Ask Premier Ed
Earlier this summer fusedlogic launched a social media website called “dearmrpremier.ca” in an attempt to enable an open and direct line of communications with Premier Ed Stelmach and his office. The thought is, Albertans could respectfully ask a question directly of Premier Stelmach and he could select one or more questions to respond to personally with the understanding that he couldn’t possibly answer every single one. The catch is that this would all be open to comment and vote by the public.
We started this prototype process by inviting college students to participate and in fact a few did. Because of ongoing discussions, we haven’t put any resources behind marketing the project, as we were waiting for a more opportune time to move forward. After the soft launch on Twitter we were notified in less than an hour that Premier Stelmach’s staff were actively searching for answers as to who was behind the site. After it was determined through our communications that our intent was not malicious we had asked if there may be an opportunity to discuss the future of the site and the potential of having Premier Stelmach’s direct participation. Those meetings have not as of yet happened.
In the meantime, so that Albertans have a better understanding of the differences in functionality and approach between dearpremier.ca and Ask Premier Ed we’ve prepared a brief comparison of models below.
| Dear Mr Premier | Ask Premier Ed | |
| Channels of Communication | Open post, can be shared on Facebook/Twitter | Twitter, YouTube, Online Form |
| Timeline | Launched March 15, 2009 | Launched November 25, 2009 |
| Openness | All posts are visible, moderation happens after | Moderation happens behind the scenes |
| Likelihood of a Response | Only upon a certain level of public involvement | For a chosen post, guaranteed |
| Discussion Around Ideas | Complete open citizen participation through comments or followup questions | No discussion functionality available |
| Importance Determined By | Public voting | The Premier’s office |
| Design | Simplicity | Integrated with other government resources |
Further Examples of Communication Models:
Open for Questions (Official WhiteHouse.gov page)
Prime Minister Harper’s Facebook Page
Connecting people in their “Thanks a Million” efforts around the world
Recently the team at fusedlogic inc. joined in with others on TinyChat to coordinate efforts around the Thanks a Million Food Bank Challenge and A Million High Fives (#AMHF) with @BJMendelson. We chatted and exchanged ideas with @sedonapies, @ckieff, @third_age, @suzviews and more that joined in during the conversation. It was somewhat surreal sitting in a TinyChat room with others across the planet who are passionate about collecting 1 million Food Bank donations for those less fortunate. For me it confirmed the power of social media and simple conversations between like minded people. Often people think of social media as just another marketing tool, but it can be so much more than that and it has the power to change the world.
My personal goal is to give at least $5 in Food Bank donations every week until December 15, 2009. For me, that’s the price of a Caramel Macchiato from Starbucks. I’m lucky enough that I have that option in my life — that I have the discretionary income to spend on luxuries like fancy coffees from Starbucks. Maybe for you that’s riding your bike to work rather than spending $5 in gas to get there. Maybe that’s one less drink at the bar on a Friday night. Maybe you borrow that book from the library, rather than buy a brand new one (and it saves paper too!)
Donating!
While $5 doesn’t seem like much to some of us, for many it’s the difference between life and death. Reading the statistic that every six seconds a child dies from hunger or related causes reminds me that I have a choice. And my choice is to make a difference. So we invite you to make a difference with the rest of the world. The fusedlogic “Thanks a Million” campaign isn’t really about us as a company at all, it’s about the community –worldwide – and how if we all work together, we will make a difference in the lives of millions around the world.
We are looking for local ambassadors — those who are excited about giving back in their communities and who want to lead the way and gather donations, documenting the journey by snapping pictures. By posting the photos online at www.thanksamillion.ca you join a worldwide initiative to see change take place. Or you can tweet the picture on Twitter and tag it with #1MPics or #thanksamillion and we’ll add it to the page. This project is meant to inspire hope, to show that you aren’t alone in your desire to help others, but that millions around the world hold that same dream, that same passion for change.
Are you interested in getting involved? Email us at kelly@fusedlogic.com or genoa@fusedlogic.com or leave us a comment. I love feedback and I look forward to starting conversations with you and with others around the world.
Participation in social media, Twitter, Facebook is tough!
- Image by HubSpot via Flickr
Twitter, Facebook and other social media are already impacting your organization.
