Educate and empower

Should public organizations use social media? My simple and direct answer to that question is, absolutely yes. However, I believe there’s a difference between a discerning, competent user fluent in the use of social technologies and someone who operates purely on experimentation.  I also believe this is the same at the organizational level.

There are many advocates for the ‘jump in with both feet and throw caution to the wind’ approach.  ”Just get out there and use it.”  While I believe we need to be brave and bold and take risks.  I also believe that we should be informed and be educated as to the potential impact of our actions. Many understand that along with social communications comes things like unique corporate culture and societal impacts, and when a public organization decides to use social media I believe it should understand these things. Are they barriers to advancement? Should this reality be reasons for doing nothing?  Absolutely not.  Should public organizations or businesses large and small look to stifle evangelists who are using these technologies through the design of policies meant to restrict action entirely?  No.  Often the policy discussion is used as an excuse, an internal power play to stop all activity within the Social Web by a person or department.  I disagree with that approach, but of course, human nature being what it is, often that writing was already on the wall.  I believe effective policy design provides clarity and confidence as to employee conduct.  In fact, in some ways, when properly written, policies should be enablers for how social technologies in this case can and should be used to support the objectives of the organization while protecting the Brand.

The reality is that the law profession as it relates to the use of social technologies often still takes a zero-risk stance.  This is unfortunate, because it means that zero risk is often extended to zero use of social media. We need to help lawyers understand this environment better, bring them into the discussion sooner, and ask them to work with us in a collaborative way so that public organizations and businesses alike can operate within the Social Web and feel a degree of protection.

We as society often do not help ourselves out much in that regard.  Society and the online community has elements that operate as Trolls sniping at people anonymously, why do you think the Edmonton Journal is considering shutting down the anonymous feature.  Too much disrespectful or uninformed commentary.  Breaking security and privacy rules only further serves to empower the zero-risk stance and undermine a free and open Internet.  I guess I’m saying that I’d rather have a public organization be really well-educated and trained on how to work within the Social Web, then have one mistake made early become the impetus (excuse) to shut down everything by those who would rather see us all work with animal dyes on cave walls…

Elected officials should be encouraged to use social media, governments should be more open and transparent. In order for this to happen, we must maintain trust. What does this mean? If your organization is currently void of a social strategy and policies related to the use of social technologies, does that mean that you should not use anything at all? I believe common sense needs to prevail. Through education and informing decision-makers and including them in the process, we should be able to effectively construct strategies and policies in a way that benefits the organization and everyone within it on the fly.

Here are some very simple and broad stroke tips for public organizations.

1. Seek to understand: understand the people in the audience, understand your objectives, understand how you will deploy these technologies, and understand the technologies.
2. Establish interim directives that may develop into formal policies and procedures.
3. Strategies and policies in place provide clarity of operations and act as a guide for action.  They should not be used as an excuse to refrain from deploying social technologies.
4. Match objectives with opportunity and enable.
5. Not everybody’s going to agree with you. When you publicize and amplify your message, people will have an opinion about it. Opinions are not new, how they are amplified within the Social Web is the new variable that everyone should look to understand.  Further, this means your “values” will be challenged,

Does this process need to take months upon months?  I don’t believe so and yet, that does depend on the organization.

Over-confidence: A Cautionary Tale

The last couple of weeks has been an amazing learning experience for me on many levels and I wanted to share some of that with you while protecting the identity of the people involved. Certainly, I remain careful to ensure that the team and I at fusedlogic never stop learning and certainly never rest on our laurels. Highlights include a visit  and presentation to CIPS in Winnipeg, Manitoba and then to the US, for OpenGov West situated in Emerald City, (Seattle).

Social Media is “too-risky”

During this snap-shot in time, I’ve been told more than once that social media was deemed to be “too-risky,” with a public servant stating over a great lunch – “I know you’re right but that’ll never happen where I work.”  Although the support for that stance is eroding as time passes and solid case-studies in government arise.  Or as one public servant stated to me, as the “old people with canes in control retire,” – not my words…

I’ve witnessed people from government agencies in one instance talk publicly about open government as a necessity, and in a shocking bit of irony, pullback right in front of my eyes from a positive opportunity to promote an already approved message, suggesting it would be “too-risky.”

I’ve listened to and witnessed an organization with multiple billions in assets be stretched so thin they couldn’t contemplate the identified large deficit in their digital communications and the impact it is having on their overall business success.

I was told a variation of an all too familiar story.  One elected official reciting work colleague comments that “they didn’t need to learn anything about social media because their staff handled that.”

