Evone points out a point of view that’s unfortunately all to prevalent among citizens and elected officials and administrations.  Rather than seek to understand the true impact of Open Government, large assumptions are made about losing control and the case is closed before it begins.

Inexperience, fear and lacking the will to engage.

Many government administrators and elected officials I’ve spoken to off the record don’t actually want “citizen engagement.”  It’s political suicide to say this publicly, but behind the scenes they’d rather we as citizens simply pay our taxes, get out of their way, and “let us do our jobs.” Until it’s time to vote of course.

Some elected officials exclaim they are “engaging” constituents or residents because they upload a YouTube video that answered a question from a citizen posed via a private email form, as was the case with Premier Stelmach and the Ask Premier Ed program. However, he was only prepared to answer a few select questions and post a few videos over a short period of time.  I would have preferred on-going “real-time” engagement with citizens, however, most politicians and administrators are unwilling to answer questions from citizens live and on camera.

This shouldn’t surprise us as many elected officials are surrounded by “advisors.”  These are the folks who are recommending these placating options to their bosses.  ”Better control of the message, and we’ll look innovative and engaging because we’re using social media.” they’ll say.   Personally, I wouldn’t consider the above initiative as innovative or truly engaging, but it is better than nothing.  Government innovation is often a much more benign interpretation when compared to the private sector, so it can be tough to swallow for many of us.

I’d rather learn about the leader’s ability to lead and think on their feet regarding important issues that mean something to my family and I, rather than the watered down safe answer constructed by someone else behind closed doors.  I don’t care what tier of government we’re talking about in this case, municipal, provincial, or federal.  Will the real leaders step forward please?

Why am I referencing such an old project?  Simple, it’s Q2 2011 and I’ve been reflecting on how far we’ve come in the last couple of years in this regard.

How far have we travelled since this post in 2009?  Has the bureaucratic culture changed?  I’d say not much, if any.  The majority of elected officials, administrators, heads of communication departments are still fearful of change, loss of control, innovation and citizen engagement.  That’s at the core of why it takes 18-24 months to construct a social media policy document.  The official response is, “we need to consult with all departments.” Ok, but does this need to happen over 2 years?  What they’re also doing is learning, about a world they’re not a part of by attending seminars and workshops, and learning is always a good thing.  A seminar or two doesn’t make them experts by any means, but it definitely does provide a foundation, as long as, the sources of information are experienced.

How much does this cost?

Let’s add up the conservative and approximate cost of a government social media policy document.

A team of 2 or 3 government communications employees, holding several meetings over 2 years internally in the comms department – $3,000.

One workshop attended – Add $2,500.

Then involve people from other departments as part of the “stakeholder engagement” meeting process – Add $20,000.

Several revisions of the draft document, unofficial updates to bosses, supervisors, along with official updates to Council or Ministers – Add $15,000.   All calculations used in this example are estimated at $20/hr per government employee for a hyper conservative $40,500 in resource time spent.

Add to that the shear enormity of opportunity lost to improve citizen engagement, government processes and delivery of services across an entire government over 24 months, and the number gets ridiculous.  Government is expensive, not only because it’s big but mostly because it’s inefficient.  And remember, just because we now have the guidelines for the use of social technologies, doesn’t actually mean these departments will know how to be effective or generate results.  They still need to be trained and most will report to someone who has no interest in becoming involved in social media, leading to more frustration for those who really want to make a difference with this new found opportunity.

Citizens need to participate too

Sitting on the couch on election day is irresponsible.  Ignoring elected officials while they govern our lives is irresponsible. Citizen complacency is rampant, so even when a daring government agency actually wants to engage with us and get an honest opinion about their project, only a fraction of the voices come forward, that has to change.

This is our government, they work for us, so get involved.  I realize that most citizens don’t understand how our governments work, what actually happens to our tax dollars, or how to actually engage with their government effectively.  Frankly, we’re a disengaged, cynical bunch.

I think a great start to changing that would be to rather than complain, participate positively.  Self organize in person and online, and ask questions, blog, post videos, tweet, call, email, write the editor, show up for events, and for heaven’s sake – VOTE!