Social media is about the social dynamics and the amplification of human behaviors, rather than the technology used. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other platforms have cultural variations but ultimately “human nature is human nature.” Pay close attention and strive to understand such statements as, “human-web, citizen-web, crowd-sourcing,” which demonstrate that people are at the centre of it all.
With this fact in mind, it’s a safe bet that many of your employees are already engaged in various social web activities. Your organization may block access to these technologies at work and yet privately, employees are talking about how they “hate work, can’t wait to leave work” via a mobile device, “love their work but hate their boss” or worse. On the flip-side there are also folks who love their job, company and customers. Probably most importantly, your customers are also out there talking about your brand, at least you should hope they are. Either way, having your organization sitting on the sidelines with its “head in the sand” is the last option that should be exercised.
Only the brave shall pass.
In this “frady cat, uneducated” scenario I’ve seen play out more times than I care to count, decision-makers are typically the barriers to moving forward successfully. Often, managers think social media is a waste of time and honestly, there is some truth to that point-of-view. That’s correct, I just said that social media can be a waste of time. If time is purely spent on self-gratification and entertainment with little to no engagement in meaningful discussions or learning about issues, trends within your industry, that’s time wasted. Tagging photos on Facebook and offering “dude you were so wasted last night,” doesn’t constitute the kind of relationship building most managers appreciate. Having said all of this, scheduling endless meetings over coffee, or having long phone conversations without a point can also waste time, however, that activity can be made to appear productive. In the end, the sales numbers don’t lie and everyone pays the piper eventually.
The social web can be a tough transition for managers, there’s a sense of control loss. Especially for those who are not about listening to customers. I’m not an advocate for shutting all access down. A clear policy and accountability behind the use of these powerful tools and platforms should be designed and implemented. Imagine an organization of 5000 people or more all engaging positively in building brand loyalty…I suggest providing direction, education and creative solutions as a healthier alternative. By the way, this is the same flat-organization success that induces cold sweats among the “coast and collect a pay-check” managers in your midst, you can see them coming a mile away. We lose business opportunities when matched up against these folks. The social web represents a shift in business model and cultural philosophy that many want to avoid at all costs.
Your customers demand increased access
Organizational leaders should realize that many customers have learned to voice and amplify their opinions, especially when things go wrong.
This evolution means re-examining how your organization addresses customer relations. Savvy orgs will claim that (theoretically,) every employee is now responsible for the customer experience, (as it should be.) If this is true, that philosophy needs to translate online, managers following an effective social media strategy should learn how to cultivate internal evangelists and teach them to take the lead in terms of community management.
Prepare for the psychological and cultural impact
Participation within social media will definitely impact the psyche of your organization. Participation takes commitment and the bravery to push through these changes and we’ve found that this is the toughest thing for organizations to do. When was the last time you invited clients to sit down and offer their advice on how you could be better? When was the last time this event took place publicly for all to see?
If unprepared for this environment, social media can expose short-comings, insecurities, ineffective processes and dated marketing strategies.
Frankly you should probably ask yourself if your organization actually does anything of interest? “If your organizational tree fell in the forest would anybody care?” Are you irrelevant? If so, your company has larger issues at hand, like looking for a new leader. The social web can be tough and if you commit to it properly, it can also be extremely profitable and one of your most powerful tools. The question is, are you up to the task?
nextMEDIA 2009
Despite a snowy start (in June!) to this year’s nextMEDIA 2009 event, the underdressed delegates – from L.A. to Brazil – were still able to enjoy the beautiful locale.
Discussion over the weekend covered the social web from several angles – monetization models, culture and demographics, and search metrics to name a few. Monitors with Tweetdeck rolled along tracking the hashtag #nextMEDIA throughout the venue, keeping conference-goers up to date on the most recent chatter in and around the event. Discussions regularly fell to differentiating between the hype of social media and its more productive uses. Read more
What did you eat for breakfast?
The folks that attended fusedlogic’s latest event digested something of the social media variety.
Held on Tuesday, June 2 at the World Trade Centre Edmonton in the wee morning hours, Twitter for Breakfast was a micro conference for business professionals looking to learn the basics of the popular social networking site, and specifically how to implement it into their marketing and communication plans.