The Art of Honesty

I’ve been in sessions and witnessed images hand-drawn by public servants that depict they’re present situation in terms of the use of social media was akin to being in hand-cuffs and in jail.  A further comparison was made between a “horse-drawn wagon” reality as opposed to the required “jet” depicting the level of sophistication in approach, and a top-heavy organization with a major barrier wall between leaders and staff just to name a few.

I’ve been present for exciting announcements of new Open Government projects.  Witnessed a provincial government look to take it’s first few steps towards convincing the internal powers that be social media is something to be embraced, while members within another state confidently they’re pretty much leading the way.  To which I shudder internally about, especially when I compare that statement to what I’ve learned from my time speaking with CTO’s and CIO’s from cities and jurisdictions in the US and other parts of Canada.

Zombies! Really?

I’ve been shown How to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse, which when translated was really a fun representation about how to manage or mitigate potentially negative outcomes related to citizen engagements.  Finally, who can forget my experiences with Microsoft this week? The level of oddity, frustration, arrogance, pure excitement for change, creativity, honesty and innovative ideas while sitting in sharing circles can be summed up as very rich opportunities to learn.  And will be added to fusedlogic’s now 10 year history as of yesterday.

Though someone may have deployed one or more social channels, it certainly doesn’t ensure engagement, even competence.  We’ve got people adding “social something” to their list of unrelated or fringe services.  This was highlighted during a moment of clarity when an employee from a very recognizable organization admitted that despite winning some sort of an award, the reality was she was really disappointed at this organization’s use and internal grasp of social media.  Stating, “we really don’t have a clue.”

The Blind Side

A repetitive point, was that the limiting factor and barrier to real progress within government often lies with the decision-makers.  Who are at risk.  Why?  Many are not directly participating within the social web and yet have approval powers over the use of social technologies within a company, government or department.  I’ve witnessed frustration and fear on the faces of public servants, as well as, on the faces of elected officials much more than joy in this respect.  That despite some spouting confidence.

Finally, in two separate instances over the last 14 or so days, I had the opportunity to talk with people from what we’ll call “two communications groups.” In both instances, there was definite over-confidence. Both of these groups, were in government.  The number one most important point that I can pass on from these conversations is the following.  I believe their confidence, indeed their over-confidence will definitely be their undoing.  Unfortunately, the next PR disaster is always just around the corner and can come from anywhere.  The scary part in this instance is not really the impending firestorm, but that these departments as represented by these few people seem to feel they’re ready.  The level of negative complacency emanating from one public servant related to her “I know it all” attitude caused a shift in energy in many others around her.  Apparently she felt justified because her government has deployed a spattering of social channels and it seemed to me that she was ready to stand on the deck of an aircraft carrier and claim victory.  Which in this case is an appropriate analogy.

After chatting and more importantly listening, major deficits were identified or confirmed.  I probed looking for knowledge of how to deal with certain issues, responses included examples that had little relevance or revealed issues within the hierarchy.  The trap?  That being generally aware social technologies exist seems to provide them comfort and a false sense of security in their ability to operate effectively in the space.  This is the same trend among those who are attempting to position themselves as a resource in the private sector.

What am I really attempting to say?

Over-confident communications personnel PLUS decision-makers (Deputy Ministers, Assistant Deputy Ministers for example) who lack deep understanding of social ecosystems, technologies and Open Government trends EQUALS future headlines of disaster for that government.  The very same can be said for the enterprise equivalent.

I am thankful for these experiences and for the last 10 years.  fusedlogic will continue to guard against over-confidence, while embracing every chance to learn and innovate on behalf of our terrific clients, I hope you will too.

City of Edmonton Update

When people ask the question – How do you measure the return on social media?  I typically respond with some basic fundamentals in mind and always refer to the fact that it depends on what the specific objectives were to begin with.

Can you measure buzz and awareness?

Absolutely, several different ways in fact.  This is where the use of social media is a no-brainer as a starting place.  In the case of the City of Edmonton and the upcoming Open City Workshop (register here space left is limited) my opinion is that increased awareness is critical.  Sharing ideas, listening and educating new audiences as to what Open Data is will be one of many messages I expect to come out of Saturday.  Further, software developers local and non-local alike are no doubt excited to hear about upcoming announcements, the vision in general and how they may play a direct role.

Magnify the effect through sharing

One of the fundamentals of Government 2.0 is participation.  The social web, in particular the government 2.0 segment of the social web is already responding to what the City of Edmonton is doing.  By agreeing to share the live bilingual webcast feed (a first for the City and very progressive by anyone’s standards in government) with anyone who would like to embed the feed on their site, it’s already opened up new communications doors for the City of Edmonton brand.  Not the least of which is GovLoop.com out of Florida.  With over 25000 Gov 2.0 community members having the stream featured on the home page of this site is important for the purposes of building international credibility and awareness for the Open Data movement and the City of Edmonton.