Where’s your Open Government Framework?

We need more Open Government initiatives in Alberta and in Canada, more adoption of Web 2.0 technology, more governments operating as a platform for citizen engagement, more data released…just like what Cook County has just announced regarding their data.

I imagine an Open Strathcona County someday and I wonder where Alberta’s Minister of Open Government is? Way to go British Columbia!

Remember, a set of social media policies doesn’t a strategy make, and a social media strategy doesn’t an Open Government Framework make either.  Unfortunately, it seems, we still have a long way to go.

However, to get all of the government communications employees started with some examples of policies at least.  Here’s a long list of social media policy documents to reference saving you months and months of work, and taxpayer dollars – Socialmediagovernance.com

Watch this video collage of some of the most viral moments online and see if there’s anything there that you’ve spent money on in the content.  I recognize in advance that much of this content is simply private citizen calamity, misfortune and rudeness, so it’s good for a laugh.  The point is, a laugh, and very little else (unless you’re the head of the Diet Coke division).  Just having the numbers, (this video is well over 7 million views) doesn’t always equate to a whole lot unless in this case you attach advertising to this YouTube channel.

As part of this discussion we should remember that most on the Internet still like to “watch” versus “create” content as stated in this recent GIGAOM post.  So then, one could say that viral may still reach and create buzz among this large group of the online community and that may depending on the campaign trickle into financial gain.  For the men out there, when did you last buy an Old Spice product?  The better question might be, have you received an Old Spice product from your wife or girlfriend lately as inspired by over 110 million Old Spice brand views and that of Old Spice Guy, Isaiah Mustafa?  All indications from Neilsen are the numbers are up.  Also, Old Spice didn’t get these numbers from listening to bloggers and “specialists” whose main piece of advice is “just go play and have fun” with social media.  Watch out for that.

I believe that viral is more fleeting than social engagement.  Viral drives the “fad culture” of the net, whereas social engagement strategies look to influence through more meaningful discussion, sway opinion and inspire action as an end result.  Can an organization connect the two?  Absolutely, that’s precisely what Old Spice did.  They provided a balanced approach through multiple channels, including traditional media coverage.

Consider the much talked about “InspiredbyIceland” tourism campaign.  Certainly their iconic dance video went viral and here we are talking about it, and yet, my bags aren’t packed to catch a plane.  So is there value in viral?  Yes on a buzz awareness level there is no doubt, this campaign is getting Iceland talked about months after it launched.  In fact, before this campaign I don’t think I’ve ever spent this much of my time even considering this country.  Still to date, none of my hard earned cash is flowing into the Iceland tourism industry but that’s not to say there hasn’t been some impact.

Visitor numbers jumped 12% last year to around 1.23m people, or about four times Iceland’s population, with German, French and British visitors topping the list, and the trend is set to continue this year.

This research isn’t directly tied to the video campaign but I feel confident in saying that there is a segment of those tourism results that were influenced by the Iceland Tourism Board’s efforts.

There is continued response provided by some of the over 43,000 Facebook fans of the Inspired By Iceland Facebook fan page.  In order to find out the real impact however, one would have to do an analysis of how many of those fans actually hopped a Icelandair jet this year or inspired others to take a volcanic tour.

We should also ask ourselves if this viral campaign has served to increase “trust” in Iceland.  Iceland used to be one of the wealthiest countries in the world based on it’s financial industry.  That was all but erased with the global economic meltdown of 2009.  I’m not sure if dancing icelanders suggests that their banking industry is on the road to recovery but it certainly highlighted that there were deals to be had to visit this beautiful northern landscape.

There’s a business adage that says, “it’s always easier to sell an existing client than try to find a new one.”  Increased tourism equates to increased opportunities for a business relationship in other ways.  Visit on a holiday and possibly meet new people you may end up doing business with later.  That scenario happens every day around the world.  The money doesn’t flow overnight but it flows nonetheless.  Rarely do we see public evidence of this phenomenon at the granular level, rather it’s the stories over lunch that get told of how that deal was done, or this lead was generated.  Still it is possible to draw a correlation from viral video to tourism “krónur” to sustainable economic development but you have to dig and it’s much more than touting simple online traffic numbers.

