There’s that word again - risk. How much risk is a government organization willing to take on while experimenting with social media and other online applications? By risk, I mean a willingness to hear dissenting voices as well as supporting commentary. How high up in the organization are there leaders willing to engage in open discussion and debate with stakeholders, activists and community leaders?

Or maybe we’d just be satisfied with some indication that senior people are considering how to react to the two-way conversations that are developing as online vehicles and Web 2.0 apps grow in popularity?

There is logic in the cautious approach undertaken by most government bodies. Large hierarchical organizations and agencies may need to take an incremental approach to integrating social media in their communications activities.

Uncertainty about the quantity, volume and acidity of an unmoderated comment flow may keep decision makers from embracing new technologies unreservedly - unless they can be convinced of the practical benefits for their existing work.

Michael Sommermeyer touches upon one possible pilot project in a post largely about the need to enable comment and feedback mechanisms on the social media news release:

“However, government agencies might consider the template, especially as they seek input on ordinances, procedures and laws; they have more of a reason to generate a conversation.”

That is exactly the type of conversation that can be enabled and enhanced by social media and online apps: a regulatory proposal, a health or safety issue, or even a zoning proposal.

Normally, this sort of initiative wouldn’t float to the surface of an organization’s website. There are dedicated consultations portals for these sorts of exchanges: portals usually frequented by traditional stakeholder groups. Otherwise, these initiatives are featured on focused sub-sites, like the zoning office’s web page.

A social media news release may provide just the right format to direct people towards a more detailed policy or regulatory proposal - and encourage debate and discussion at the same time!