The Pertinence of Social Media in Government

On Feb. 18, I had the opportunity to present at the Department of Public Health’s Social Media Workshop 3.0 in Macon, Ga. State and local communicators and IT personnel gathered to learn about the benefits and reality of using social media in the government. The audience ranged from social media experts to novices, from social media supporters to skeptics, from wise experiences to energetic experimentations.

For me, a big takeaway from this day was the willingness everyone showed in talking openly about social media in the government. Many government agencies are hesitant to delve into the world of social media. It’s a scary concept — opening up and becoming somewhat vulnerable to our customers, especially with the trolls and intense negativity government is prone to experience.

In response to this, we discussed my Guide to Negativity and learned how to tear apart the masks and disguises of negative comments in order to find the question hidden inside. Many times, what we perceive as complaints and Internet yelling are actually confused, frustrated constituents in need of some guidance.

There were a few people at the workshop who were skeptical of the role social media can play, but the fact that they were giving it a chance and willing to learn put hope in my heart.

It also gave me a Barney Stinson sensation.

I made it my goal to provide the honest truth of my experience with social media and how many benefits it provides.

Yes, social media is scary. Yes, you have to be careful what you say and how you say it. Yes, there are potential consequences that could be major. Yes, it takes time and energy. Yes, this is all true. Social media is hard.

But it’s also extremely pertinent.

Our constituents are out there already, talking about us. Why don’t we join the conversation? Why not speak directly to them? Lisa Janak-Newman of the Georgia Emergency Management Authority said it perfectly: Social media gives us the opportunity to give an unfiltered message to the citizens of Georgia. That leaves no room for the media or other critics to twist or construe our message. Especially during an emergency.

SnowedOutAtlanta creator Michelle Sollicito explained how integral a role social media played during the epic snowstorms of 2014. Without the crowdsourcing and real-time comments on the Facebook group SnowedOutAtlanta, casualties from the winter storm could have become astronomical. When has there ever been a time in history where something like this is achievable? We are so fortunate to live in a time that allows us to have direct access to our constituents in such a manner.

Valerie Attell with Georgia Public Health Emergency Preparedness helped explain the importance of hashtags on Twitter and how they’ve utilized hashtags to increase engagement and participation in conferences. We discussed the basics of Twitter and the many tools Twitter provides.

Finally, we ended the day with a quick tutorial from social media consultant Kerry Shearer about how to use iMovie. With just an iPhone you can shoot, edit, and publish professional looking movies within 10 minutes! We learned specific techniques and different accessories you could use to make your video extraordinary. It’s fast, cheap, and easy — perfect for the average government employee who is limited on time and resources.

Throughout the day we had many discussions and really worked through some hard topics. I’m not sure if we completely converted everyone, but we helped chip away some of the ice in their frozen stance on social media.

Related Link

• Guide to Negativity

Related to: 

• Conferences
• Social Media