Social Media and the Public Sector

Abstract

Social media is revolutionizing the way we live, learn, work, and play. Elements of the private sector have begun to thrive on opportunities to forge, build, and deepen relationships. Some are transforming their organizational structures and opening their corporate ecosystems in consequence. The public sector is a relative newcomer. It too can drive stakeholder involvement and satisfaction.

In a Word Social media is revolutionizing the way we live, learn, work, and play. Elements of the private sector have begun to thrive on opportunities to forge, build, and deepen relationships. Some are transforming their organizational structures and opening their corporate ecosystems in consequence. The public sector is a relative newcomer. It too can drive stakeholder involvement and satisfaction.

R.I.P. Web 1.0

Global conversations, especially among Generation Y ,¹ were born circa 2004. Beginning 1995 until then, the Internet had hosted static, one-way websites. These were places to visit passively, retrieve information from, and perhaps post comments about by electronic mail .

The loss of control you fear is already in the past.

—Clay Shirky

Sixteen years later, Web 2.0² enabled many-to-many connections in numerous domains of interest and practice, powered by the increasing use of blogs, image and video sharing, mashups, podcasts, ratings, Really Simple Syndication, social bookmarking, tweets, widgets, and wikis, among others. Today, people expect the Internet to be user-centric. Web 1.0 was about getting people connected, even though its applications were largely proprietary and only displayed information their owners wished to publish. More advanced (and cheap or free) software can now assume, correctly, that people stand ready to connect; it is therefore far more interactive and people-aware. Users generate content (e.g., blogs, Flickr, wikis), business intelligence (e.g., FreshBooks, Prosper), reviews, and opinions (e.g., TripAdvisor), products (e.g., eBay), networks of contacts (e.g., Facebook, MySpace), statements on the value of web pages (e.g., Google PageRank), distributed storage and server capacity (e.g., Peer-to-Peer networks), connectivity (e.g., mesh networks, Wi-Fi sharing), and expressions of taste and emotion (e.g., Delicious, Last.fm) that search engines, not portals, fetch. Since traffic equals money, simple online economics drive uninterrupted change in the way we live, learn, work, and play.

As far as the customer is concerned, the interface is the product.

—Jef Raskin

The form that communications take is collectively dubbed as “social media”.³ Where that is enriched by high levels of user interactions, the contents of the platforms promoting it across connected devices are in near-permanent “beta” stages of development, being and becoming at the same time, both As-Is and To-Be. In all instances, success hinges on a plausible promise, effective Web 2.0 applications, and an acceptable bargain with users (Shirky 2008). Meaning is the new message.

The world may not yet be flat but technology is most assuredly leveling organizations and the silos in them: users have been given the tools to do things together in networks and no longer rely exclusively on the traditional structures, viz., functional, geographical, product, customer/market, or matrix organizations, that up to this time had enabled them to collaborate and contribute to serve common aims in (the lower echelons of) the hierarchy of needs.⁴ They are newly empowered and emboldened. Specifically, with positive (and, to the unprepared, negative) ramifications, information is far more transparent than in the past; users can access up-to-date information instantly on any topic; there are few barriers to involvement; and online communities therefore coalesce all of a sudden.

Table. Short glossary of web 2.0 terminology^a

Form	Description
Blog	Short for web log, an editor-less, chronologically ordered journal of commentary and descriptions of events, written in a conversational tone, sometimes accompanied by other materials such as graphics or video, that is frequently updated with permanent links to other sources and contains entries inviting comments
Chat	Interaction on a website with users adding text items in sequence into the same space at almost the same time
Crowdsourcing	A compound of crowd and outsourcing, the broadcast by an initiating agent of problems in need of solutions to a group of solvers, with convergent interests and behaviors, in the form of an open call
Folksonomy	A system of classification, sometimes visualized as word clouds, derived from the method and practice of collaboratively creating and managing user-defined labels or tags to annotate and categorize content
Image and video sharing site	A user-generated website that allows users to upload pictures or videos and view and comment on those of others
Internet forum	Also called a message board, a discussion area on a website where users can discuss issues with asynchronous posts
Mashup	An application combining data from two or more external sources into a single integrated tool that performs a new service
Metadata	Structured information that describes—and allows users to find, manage, control, and understand—other information
Microblogging	A web service that allows users to write tweets and publish them to be viewed and commented upon by their network
Mobile text messaging	Short messages of text exchanged between mobile devices
Mobile web	A mobile device incorporating a web browser to access the Internet
Podcast	Audio or video “show” made available on the Internet, usually through a subscription, for downloading to personal computers or mobile devices
Really simple syndication feed	A file that contains regularly updated information such as news headlines or blog posts and can be subscribed to using aggregators or newsreaders
Social bookmarking	A method enabling users to store, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of websites
Social media	Online technologies and practices that users leverage to share concepts, experiences, insights, opinions, and perspectives in social interface
Social networking	The process of engaging in online communities, typically through “groups” and “friends lists,” that allows users to connect and interact with like-minded parties
Tweet	A single message or status update of up to 140 characters that can be read by users following individuals on Twitter, a microblogging service, or the act of posting it
Virtual world	A computer-based simulated game environment in which users interact with one another via avatars, viz., virtual representations of themselves, typically in the form of two- or three-dimensional cartoonish representations of humanoids
Widget	Also called a gadget, badge, or applet, a piece of self-contained, transportable code, often displayed in a small box, that can be embedded into a website or program to perform a specific function, such as providing weather forecasts or news
Wiki	Collaborative publishing technology, often taken to mean a collection of webpages that allows users to work on and modify content online with appropriate version control

