Social Media

Mobile app design and organization

Mobile apps are hot. Everyone’s got one, from grocery stores to travel companies to whisky distillers. Last week Rob Giggey began an interesting discussion about whether or not agencies/departments within a single government entity should have their own mobile apps.Should we separate a public library database search from emergency services and general info into theirRead… Read more »

Six Ways Politicians Can Use Pinterest

Mark Drapeau (Washington, DC) — If you were living in a cave during the last quarter of 2011, you may have missed out on hearing about Pinterest – the hottest new social platform to hit the tech scene in some time. Judged by leading tech blog TechCrunch as the best new startup of 2011, PinterestRead… Read more »

The Social Media Paradox: Hurting Your Career by Helping Your Company

It’s social media week all over DC and other major cities this week which basically means a ton of FREE great conferences and workshops. I’d encourage you to check them out here: http://socialmediaweek.org/washingtondc/ With all that said I attended the Ethics in Social Media workshop this afternoon and there were some eye popping numbers. FirstRead… Read more »

Social Media in Government Reading Discussion: Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone

The Web Manager University launched a pilot 12-week class this week that explores in-depth, the issues pertaining to social media in government. In each class meeting, we read excerpts from one book, listen to (and ask questions of) one expert in a field related the reading and the topic of the day, and then movesRead… Read more »

Social Media Success: More Than Fans, Followers, and Likes

Yesterday, GovLoop’s blog in the Huffington Post addressed a hot topic in our community: how to measure social media success in local government. The GovLoop community came back with several responses on the original thread, agreeing that the number of fans, followers, and likes was not an accurate measure of success; rather, citizen engagement wasRead… Read more »

Social Media: Is it Worth it?

As the Information Age progresses and is still in its infancy, the transfer of information has become nearly instant. Government has been using Twitter and Facebook to connect with its constituents, though some say that social media in government is unnecessary. Others suggest that government should serve citizens the best way possible, including utilizing socialRead… Read more »

Who’s the boss?

Every good, successful team is lead by an effective leader. Part of your organization’s media plan must focus on your team’s structure, even if there are just two members. A social media team is only as knowledgeable and functional as its players…with a leader who delegates responsibility and provides guidance towards achieving objectives and establishingRead… Read more »

#FedTweets network going strong…

Yesterday, I created the first #FedTweets network and shared the relatively sparse initial set of connections. Today, Justin Herman, Scott Horvath, Tammie Marcoullier, and Stacey Palosky presented their insights on how they use Twitter in their agencies. The presenters encouraged the participants to heavily use the #FedTweets hashtag to keep the conversation going beyond theRead… Read more »

White House Perfects Its Reach To The YouTube Generation

The Obama Administration has arguably become one of the most adept administrations in history at harnessing new media technologies to take its case directly to the American public. How the White House takes advantage of new media can be seen in several White House videos posted on YouTube in the past week. The first isRead… Read more »