Comments on: Your first step as a government communicator http://www.sosaidthe.org/2008/06/04/your-first-step-as-a-government-communicator/ How Government Organizations Communicate and Integrate Social Media Tue, 06 Jan 2009 05:13:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.1.2 By: Dominou http://www.sosaidthe.org/2008/06/04/your-first-step-as-a-government-communicator/#comment-517 Dominou Wed, 04 Jun 2008 16:53:29 +0000 http://www.sosaidthe.org/2008/06/04/your-first-step-as-a-government-communicator/#comment-517 I wanna be a Social Media Strategist when I grow up! :-)) I think I already am in my spare time, between regularly scheduled tasks contained in my "official" job description. Not easy getting the boat to turn though. I sense both fear, reluctance and down right ignorance about the place/value/role of social media within government. Some who have used it, haven't had great success and really don't understand why it didn't take. But then again, they're not looking for the answers in the right places. It's a whole new world out there and some individuals with communications or PR training obtained 20 or even 10 years ago, are not always up-to-date with new media and how to create meaningful content. In a small government (smaller than the federal government anyway), Communication Officers are not specialists in anything really. They are expected to know and DO just about everything having to do with communications: media relations, strategic planning, speechwriting, senior adviser... You name it, from writing the actual news release to organizing the press conference itself. Some are so caught up in the day-to-day weeds of churning out news releases that they have no time to do even a little bit of planning or strategizing. While it's energizing and stimulating to think of and seize opportunities to experiment with social media (or anything new for that matter), it can also be overwhelming when you can barely keep your head above water as it is. The notion of "engagement" is also one that is creating a bit of a stir. Some are using it as a buzz word but are still doing the same old type of consultation (public or otherwise) while calling it "engagement". Another revolution on the horizon. I wanna be a Social Media Strategist when I grow up! :-)) I think I already am in my spare time, between regularly scheduled tasks contained in my “official” job description. Not easy getting the boat to turn though. I sense both fear, reluctance and down right ignorance about the place/value/role of social media within government. Some who have used it, haven’t had great success and really don’t understand why it didn’t take. But then again, they’re not looking for the answers in the right places. It’s a whole new world out there and some individuals with communications or PR training obtained 20 or even 10 years ago, are not always up-to-date with new media and how to create meaningful content. In a small government (smaller than the federal government anyway), Communication Officers are not specialists in anything really. They are expected to know and DO just about everything having to do with communications: media relations, strategic planning, speechwriting, senior adviser… You name it, from writing the actual news release to organizing the press conference itself. Some are so caught up in the day-to-day weeds of churning out news releases that they have no time to do even a little bit of planning or strategizing. While it’s energizing and stimulating to think of and seize opportunities to experiment with social media (or anything new for that matter), it can also be overwhelming when you can barely keep your head above water as it is. The notion of “engagement” is also one that is creating a bit of a stir. Some are using it as a buzz word but are still doing the same old type of consultation (public or otherwise) while calling it “engagement”. Another revolution on the horizon.

]]> By: Peter Smith http://www.sosaidthe.org/2008/06/04/your-first-step-as-a-government-communicator/#comment-518 Peter Smith Thu, 05 Jun 2008 00:03:18 +0000 http://www.sosaidthe.org/2008/06/04/your-first-step-as-a-government-communicator/#comment-518 A lot of federal govt communicators aren't specialists either - I'm thinking of the folks embedded in programs rather than in Dept'l comms shops, or comms people in smaller agencies ... they'd be facing some of the same issues of day to day crowding out a longer planning horizon. And then some of us are stuck in the production ghetto ;+) A lot of federal govt communicators aren’t specialists either - I’m thinking of the folks embedded in programs rather than in Dept’l comms shops, or comms people in smaller agencies … they’d be facing some of the same issues of day to day crowding out a longer planning horizon.

And then some of us are stuck in the production ghetto ;+)

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