1. Source Author
2. ^aSocial media builds on existing platforms for communication and collaboration. They include face-to-face meetings, telephone calls, paper mail, fax, and so on. Those where information and communications technology comes to the fore include electronic mail, instant messaging, desktop sharing, person availability, video conferencing, Voice over Internet Protocol, and web conferencing

Box: Examples of Social Media Sites

• Craigslist—classified ads.

• Delicious—social bookmarking.

• Digg—social news.

• Engadget—gadget news and reviews.

• Facebook—social networking.

• Flickr—photo sharing.

• Flixster—movie reviews and ratings.

• LinkedIn—professional networking.

• MyBlogLog—blog networking.

• MySpace Music—music sharing.

• Netvibes—information aggregator.

• Ning—social network space.

• NutshellMail—social network aggregation.

• Second Life—virtual worlds.

• Slideshare—presentation sharing.

• Twitter—microblogging.

• Wikipedia—web-based encyclopedia.

• WordPress—open source blog publishing application.

• Yahoo! Answers—community answers.

• YouTube—video sharing.

Source Author

Creating Value in Communities

Social communities now exist in almost every conceivable domain. However, four broad types of online communities have morphed into Web. 2.0 entities in a new, horizontal architecture of participation and connection that prizes credibility.⁵ They are relationship-, interest-, transaction-, and fantasy-oriented. Communities of the first type organize around (usually) intense life experiences that lead to personal bonding between members. In the second type, interactions center on topics of common interest. The third type of community revolves around facilitated buying and selling of products and services and the delivery of information that supports transactions.⁶ The fourth type plays roles in simulated environments.

These four types of online communities hold significant value-creation potential for users, public sector agencies, nongovernment organizations, and the private sector. Opportunities to add value through new channels lie pell-mell in content addition; subscription revenues; closer understanding of explicit or latent needs; product or service ideation or creation; and better targeting of market segments. Naturally, the scope for value-creation hinges on the particulars of a community and who organizes its space. Nonetheless, well-designed and well-implemented social media brings with it the power of every user on the planet: its influence can only grow because, unlike in the past, control is shared with the crowd and very real feedback is fast. Users generate content and voice their feelings far and wide. From “wisdom of the crowd”⁷ reactions, organizations can collect detailed information on users, build valuable relationships through conversations about people’s experiences, deploy higher levels of engagement, and refine offerings and related messages to better match needs. The uses of social media are boundless: Web 2.0 , a.k.a the Social or Relationship Web, amounts to nothing less than a massive social experiment.

Growing Web 2.0 Organizations …

Many individuals already use Web 2.0 applications every day and consider life without these applications unimaginable. As time flies, a greater percentage of the population will feel the same. Already, younger personnel expect to work in organizations where Web 2.0 is the norm and are dismayed to discover that many of the applications they use in their personal lives are not available professionally. What is more, today’s teenagers will soon enter the workforce.

This groundswell invites public sector agencies, nongovernment organizations, and the private sector to engage, innovate, and create relevance according to the types of relationships they want. Organizations and Web 2.0 are not the easiest fit: sometimes, a cultural shift must happen for technology to make a difference. But all must learn how to stay nimble and flexible in an ever-changing digital environment.

Decision by democratic majority vote is a fine form of government, but it’s a stinking way to create.

—Lillian Hellman

Elements of the private sector have begun to thrive on opportunities to forge, build, and deepen relationships with people, both internally and externally. From the early adoption of Web 2.0 applications such as blogs and wikis, they are expanding the mix of tools and shifting from using them experimentally to embedding them in their business processes.⁸ Some are transforming their organizational structures and opening their corporate ecosystems in consequence, for example, by encouraging clients, audiences, and partners to join them in developing products. They can now reach mass audiences, target niche markets, craft messages, and create great client experiences, cost-effectively, in ways they only dreamed about before. To build Web 2.0-friendly cultures that are transparent, agile, creative, user-centric, and empowering these high-performance organizations at once asked themselves:

• How can we use Web 2.0 applications to be more successful?

