Re-blog of Social Media Overview from my LinkedIn Group

I posted the following to LinkedIn and thought that this would be a good place to re-blog it….appreciate feedback.

Social media consists of tools like FaceBook, Ning.com , LinkedIn, Plaxo, and Twitter, to name a few. These and many other web-based tools are known as Web 2.0. Web 2.0 also includes Google and all its gadgets. In the context of leadership, the world of Web 2.0 provides the opportunities to connect thousands of people with common interests, ideas, and innovation into virtual communities that create energy and transformative impacts on organizations.

In a recent engagement, I spent about three months promoting social networking tools for the U.S. Government. It was an experience that helped me to connect to a whole community of Web 2.0 activists, evangelists, and developers all intent on transforming government into Government 2.0. Government 2.0 is a destination of transformation and leadership where government employees interact with citizens to provide services and products in the most efficient, responsive ways possible.

An example of the transformational effects of Web 2.0 in creating Government 2.0 is the new WhiteHouse.gov website stood up on January 20. The site transitioned from Barack Obama’s change.gov site and provides citizens a rich environment to keep informed of the government’s policies, actions, and initiatives. However, the site is interactive and provides videos, blogs, and other Web 2.0 features that encourage participation at all levels of government. In short, Web 2.0 promotes activism, participation, and civic responsibility.

In the coming weeks as the stimulus package is rolled out, the administration will roll out another Web 2.0 enabled government website called Recovery.gov . In the meantime, citizens can go to usaspending.gov or ombwatch.orgto see how the government is spending your money.

The transformative effects of leveraging the Web 2.0 technologies to make government more transparent will create more informed citizens who are motivated to participate in the democracy at all levels.