Viral needs to cross the “fad chasm” and enter engagement before social media can claim victory and as suggested in a post written by Liana Evans on Clickz.com which inspired me to write this one, I believe viral and social media are very different, and should be connected.  Building a campaign with that in mind has a much greater chance of success than simply trying to do the goofiest thing in front of a camera you can think of to garner viewership and drive numbers.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

As I listened to the various speakers today, listed here. I found each one very interesting in their own way.  Jas Darrah from the City of Edmonton provided some key insights into how he helped the City get started with the “SMAC” or Social Media Advisory Council down the social path.  Jacob George from the City of Calgary, enlightened us about the overall digital footprint the city has and how quickly they respond to issues that arise.  Also, Jacob used prezi and we’re big prezi fans too, so extra points for that.

I found our break-out blitz session to be most interesting as that’s when the audience was given a chance to contribute by telling a social media story other than their own as I encouraged them to meet someone new.  Fear, still reigns supreme as the number one issue, time-management and capacity where also near the top of the list. However, trying to convince the “old guard” back at the office that this is the way to go is frustration that it seems everyone is feeling.  Should you work in government and for someone who is actually a proponent of open government, you don’t know how lucky you are.

Nathan Freed and Manon Abud did an excellent job of explaining the issues, processes and opportunities behind Inspiring Education.  A terrific Government of Alberta, Alberta Education initiative.  Kudos to Minister Dave Hancock for supporting such a project.  Now if we can just remove some more road blocks for Nathan, I bet we’d see even more from this project.

Other highlights include Troy Wason explaining to the crowd all about the ups and downs of being a assigned with getting the social media word out on behalf of the Alberta Government Caucus only to be shown the door as a result of doing his job “too well.”

And then ending the day on a pleasant note with Diane Begin from NAIT’s communications department who explained all the great things they’re doing over there involving the social web.  All and all a wonderful day.

I was just on Twitter and Nick Charney wrote the following. “Thinking of writing a blog post called Rethink, Retool or Retire, but I think it’s too edgy.”  To which I replied, “why not be a guest blogger on our site, I don’t think it’s too edgy.”  In fact, I think it’s bang on.  This sentiment also reminds me of a Lee Iacocca saying, “lead, follow or get out of the way.”  Ultimately, this is really what we’re exploring at this conference, you can actually see the wheels turn as participants look for ways to convince colleagues back home that “Web2 and Gov2 have happened and they need to be prepared and involved.”

Tomorrow is another action packed day and I’m just as excited to be a part of it with this wonderful group.  Especially since I’ve got a surprise or two cooked up for everyone…

Thanks to all the organizations who participated:

Service Canada
Alberta Agriculture & Rural Dev.
Alberta Environment
Alberta Energy/information Tech.
Town of High River, AB
Metrolinx Ulistic Inc.
Royal Alberta Museum
Alberta Education
Red Deer County, Alberta
City of Red Deer, Alberta
Alberta Geological Society
National Energy Board
Edmonton International Airport
APEGGA
Govt. of the Northwest Territories
Town of High River, AB
AB School Empl. Benefit Plan
Strathcona County, AB
Alberta Utilities Commission
Alberta Education
Government of Alberta Office of the Auditor General
City of Fort Saskatchewan
WMS Communications
City of Kelowna, BC

US Department of Health and Human Services

The US Department of Health and Human Services is the department responsible for communicating information about the H1N1 flu virus. The department has recognized the need to communicate within the social web so they have their own dedicated social web team.

Beyond that, they’re listening and taking action as required.

Yesterday on twitter I mentioned that I appreciated the positioning of information and the URL of “flu.gov.”  Today Andrew Wilson, a member of the HHS new media team responded and thanked me for spreading the word.  Please keep in mind this all happened on a Halloween weekend.

