Coming off the interactive sessions at SXSW and Community 2.0, Lee LeFever highlights some of the best points made about building online communities. The two extracts that follow will resonate with government communicators considering how to integrate (or expand) their community and stakeholder outreach to include online communities.

 ”Don’t start with technology: This is true with almost any web site. Keep the technology options open while you define what you’re trying to accomplish with the community. Talk to future members, understand their goals, figure out what goals your site will accomplish and then how you can use technology and features to facilitate the accomplishment of those goals.”

 ”Know your pain threshold: Organizations are often not used to seeing negative comments from customers on their web site. In online communities this is inevitable. Your organization will have to learn your level of tolerance for negativity and criticism (each one will be different). In many cases, it is a bad idea to remove critical or negative comments (unless they violate the terms). Often, negative comments will be balanced by the community itself who can become stronger through building consensus and debate.”

That last point will be the most difficult for government communicators: how do you take an effective measure of the pain threshold in our context? It differs from organization to organization, and bureaucratic sensitivity differs greatly from political sensitivity.

How better to start a blog that will discuss how government organizations communicate and integrate social media than to make some general observations about the integration of new (and not so new) technologies at the government level?

The Network of Public Sector Communicators notes that, in the most recent version of the Gartner Hype Cycle for Government (released last July), instant messaging for public servants has still to find an audience among IT specialists and senior executives. In the meanwhile, public servants are busy implementing hacks, convincing friends in the IT department to open ports on firewalls, and IM’ing from their PDAs.

Just as important is the observation that state and federal governments are slow to implement customer relationship management software:

“…Local authorities are embracing CRM, but there is not yet an enterprise mind-set above the municipal level. National, state and regional governments have not yet engaged in CRM or citizen-centric government through CRM capabilities at the enterprise level. However, some governments at this level have embraced CRM as a form of case management for large human services agencies and programs.” (Gartner, 2006)

We can all recognize that a customized CRM or case management software package would help communicators set a much clearer course to negotiate the maze of relationships, messages and interactions among audiences, stakeholders, government agencies and, as we say in Ottawa, federal/provincial/territorial relationships.

As for other social media applications, I am sure every public sector communicator can cite at least one internal implementation of tools like wikis, podcasts and blogs, usually as pilot projects, that they have heard of.

 Originally posted on Canuckflack.com on October 30, 2006.

[fade to studio] Hello. My name is Colin McKay. I’m an evangelist for government communications. You may remember me from such popular posts as Government Communications is interesting, dammit! and Government Communications doesn’t suck: I mean it. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to spend a few minutes with us.

We’ll return to this afternoon’s movie, Office Space, in a moment.

There’s a lesson to be learned from the tale of Peter, Samir and Michael: wasting countless hours in a cubicle punching keys can be a mind-numbing and soul-destroying exercise. Unless you have an inspiring vision, that is.

Just like Brian, the waiter at Chotchkie’s. His personal vision was excellence: being the best damn lunchtime waiter at an industrial park franchise quick serve restaurant.

You have a vision. You have an interest in learning and personal enrichment. Either that, or you secretly harbour a dream that marketing and public relations blogs have hidden links to illegal mp3s and other naughty things.

The hidden advantage to a career as a communicator or marketer in the government is the opportunity for progression and growth. Think of the government as a network of agencies and consultancies, separated by areas of practice.

Each department, agency or commission is a stand-alone unit, but can draw upon the same shared pool of qualified employees. In effect, winning a competition (or job search) as a government communicator or marketer demonstrates that you’re equally qualified for similar jobs in other government organizations.

It’s like Omnicom or WPP, but with much more transparent hiring processes and far less reliance on personal relationships for career advancement.

Sure, there are obstacles like any large organization. Your career can grind to a halt because you jumped on the wrong coat-tails or found yourself at the wrong end of a re-organization.

The financial rewards aren’t as great: they likely plateau earlier than most high achievers’ salaries in the private sector.

Most other organziations, though, won’t let you jump from a multi-year career specializing in speechwriting to a position in social marketing; from intensive stakeholder relations to social marketing on health causes.