Here is another example on Mashable.com of the buzz potential surrounding what’s happening here.  Evan from our team made sure to mention in the comments what we’re all up to, nicely done Evan.  One never knows who may choose to watch and participate in the online discussion as a result and where that will lead, only time will tell.

Further, the media is also getting into the act and so you can expect to find the feed on one or more major traditional media websites on Saturday too.  In fact, the Edmonton Journal has authorized me to let everyone know that they’re excited to be carrying the feed, it’s so great that they’re participating and helping to spread the word about Open Data.

The bounce

What can we expect short to mid-term out of this effort on behalf of the City’s IT and Communications collaborative efforts?  In politics and other circles it might be called the “bounce.”  I predict that Edmonton area companies, the Alberta and federal governments, more than one post-secondary institution, as well as, countless folks outside the region will definitely see all kinds of opportunity coming out of Saturday.

I also think City Council and administration in Edmonton (and others whom I know are watching closely) will be able to witness first hand just how much the City of Edmonton is quickly moving towards being a strong model for Open Government.  Saturday will prove yet again that working in real-time with citizens can be extremely beneficial and not something to be feared but embraced.  That sharing our plans with the world outside our region is progressive and it too will benefit the local economy and attract new people, business and brand awareness.  The Edmonton area (I’m in Sherwood Park) is a great place to live, work and play.

Open Government – Open Hearts

What does success look like when engaging in social media?

If you have set out a plan and defined success that’s great and, I wonder if your plan also includes how to build consensus?

Many in Government 2.0 circles talk about the need for increased openness and transparency between government and citizens.   While this is critical as a direction, we should dig deeper and explore what has to happen in order to facilitate such an outcome.   In addition to educating the right people in government and citizens alike as to what an Open Government looks, smells and operates like, we need to address the “power struggle” and cynicism which usually undermines everything.  This battle takes place below the surface and behind closed doors, and can have many faces.

For example, a government I.T. department doesn’t want to allow outside technologies into their network.  They claim security and effective systems administration as the reason.  This does a number of things simultaneously, including the retention of control of a locked down system designed to stifle any innovation left within.  Just ask the Health Canada employees who attempted to tune into a live webcast we did recently where the landing page for the stream was blocked.  Health Canada bosses couldn’t tune in to an event they paid for and no amount of requests sent to I.T. was going to change that reality.  Maybe you live and work in such an environment, where this type of Open Government/Open Organization battle is taking place as we speak.  Building consensus is very difficult and very costly as a result.  Why say yes today when you can drag out the discussion for months, using every excuse possible in order to justify your existence?

Here’s an NYT article on how the US Department of Defense is moving forward with their social media policy.  When you dig below the surface, there is certainly evidence of issues and skeptism.  Despite all of this, the directive has been given and so now comes the actual implementation of the policies.

The combatants do not always include the I.T. command and control group versus the entire organization.  The sabre rattling can also include mid-level executives who have little recourse to prevent change (in their language – more work) in their world than to engage in “passive-aggressive” war games with evangelist colleagues.  They state support publicly for the course ahead while quietly and tactically undermining the project like a nearly silent virus.  Frustrating the hell out of co-workers who have great intentions.  If this is allowed to persist it rips at the very fabric of the corporate culture and good people leave as a result of a few poisonous apples.

Open Government, indeed an open and innovative organization is a result of “open hearts”

For me, in the case above, success is defined in many ways.  Not the least of which includes the early detection of committed open hearts and minds within the organization in question.  You can tell the difference pretty quickly.  People either stand for being innovative and for collaboration or they see fear at every turn.  They either see the possibility of solutions or they see barriers.  Here’s an example, compare the Twitter feed of your favourite elected official to that of Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey.  Do you think Mayor Booker would be open to his municipality embracing Government 2.0?  This is a Mayor who replies to direct comments about the clearing of snow on his roads.  That alone is worth remarking about.

When the student is ready the teacher will appear – Chinese proverb

We come across clients all the time who want an hourly rate for a few simple social media solutions, essentially they don’t understand what they’re asking about so they look to limit risk and exposure to the project without stalling it completely.  Consensus is far easier to build on a foundation of respect and rapport and, if they’re ready to learn then great things can happen.  We’re in the social media education business in many ways, and yet, if hearts and minds are closed for business there’s little we can do.

This may sound like I’ve pinned success on warm and fuzzy, vague constructs and in reality that’s not true.  There are metrics to be aware of, objectives to be identified and a strategy to be constructed including which tools to use when and how.  Having said that, building consensus and momentum for change involving Open Data and/or the deployment of social media within government and businesses often takes much more.