Clearly it’s one thing to monitor online discussion and another to have a dedicated team of responders who are community building and socially managing relationships.  President Obama has put his trust in his administration to communicate necessary information and those decision-makers are in turn putting their trust in front-line communicators with a “funded mandate” to communicate directly and in this case “internationally.”  Pretty cool if you ask me and there is evidence of this model deployed throughout the US government. The HHS site is listed below.

http://www.newmedia.hhs.gov/about.html

Here’s a short list related to the US H1N1 online infrastructure:

http://www.flu.gov/

http://twitter.com/flugov

http://www.facebook.com/H1N1flu

The facebook fan page listed above was updated on this past Friday with up-to-date flu vaccine supply status information.  I would consider this a positive example of a government agency working and operating effectively within the real-time web.  Could they do more?  Sure but clearly there’s a willingness and a plan.

The GOA is by enlarge, sticking with a standard broadcast model to mass-communications.

Especially but not solely surrounding the delivery of  H1N1 related information.  There is definitely a segment of any jurisdiction’s population that responds to the approach of traditional media and mail out brochures.

Back in Alberta, yesterday we were provided a press conference by Alberta Health Services on Halloween.  One hour prior to broadcast as per Simon Ostler of Global Edmonton TV on Twitter to inform us of the clinics being shut-down and a refocusing of resources towards high-risk patients.  No other official approach online within the real-time web directly from the government could be found.  (If you find something let me know here so we can get the word out.)

Evidence suggests that the premier’s office ensures that whenever possible Mr. Stelmach is not in a position to personally interact with the general public in any way online unless it’s a one-way broadcast approach.  That is the prudent approach used to limit exposure, limit interaction and allow a team who’s experience clearly resides outside of the real-time web to remain in control.

Top of mind penetration

Yesterday I posed an informal challenge on Twitter:

Quick test – without using google can someone tell me the URL for GOA #h1n1 info in #AB off the top of your head? No cheating. #ableg

The result: Not one person was able to come up with the GOA’s website address for H1N1 information off the top of their head.  The process of effectively and regularly informing Albertans via a multi-channel process probably isn’t getting through.  I’m focusing in on the open dialogue and communication that should be happening in-between press conferences?  In the most recent 5 posts there’s nothing H1N1 related on the “Your Alberta” blog for example.

The GOA might suggest that the basic information Albertans need is already provided by them and they would be right.  Here it is: http://www.health.alberta.ca/

Something I like is that if you look around the site, it’s fairly easy to navigate and there is some great information there and some direct commentary by Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer.

I cannot directly attribute the facebook group listed below to the GOA, I believe it is an Alberta Health Services effort and I know Todd Herron from his work related to Alberta Wellnet so I believe this group to be credible.  Despite that, Herron hasn’t updated the group since Oct 28th and we’ve had a fair amount change since then.

Public Health Alerts

Ultimately what I’m finding and others may agree or disagree, is that there’s a fragmented approach, a continued lack of social strategy, that in itself is a basic flaw in the overall GOA communications strategy.

My recommendation

The GOA should have a dedicated and top-notch social web enabled communications team distributing this important information in real-time via multiple channels supporting all key stakeholders through their efforts.

Here’s the problem, governments operate with all sorts of political agendas.  Certain folks are threatened and want to justify and protect their jobs. This is often done by controlling the message internally and keeping activity within the limits of their skill-sets.  This is rampant throughout all levels of government bureaucracies.  IT departments want control, consistency and get territorial over their particular area.  Many get bogged down in auditing processes that act as barriers to progress.  Public relations wants to direct and control messaging via their department and the social web represents a chaotic eco-system.  Ministers want control over the message and activities of their portfolio which can directly conflict with government effectiveness and its ability to deliver services to you and I.

A shift in thinking is required

This quick and dirty comparison is really talking about the difference between the US government’s online strategy involving a recognized need to manage the online relationship with the general public in a social web context.  That compared to the GOA’s less socially inspired approach which has a near zero commitment in this area when compared to what is possible across the entire government.  The US has a sustainable social web relationship management strategy for communicating in the real-time web.  The GOA is content to continue to leverage the traditional public relations model with a couple of isolated efforts on behalf of brave insiders.

