This presentation [What the F**K is Social Media?] on explaining social media is the best I’ve seen thus far. While watching this presentation, I thought this would be perfect to help management in some Government agencies get a clear understanding of what social media is. What I’ve found is they are trying their best to grasp what it is, but really don’t have a clue. They get hung up on things like whether or not to start a blog and if so, are the going to allow comments and if they do they begin to the possibility of someone leaving a comment that isn’t necessarily positive about the organization.
There is a fear, lack of understanding and resistance to change that prevents them from grasping the social media bull by the horns and getting in the game. I’m sure this is not true of all Government agencies, but I know for a fact it remains true for some (that will remain nameless).
One of the biggest problems here is many Government agencies are in the business of force-feeding information down people’s throats (whether they want it or not) and having a one-way communication street. These two habits go against what social media is about; people having conversations. There were some really interesting key points I feel could really help some Government agencies get a handle on what this social media monster is all about and how they can begin to build a plan to implement it into their communication efforts.
“1.5 million residents are on second life”
“57% have joined a social network”
“It’s not a fad; it’s a fundamental shift in the way we communicate”
“36% think more positively about companies that have blogs”
“By 2010, Millenials/Gen Y-ers will outnumber baby boomers”
Here’s THE MOST IMPORTANT message I got from this presentation; the thing Government agencies struggle the most with:
RELINQUISH CONTROL: “the goal is not to control the conversation”
Here’s another slide presentation I found that is really useful and provides excellent detail and information about social media for Government.
