Social Media for Gov Conference: Agency Blogs
I'm currently at a conference on Social Media for Government. Curtis "Bob" Burns from TSA is speaking on "How to engage the public with an agency blog." The TSA Blog was launched in 2008; so far there are 250 posts, with over 2 million visitors and over 30,000 published comments. It is a successful example of blogging by a government agency.
His reasons for blogging:
-to engage the public
-debunk myths and false allegations
-explain the why of policies and procedures
-humanize workforce
-defend the agency
-announce new initiatives
Here are his tips on blogging or as he calls it his "Secret Sauce":
-have thick skin and humor a must
-don't be a robot
-keep it real - no press releases
-refrain from tooting your own horn
-capitilize on little victories
-write to the readers
-be responsive and estalish relationship with readers
-take negative comments in stride and you can learn something
-moderate all comments (prevents info leaks)
-allow anonymous commenters
-if TSA can do it so can you
Feel free to add your own tips here as well!
Contact info:
curtis.burns@dhs.gov
@tsablogteam
tsablog@dha.gov
Comment
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Comment by Attia Nasar on July 13, 2010 at 11:10am -
Another cool blog: nbii-info.blogspot.com/
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Comment by Attia Nasar on July 13, 2010 at 10:51am
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No problem Dorri! Best of luck with the blog...Let me know if you need any assistance.
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Comment by Dorri O'Brien Morin on July 13, 2010 at 10:39am -
Attia,
Great post! Thanks for sharing. We have not yet launched our blog, but are in the research phase before doing so -- these tips will be helpful. I especially like the comments about "keep it real" and "humanize workforce".
Dorri
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Comment by Attia Nasar on July 13, 2010 at 9:31am
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Other cool agency blogs: http://blog.epa.gov/blog/ and http://blog.usa.gov/
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