Frankly, it’s not much of a stretch to think that this blog post might not sit well with Mr. Stelmach, Ron Glen, Tom Olsen and the rest of his team within the premier’s office.  Despite that fact I want to be very clear, my team and I are here to help this province and our fellow Albertans by leveraging our skills in this area.  Some will attempt to twist these words as adversarial or negative – that’s not my intent. Rather the point is to simply communicate information that could be of help.

As the Chair of Edmonton’s ChangeCamp, I can attest to the fact that the above question continues to be contemplated by the steering committee to some degree each time we meet.  As this innovative and smart group continues to wrap its collective group of heads around what ChangeCamp means to us as individuals and as a pseudo organization, new things are discovered each time.

For those of you in Edmonton and the surrounding area who are wondering about this event and if, why and how you might either volunteer or be a direct citizen participant, here is a short explanation of not only what ChangeCamp is but also how you can contribute.

The centralized question constructed by the original ChangeCamp group in Toronto is as follows:

“How do we re-imagine government and citizenship in the age of participation?”

Below is a PowerPoint deck generated by Mark Kuzniki, a ChangeCamp steward on the subject and provides great insight into the general philosophy behind ChangeCamp.

Picture courtesy Rakerman (via Flickr). Some rights reserved.

One of the primary messages I’m taking away from efforts thus far is that the social web enables conversations between citizens as everyone knows.  A group that arguably has been the least likely to engage openly in those conversations is government.  ChangeCamp events across Canada have certainly produced results, solutions and concepts outside of social media and for all levels of government which is a testament to the richness of the process.  I suppose given the fact that my company derives its revenue solely and directly from engaging in social media every single day, it’s safe to say that I’m a bit biased and yet I recognize there are all sorts of issues that we should and will tackle together.

What happens on ChangeCamp day?

ChangeCamp is a day-long event designed to provide the average citizen with an opportunity to communicate with others face-to-face for lively and meaningful discussion surrounding key issues.  Most, if not all, of those issues will be supplied the day of the event, on the fly, by the citizen participants and by all three tiers of government.  Have a pet-peeve, idea or solution that government should know about?  Come out the ChangeCamp.  Want to increase transparency, accountability and have a technological answer to offer on how to accomplish that?  Come out to ChangeCamp and let your voice be heard.  This is where we plan to take the conversation to the streets of Edmonton, Alberta and drum up support for citizens in action.  The Edmonton ChangeCamp braintrust is adamant that our event include folks outside of the immersive world of the social web.  Average Albertans, everyday Edmontonians, non-twitter, “off-line” members of society must be included in this experience for it to be effective and truly representative of our greater Edmonton community.  All are welcome, (although seating will be limited of course).

Picture courtesy Rakerman (via Flickr). Some rights reserved.

ChangeCamp day will not only provide you with an opportunity to voice an opinion but subsequently also be a part of the solution.  Working on the strongest ideas put forward, you will collaborate with other participants in working groups called “labs” to identify a clear path forward on a given issue.  This “lab” portion of the day and will involve putting your thoughts into practical, actionable advice, all of which will be recorded and organized by the ChangeCamp Edmonton facilitators and observers.

We then plan on having some time set aside for review of all of the concepts (time permitting) identified throughout the day.  Follow-up will consist of the ChangeCamp Edmonton community staying in touch online and at future events in order to sustain and hopefully even grow what was started this year.  All suggestions will be put forward to government by the steering committee in an appropriate manner, we’ll make sure they know about your work and hear your voice.

For more information please visit the Google group and join us as either a volunteer or participant.  The steering committee will be posting a new website within approximately seven days or so from now.  We’re looking to secure a location for a date in and around the last week of September.  As soon as that can be done, we’ll announce the date and location to everyone.  Also, this is a volunteer event and as such there will be some limited expenses, so if your organization would like to be a part of this from a sponsorship perspective

please contact me for more details.  walter[at]fusedlogic.com

Picture courtesy Rakerman (via Flickr). Some rights reserved.