Building consensus is about “open hearts and motivated minds” and our experience has shown that you can’t have a successful social media or Open Government result without starting here first.

Shaping the identity of a community

Interview with the Mayor of Hinton, Alberta – Glenn Taylor

I first met Glenn on Twitter, when he put a link out asking for feedback on a housing report for the Town of Hinton.  I replied asking if he and his administration had considered using a wiki for policy feedback from citizens?  He replied, “No, but I’ll pass it along.”  Then becoming Facebook friends and continuing our discussion, we found out that he was presenting at the ALI Social Media for Government conference.  This gave me an opportunity to meet Glenn in person for the first time.  Glenn was presenting a fire-side chat (no PPT slides) with Ken Chapman of Cambridge Strategies about the Grande Alberta Economic Region (GAER).  The story is interesting in terms of how this particular region has been impacted by many different issues.  The Mountain Pine Beetle for example has had a devastating effect.  After the conference we agreed to follow-up and today’s interview was our next step.

WS: Why become an elected official?

GT: “That started in the sandbox, I was learning about the political process in grade 5 which was when I became class president.  After school I was involved in unions and activism.  For me, it has always been a sense of representing other’s concerns that’s interested me. Union politics turned out to be too limiting, contractual negotiations etc – a narrow lens of looking at the world.

The opportunity to represent citizens’ concerns to administration is what I found fascinating and why I really love governing at the municipal level.  You can discuss something at Council and the next day be having a cup of coffee over the fence with a neighbour fielding questions about the decision.  That has translated into what is currently my 3rd term on council and 2nd term as Mayor.  We’ve focused on shaping the community identity.  We’re an industrial town, and yet, as a community realize that we have a responsibility to give back to the land.”

During the ALI conference, Glenn described his initial response to Ken Chapman’s suggestion that he start using social media as resistive.  ”I don’t have time for this,” he stated while speaking at the ALI conference this week.   However, what I don’t think Glenn bargained for is how persistent Ken Chapman can be and so @mayorhinton is now active on Twitter.  Also during that presentation he revealed that others on his Town Council are on Facebook now, although they’re not as active as they could be and more Twitter accounts have been set-up recently too.

WS: What resistance if any has there been from your colleagues on Council, administration or the region?

GT: “Well I would start with the traditionalists being afraid to engage, the silent majority if you will.  They’re asking, how can we control the message?  What’s motivating that fear are examples like what’s happening with elements associated with Rockyview County Council generating a facebook group.  Basically fixating on the negative.

We (government) can’t be superficial, can’t just listen and continue to do the same thing.  We need to take action.  However, within administration there can be fear that change will bring about more work.  Fear about change of the status quo.  At the provincial level there’s a tendency to consult with citizens through town halls so that it can be stated folks were consulted and then do what was planned anyway.  As the community changes, we need to bring that message back from the citizens to the government.  In a municipal government it’s truly the citizens issues being presented to the government and that’s my favourite part.  The challenge becomes then, how do we get those issues to the administrative team…for change in process?”

Glenn didn’t name the group but I found this one called Stop the Madness in Springbank! which seems to be against development.

WS: How do you see social media impacting your region economically?

GT: “Well number one – you need to make decisions with good information which means you have to gather good information first.  Being open to listening is key and understanding the challenges.  How do we tap into that knowledge?  Traditional invitations to discuss the issue and also connecting people online through various channels.  Flexibility has to be present in our approach so that we can reach as many citizens as possible.  In fact, we’re hosting a workshop on social media to help folks understand the tools better.”

WS: What challenges lie ahead for you and your community?

GT: “We’re really at the beginning stages of engaging the citizens.  I believe that we’re ahead of the curve and that’s a source of pride for us. However, there can be a disconnect between administration and council that sometimes exists and that will be something we have to work on.”

WS: What advice would you give to other elected officials?

GT: “Build the business case, not I have a dream, rather it’s what I have learned. It’s way easier to to operate in reactionism rather than finding the path.  I’d say it’s important to be proactive rather than reactive.  For example at our GAER Board meetings we now start with blue sky sessions and ask what’s on the horizon?  What are you hearing in your communities?  Is it a priority, do we need to spend time working on it…that means that key issues have a chance to help us set our course at the beginning.”

 

“Leaders get the behaviours that they themselves exhibit and tolerate.”  - Larry Bossidy, Author of Execution: The discipline of getting things done.

And with that in mind, I’ll leave you with the same question that Glenn has posted on Facebook and like other elected officials I’ve come across (but unfortunately not all), he cares about the answers you give…

GT: What does community mean to you?

Next Page »