The key to such a flexible and rewarding career is curiousity: only with an active interest in professional growth and a willingness to experiment can you mold a career that’s challenging and rewarding.

That’s true for a career in any organization, but I happen to think the job market in government communications is fluid (or cannibalistic) enough to encourage movement and experimentation.

Now, back to the show. [Fade to Lawrence explaining the difference between Federal and Minimum Security Prison]

Originally posted on Canuckflack.com on October 12, 2006

Following up on my previous post -  Government communications doesn’t suck, I mean it - I’d like to discuss the wide range of subjects and topics that could draw your attention as a government communicator. After all, government work doesn’t mean professional or personal stagnation.

Implied in the debate between employment at an agency (seizing the brass ring) or a corporate (seizing the brass retirement watch) office is the promise of greater opportunities for creative expression on a much larger variety of files.

Agency� acolytes will swear up and down that their day is a virtuous cycle of inspiration, creation and implementation - with some client meetings thrown in. Corporate types will argue that continuous exposure to one portfolio of products, services or brands is an opportunity to learn the corporate experience in and out, from product inception to integrated marketing planning to yearly bonus payouts.

Unfortunately, there are no yearly bonuses for the average public relations, marketing or communications type working in government.

Argument 2: Intellectual stimulation doesn’t require a cool office space.

Money aside, opportunity abounds in the government to work on files that interest you, files that will challenge your skills as a communicator while stimulating your mind. The key is to remember that the government is not a monolithic organization, it’s more like General Electric: plenty of little subsidiaries that do weird experiments and have offices in strange places - but are still market dominant. Here are some examples:

Risk communications: transportation departments, accident investigation boards, food inspection agencies, nuclear regulatory agencies, defense organizations.

Social marketing: health departments, social services agencies, public health organizations, overseas development departments.

Public opinion research: statistical agencies, every communications and marketing shop in the government, what we call “central agencies” (PCO, White House, OMB, Whitehall).

Rural outreach: agricultural departments, commodity marketing boards, fisheries departments.

International marketing: industry or commerce departments, departments of external or foreign affairs, export financing organizations

Science communications: research organizations, space agencies, departments responsible for natural resources (Department of the Interior), forestry agencies, fisheries departments.

Crisis communications: accident investigation boards, public safety departments, defense organizations, defense organizations, airport authorities.

Investor relations/financial communications: budget offices, departments of finance, management boards, banking regulators, national banks, financial monitoring agencies.

Notice how I didn’t cover any of the communications or marketing jobs that could be expected of politically-appointed staff? That’s a whole other world to be considered!

Next argument to be covered: government communications can be a multi-stage career, not a life sentence.

Shoutout to InsidePr for discussing government communications this week.

Originally posted at Canuckflack.com on October 7, 2006.

Agency vs. Corporate. One is more flexible. One is better paying. One offers a greater variety of projects for new associates. The other likely has a better health plan. I’m here, folks, to argue for another employer for young public relations and marketing types: the government.

Yes, it can be tradition-bound. Yes, your friends likely do not think it’s cool. Chances are, one of your managers will be wearing a short-sleeved shirt - in winter. Your business cards are certainly boring. There will be no fancy lunches …

Still, there are very good reasons to give some thought to working in government communications.

(This is the first of an irregular series meant to argue for a career as a government communicator - written by a government communicator.)

Argument 1: Variety is the spice of life.

I often hear the agency vs. corporate argument framed as a choice between creative opportunity and stifled imagination. My impression is that government communications is subject to an even more cocked eye.

Truth is, the apparently generic job of government communicator can touch upon all of the following tasks during a career. Or in one month:

• Media analyst
• Public opinion research analyst
  
• Communications strategist
• Speechwriter
• Spokesperson
• Policy analyst
  
• Consultations expert
• Publications project manager
• Risk communicator
• Internal communications
• Senior counsel
  
• Brand manager
• E-communications specialist
• Events manager
• And many more …

These roles are available to the new graduate as well as the experienced communicator: while government demands hierarchy, it also produces learning plans, training funds and opportunities for growth.

So Said The Organization is a collaborative blog intended to help government communicators from around the world share ideas, tips and practical examples of how to integrate new technologies into their daily work.