Interesting links to check out:

ChangeCamp Canada

ChangeCamp Flickr Group (pictures)

ChangeCamp Organizers (videos)

ChangeCamp Edmonton Google Group

ChangeCamp Ottawa Google Group

ChangeCamp Toronto Website

ChangeCamp Vancouver Website

Tonight was the first ever ChangeCamp Edmonton meeting where some like minded citizens came together to discuss government and citizen engagement under the umbrella of ChangeCamp.ca (Edmonton wiki is here and the Google Group is here.)

The group included the following folks on Twitter: @Imparo, @ChrisLaBossiere, @JillLaBossiere, @jdarrah, @davecournoyer, @mastermaq, @paulney, @eadnams, @dibegin and myself @fusedlogic

The Steering Committee adopted as a starting point – this question.

“How can we re-imagine government and citizenship in the age of participation?”

What was clear from tonight’s discussion in my mind is that there are definitely people out there who think that the gap between government and the average citizen is wide and consists of too many barriers for real substantive change, meaningful discussion and innovation.

There are pictures and more info to check out @mastermaq’s post on tonight’s meeting as well.

By the way, tomorrow I’m presenting at IDEAfest – 10:05am Room B, Tory Basement 95, University of Alberta Campus and will be giving away cash during my presentation entitled “How YOU can use social media to change the world.” This will be a live “social” experiment that I invite you to be a part of…

See you there,

Walter

I believe that your perception of a given situation is reality for you. In other words, if you perceive that the government isn’t transparent, then that’s your reality.

Here’s my perception based on what I’ve witnessed after having worked with government and advised government affiliated organizations on social media. Two internal cultural segments exist within government surrounding the discussion about the social web.

I designate those two segments as “the brave and the fearful.” The “brave” are those who read Groundswell and then attend conferences similar to the Advanced Learning Institute’s Social Media for Government event that’s wrapping up in Ottawa.

By the way, should you like to observe the conversation on twitter the hashtag is #ALI. Or, try the conversation by links like this PDF by @mikesgene which shows chatter about the usual suspects such as, YouTube, Facebook, Flickr, Second Life, wikis…etc. The undertone of these tweets is that many are focused on implementing the technology as soon as possible, which is where many begin their social media learning journey.

Heading home to join the conversation

Excited delegates are now heading back to their respective bureaucratic worlds filled with visions of changing their particular corner of the world by inspiring colleagues to “join the conversation.” Many will suggest starting a blog, creating a wiki, shooting pictures, video and as many that attended #ALI did, they’ll encourage others to quickly join the twitter community as well. A sort of “citizen journalism meets public sector mashup” if you will.

People like @pameladawn state on twitter that she is “taking what I learned at #ALI and heading back to Saskatchewan.” Who am I to argue with that? I think that’s great AND I think Pamela and her colleagues are probably in for a surprise.

Why? Because over the next few days all across Canada, as everyone shows up to their respective government offices, so too will the second segment of government in this discussion: the “fearful.” And thus the uphill battle begins with the non-believer. If there’s one thing that makes people in government and especially decision-makers nervous, it’s citizens with an opinion who know how to voice it by way of the social web.

Resistance to social media

To a certain extent I understand the root of the resistance. Afterall, often political careers and/or elections are built and destroyed based on a few well-timed words in the media that the social web picks up and runs with, here’s a real gem- case in point.

Pamela may experience frustration while some of her colleagues defend their resistance as being prudent, careful or even risk averse. That said, many of these intelligent, hard working folks won’t come right out and call their feelings what they really are, which is “ignorance driving fear.”

Regardless of how you perceive the resistance factor, experience has shown that these “anti-change agents” are a large barrier to progress into the social web. Sure there are pockets across this great country of activity where the planets have aligned and progressive thinking and open creative minds prevail, yes, even in government there are creative minds. I just simply wouldn’t bet my entire business on waiting for, as one twitter user @jdarrah called it “moving the glacier,” to actually happen at the speed of social media business.

