "information quality" and a host of other potential roadblocks. The Internet has evolved faster than the rules have so there's a lot of confusion within government on what's allowed. That's why you see certain agencies, like the CDC, well ahead of the rest of government when it comes to Web 2.0.
@Geoff and @Dating thank you 4 the kudos, and it will be a tougher road to travel, but the more we as individuals become comfortable and knowledge about the 2.0 space, the more we can transfer and aplpy that knowledge into our organizations.
@Joe I totally feel you and understand what you are saying. With web 2.0, in the private sector, at times, it's easier to adopt a learn-as-you-go attitude, and within government that can be tricky. However, AIDS.gov and EPA's blog Greenversations both launched their blogs with full transparency about learning as they go, and so far, I see them as successes. But, yes, you are correct in that there are more policies, regulations and concerns to take into consideration...which makes it especially harder for the smaller government agencies too.
What I think is important, as kudos to Geoff for the phrase, but that we remain teachable. Learning about the space can only lead to further understanding, application and growth. It's at least a starting ground. =)
Yes, a great read there, and here's to hoping that people take note (and the red tape allows them to evolve) :)
One thing to remember is that social media is not for EVERY organization. Having worked in Higher Education - which has an umbilical chord attached to government - I can tell you that there is a lot of red tape and a lot of tradition that would need to be either 1) eliminated or 2) restructured in or for any social media outreach to be truly successful.
I don't see the Gov outright taking off w/ social media for the exact same reasons. Though it would be interesting to see the Secretary of Defense Twitter something like: "Off to another meeting about military defense - then back to the white house for some Wii Sports Woot!!"
If we are talking new marketing and niche markets - then the small pockets within government that are utilizing social media are paving the way of change.
@DaveMurr
If the Secretary of Defense ever utters or writes the word "Woot", we are in big trouble. Not even "web 2.0" (ugh, when will that term cease?) will be able to help.
@Charlie I feel you on the overuse of Web 2.0, and prefer more specific identifiers like social media. I've found that web 2.0 is often used to gain attention (as I shamelessly used in my title) and buzz. However, as I also stated --> We have to get beyond the buzz.
@DaveMurr You bring up an interesting topic around the growing formation of niche communities. For example, NING is very innovative, but I've found it most successful for very niche groups. Like those who all attended a conference together, or those driven there by their local non-profit. If you think in TV terms, the MySpaces and Facebooks are broadcast, and the niche social communities and applications forming are the cable.
Also, I agree that social media is not the panacea. And, I want to be careful to box all of government into a yay or nay on the social media topic as the breadth of social media is a never-ending tunnel that's growing every day. So, the more we learn about the space, the more we may find a variety of applications. But, yes, every situation is different and should be analyzed as such.
However, simple applications, like Awaymail for example, may make a director or manager's daily job much more breatheable and efficient whether its government or not. We just have to simply learn about these new tools, before we cast the mallet. Thus, this series. =)
Great work here Alex! I would especially like to agree with Joe in regards to well meaning people in the gov't having to go through alot of red tape in order to move things along. It is indeed alot easier for individuals and non govt entities to integrate social media practices into their work because of agility to change.
I'm glad to see the CDC taking the reins and producing these materials. The second point about Learning is important in that regard because many govt institutes have been seen as the authority on issues (and in many instances they are) - so the willingness to learn about new ideas and features that are helpful is very important.
I agree with everyone here, eventually the government will get into the web 2.0, just might take a while. Great article Alex.
Darn tootin'! Nice article, Alex. :)
Gov't will get there despite Joe's very accurate points about obstacles. It's just taking time.
Hey, another thought, in line with "Let Go." Can you suggest some places we forward-thinking gov't-types could contact to ask about guest blogging? Like, say, RWW? :) Please send me a note!
Thanks for the great question Jeffrey, and I'm glad that my email helped. As I told Jeffrey, with guest blogging, it completely depends on yuor agency's niche area of content and focus. Alltop.com is a great resource to quickly find blogs in your content area, however. If you'd like to discuss further, I am reachable at arampy@gmail.com.
Thank you!