The True Story Behind EdmontonStories.ca

Disclosure: fusedlogic was paid and I was asked to provide an opinion to Edmonton Economic Development Corporation - EEDC on a few items including the concept of Edmontonstories.ca before it launched.

Those who have not delivered complex solutions for large organizations within the social web think social media is “free,” it is not.

What should be stated clearly is that Edmontonstories.ca was NOT originally designed as a social media solution.

Despite having links to social media which were added just prior to public launch and much development post launch. Edmontonstories.ca is itself not about wide open two-way conversation and engagement with citizens.  Rather, the site is about broadcasting your stories after moderation or after having been written by internal staff.  That content is hand-picked and supported by other polished stories of “notable” Edmontonians.

Like all cities, there are many negative Edmonton stories too.

All of which will never see the light of day on Edmontonstories.ca.  The primary focus of this site has always been to have “you” communicate Edmonton’s quality of life to other jurisdictions for the purposes of relocation and tourism. “Your stories” are intended as “peer influence” to entice people around to world to come here. Yes Edmontonians are an audience type on the list but not the primary concern for this project.  Supporting that position in EEDC’s last quarterly report, Ron Gilbertson suggests emphasis on international reach when referencing the site’s performance.

$730,000 of the budget was mostly videographers shooting the 60 stories at launch. Standard rate is $1500 – $2500 per finished minute of video. The balance of the project budget broadly went to website development and project management which was extensive when you consider that the City of Edmonton and EEDC were involved on the administration side of this project along with other agencies.  This fact is partially reflected in the $1 million dollar maintenance request for next year and people who are charging rates higher than our own for things they don’t specialize in.

I agree that I was shocked to learn of the budget size but only when compared to what was originally delivered.  The website in my opinion is well designed by YellowPencil, ParCom and others for what it is.  The problem I have is that they were paid these amounts for a site that has been touted as a social media solution from the beginning.  Just adding a link or two on the home page just before launch doesn’t constitute a social media solution.  These companies are from what I understand reputable for standard marketing and web design solutions and have done work for the City of Edmonton before.  There is a common misconception in the marketplace today, slap a twitter link on a site and suddenly everyone’s social media savvy.  The overall budget is not the issue for me, rather the general execution, labelling and results to some degree which are not terrible, just not $1.4 million dollars spectacular in my opinion. There are many attached to the project regarding accountability on that point and I suspect this discussion isn’t going away.

It takes real guts!

The fact is this is an inevitable result, it takes real guts for municipalities and large organizations to mix it up within the social web along side average citizens who don’t play by the same rules and who criticize as often as many do.  Not every municipality is ready for this reality politically, culturally or even resource support wise for a real social media engagement solution.  Raising another point that clients such as these are not by nature always the easiest to work with simply because of culture and organizational structure and protocol.

That said, if you’re talking strictly “brand awareness” and compared purchasing traditional media in several outside jurisdictions similar to that of the Alberta Brand’s $25 million dollar project (not all cash there went to ads in foreign jurisdictions) you can see why Mayor Mandel would consider Edmontonstories.ca a bargain.

To some degree this is the end result of large city departments and organizations having one trusted opinion on a solution they originally didn’t understand while attempting to transition in their own bureaucratic and cultural way into our realm of social media while still playing it safe.

The City and EEDC have to be concerned with every single move they make, it makes government agencies skiddish, it naturally raises the cost of projects like this simply due to consultation and ultimately they reach for the safe solution.  A standard broadcast website that delivers moderated messages with some distribution reach through a few social media channels.  Edmontonstories.ca is actually quite forward thinking if you understand the politically charged environment from which it came from.

More with less budget.

Those folks who are claiming publicly online that they could have done more with less budget.  I first ask you to reflect on your personal experience in DELIVERING complex social media engagement solutions for large organizations.  Then leverage your experience specifically in this area to analyze all moving parts and elements that are not a Facebook profile, Twitter account, Youtube video or blog and then give your head a shake.

Is this project more expensive than it should be for what it is?  I’d say yes, to what degree I cannot say as I was not on the inside of the planning process and therefore do not know where I would have made changes.  Edmontonstories.ca was way outside the comfort zone for many and yet it was still launched.  Is it a detriment to the Edmonton community as is, no, ultimately I think it benefits the community and does communicate a “quality of life” message.  Could this project be managed more cost effectively?  Without having a look at the specific project plan but based on experience with only my agency on the inside to deliver services, I’d say yes.  Do many have high opinions on how magnificent their so-called social media knowledge is?  That much is clear.

The fact that anyone is participating at all on this project is a win.  Not because it is terrible idea, it’s not, but rather because the overwhelming majority of people online are observers not direct content generating participants.  To get people to tell personal stories in such an official way is an accomplishment.

Ultimately, I say God speed to the City of Edmonton and EEDC for being their brand of brave. Which is a story unto itself.

Sept 27th Update: I had a nice chat with our client Jenifer Christenson, Executive Director, External Relations at EEDC.  This was after she had read my blog post regarding EdmontonStories.  She asked me to clarify publicly my “disclosure”of our work together due to the possibility of misinterpretation.  I’ve read it again and agree it could be misinterpreted.  Despite this fact Jenifer said she liked the post and appreciated it.  Jenifer is a great client so why wouldn’t I oblige, especially since I agree.

fusedlogic was referred to EEDC and we were indeed paid to consult for EEDC. In particular, I was asked by Jenifer for my opinion on items surrounding the future of EEDC’s social media strategy.  That discussion covered many areas, issues and ideas.  As part of the foundation for our discussion, an existing project was discussed and EdmontonStories.ca came up.  Jenifer thought it important to bring up EdmontonStories to ensure that no new ideas would overlap this existing project already in production.  Having said that, it’s important to note that fusedlogic was brought in to talk about how the future might unfold in terms of EEDC’s social media strategy.  Our meeting did take place prior to the launch of EdmontonStories.ca but in no way was our meeting called to deal specifically and solely about EdmontonStories.ca.

As a blogger I have been asked to change my blog post or provide clarification in the past.  I rarely if ever do that when the motivation is that the person is unhappy with my perspective.  However, that’s not what’s happening here.  I’m simply working with my client to ensure that people who read it don’t try to twist my words to a negative effect due to the vagueness in my writing, which there clearly was in this case.  As my original blog post states, there are many moving parts in this project and clear communication is key.  I thank Jenifer Christenson for her input and just as EEDC is proud to work with the City of Edmonton, we’re proud to have worked with EEDC and look forward to the future.