• How can we leverage them to fuse the knowledge, skills, and resources of clients, audiences, and partners?

• How will they change the way we operate?

• How can they help us protect and nurture our brand and reputation?

• How can we use them to identify, recruit, develop, deploy, and retain talent?

• How can we ensure that the information we do not want to share stays in-house?

… In the Public Sector …

If your target audience isn’t listening, it’s not their fault, it’s yours.

—Seth Godin

Driven by internally focused objectives rather than a service-delivery mentality, bureaucratic in decision-making, traditionally slow to change, saddled with top-down hierarchical structures in which positional authority no longer compels, the public sector is a relative newcomer to social media. On the social technographics ladder, most public sector organizations are inactives (Li and Bernoff 2008)⁹ that continue to rely on yesterday’s technology to address tomorrow’s problems.¹⁰ They must change their world or the world will change them. Accepting that the Internet is increasing the economic and social value of the information they hold, they must stretch mindsets to understand emerging mental models and equip themselves with the right policies, strategies, resources, delivery mechanisms, and management skills to take part in collaborative relationships in the digital economy. Why should they do so? First, the public sector bears social responsibility for embracing change—else, it faces reputational risk. Second, the social media will soon play a major role in defining how public sector organizations are considered: their accomplishments are measured not just by what they do but also, more and more, by perceptions of that.¹¹ Third, and most important, Web 2.0 applications offer unprecedented opportunities to achieve more simple, user-oriented, transparent , accountable, participative, inclusive, responsive, joined-up, networked, and efficient government .¹² To reap these, public sector organizations must meet people where they are. Increasingly, that is online. All the time more, they will need to be aided by third parties acting as intermediaries in providing more granular, or component-based, content and services, with implications for the design of these.

For Web 2.0 applications, the most favorable context is high trust, collaborative, and knowledge intensive. Three aspects, all having to do with management (including that of human resources), favor success on the Social Web : a lack of internal barriers to Web 2.0,¹³ a culture that favors cooperation, and early adoption of Web 2.0 applications for communication, interaction, and service. (Web 2.0, as much else, is about people, not technology.) For this, public sector organizations must develop social media strategies across multiple networks, both internally and externally focused: from how their personnel should conduct themselves as employees¹⁴ to what is considered competition. The transition they must accomplish requires strong leadership for engagement by senior managers (whom most surveys discover cannot easily grasp the potential returns from Web 2.0); competency in forging, building, and deepening relationships on the Internet; policies to both protect organizational assets and ensure appropriate personnel behavior;¹⁵ and, finally, training so that everyone understands Web. 2.0 applications, how to use them in the context of the organization, and their respective roles.

… In Quick Steps

You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore.

—Christopher Columbus

In the twenty-first century, three broad challenges are plain to see: emerging global issues, rising citizen expectations, and aging populations. In the age of the Internet , Web 2.0 applications dictate how responsive the public sector must be.¹⁶ A shared vision for the journey necessarily encompasses stakeholders (who to engage with), reason (rationale for acting), activity (what to do), and tools (how to do it). In quick steps, public sector organizations can start with the following:¹⁷

• Edify the organization by helping personnel at all levels realize what Web 2.0 applications are and how they can help it recognize and manage fast-evolving explicit or latent needs.

• Craft social media policies that capitalize on the benefits of adopting Web 2.0 applications in the organization, including policies for individual departments.

• Formulate social media strategies that delineate clear priorities and determine the opportunity or requirement for online collaboration aligned to evolving organizational mandates.

• Evaluate existing technologies to determine their compatibility with morphing Web 2.0 applications.

• Launch internal and external pilots that, with an eye to authenticity as well as risk and governance frameworks, identify and act on specific opportunities to drive early success and enable departments to familiarize themselves with Web 2.0 applications, understand the management required, and refine their objectives for subsequent initiatives.

• Define broader scopes for online engagement as a new way of working through the lifecycle of listen and identify, inform, consult and involve, and collaborate and empower.

• Measure engagement by focusing on the usability of Web 2.0 applications and the extent of engagement as a result of their use.

• Gauge effectiveness by examining the degree to which Web 2.0 applications help create new relevant knowledge and solve cases.

• Inculcate a culture of collaboration by relentlessly progressing how interactions with clients, audiences, and partners take place inside and outside of the organization.

• Foster organizational learning from pilots and regular initiatives based on measurements of engagement and effectiveness and comments from clients, audiences, and partners.