Essentially, this is the “newly initiated and willing evangelist” trying to convince the “resistant and fearful” that having a transparent and open dialogue with the average citizen in a highly effective communications environment with little control over the end message is a good thing. That within government, there are better ways to listen, learn, collaborate, communicate and share ideas with constituents.

Social web victory

Is there a way forward for the newly initiated brave? Absolutely! Here’s one example of a brave leader who has looked to tackle a very tough world issue and by being incredibly brave has generated this awesome social web victory via youtube. However, Her Majesty Queen Raina of Jordan, despite having initially built up a tremendous amount of “social capital” with the human web, she too has lost momentum and along with it possibly opportunity to continue to build her quest to the next level. Having said that, I suspect we haven’t heard that last from the Queen on this issue of equality.

What many of the delegates at the #ALI conference will likely communicate on the conference wiki in a few weeks is that beyond the technology. The real work is done on issues like cultural differences and understanding, commitment and sustainability. These are the factors the must be successfully navigated in order to build lasting results.

As brand new twitter user @doctornaud said in their second ever tweet which was directed to me in response to my tweet about the fact that our governments are so far behind. “@fusedlogic I totally agree but we need to start somewhere.” Exactly right doc, exactly right.

When asking the average private citizen about whether they feel their government is transparent, chances are you’ll likely get sneers, chuckles accompanied by looks that communicate – “are you kidding me?” Well, ladies and gentlemen there are definitely elements within government that really do want increased transparency and more open communication. They’re excited to share the new knowledge they’ve just learned and would like to implement social media solutions to accomplish that goal. That to me is highly cool and it needs to be supported.

ChangeCamp Edmonton

Those of you who consider yourself a part of this group are not out in the cold. Consider joining us at ChangeCamp Edmonton. I guarantee this journey will collectively test our will, patience, creativity and bravery. Further, I believe it will be incredibly fun and rewarding as well.

Chances are that many are about to learn what I perceive to be the most important thing about social media, beyond the technology, social media takes serious dedication and a long-term commitment coupled with brave and meaningful human interaction in order to be really successful.

Walter Schwabe

You have to wonder if governments are paying attention to what’s happening in social media these days, and if they are, how seriously do they take it? Today, participating in social media is like sitting in the proverbial coffee shop. This is grassroots politics at its best.

“If you’re within the federal government or any provincial government without a social media plan and, despite that, are actively engaged in social media at the moment, you’re playing with fire in a room full of gun powder,” said Walter Schwabe, fusedlogic’s chief evolution officer.

That’s usually the way it is when you don’t have a plan. It’s one thing to be listening to the conversation, but it’s another thing to know how to engage with people in social media, especially if you’re in government.

It’s a good way to listen to what people are saying. Governments of all stripes have been accused of not listening to the public and they’ve got a great opportunity to do just that in social media.

What’s happening in the blogosphere?

It’s been interesting to hear all the differing perspectives on what’s happening with the Canadian political situation. NowPublic, the Vancouver-based citizen journalism site, had an interesting article with comment on the “black swan effect.” Hadn’t heard about that before

At the right leaning Small Dead Animals blog there’s been plenty of vitriol on both sides of the issue. If you’re interested in getting in a political debate/argument, then this is probably a good place to do it. There are a huge number of comments on the Stephane Dion video.

This popular Liberal blog, from Calgary as it happens, also has a great deal of debate about what’s been happening. Calgary’s not normally thought of as a location of any Liberals, or Alberta for that matter.

Canadian Parliament prorogued

The conversation has been pretty busy on Twitter too. If you do a search on Twitter for phrases like Dion, Harper, coalition or prorogue, you’ll find a lot of Tweets. It’s like political Nirvana right now. The fall has been great: Canadian election, U.S. election and now the Canadian crisis. What’s next?

The banter about Canadian politics is likely to slow down by the time the budget is read in Parliament in late January, but it ought to pick right up again. I’ll be curious to watch how the conversations change up to that time.

And who says Canadian politics is boring?

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