A snapshot of social media in Local Governments elsewhere:
• The US City of Baltimore uses
Facebook and Twitter to inform younger
residents about mass transit plans.
• The City of Los Angeles uses
multimedia and blogs for local
news.
• The City of Ottawa uses crime data
overlaid on town maps to pinpoint
trouble spots.
• The Canadian Mayor of the City
of Guelph (100,000 pop) blogs local
issues.
by Bob Crawshaw*
Councils are increasingly online in their efforts to connect with their communities. It is now standard practice for council websites to provide 24/7 information and offer residents online options to pay bills, register pets and access other services.
And some are pushing the power of the internet even further to serve residents and ratepayers. For example, several councils are moving online to strengthen their consultation processes.
Early in 2008 Port Stephens Council contracted Bang the Table, a Newcastle based company specialising in online consultations, to gain feedback on its Foreshore Management Plan. Newspapers and direct mail were used to make residents aware of a specially set up internet forum where they could get information on the Foreshore plan and provide feedback.
The three month consultation drew
680 unique visitors and helped Port Stephens identity local concerns which were then factored into revised management arrangements.
Recently Brisbane City Council, Broken Hill City Council, Clarence Valley Council, Willoughby City Council and Wollondilly Shire Council have also been using online consultations to get resident input on their plans. With so many municipalities connected, perhaps social media is the next digital divide for councils to cross.
Bebo, blogs, Facebook, Flickr, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and other social networking sites are the cyberspace town halls where people share information on things they find important. Previously only teenagers in bedrooms used them but as Australians use their keyboards more and more they will become important places where people gather local as well as global information.
Although social media is low cost and information can be posted instantaneously, only a limited number of government areas are using it and few councils are exploiting the new technologies. Local Government professionals blog about web related information for marketing, communications, IT, strategy and library staff. And the Local Government and Shires Associations of NSW ‘twitters’ information on its key developments. (The Twitter application allows users to quickly communicate in
140 character bursts through computers, mobile phones, i-Phones or BlackBerries).
Council reluctance to use the new media probably comes down to several factors:
- office holders and CEOs can be cautious
about releasing information into digital
forums where anyone can comment - the concept of creating and distributing
digital content has been taken up
by corporate Australia but is still new to
government - the skills to integrate online with
traditional communications channels
such as media relations are still
developing - in some places there is a real fear of losing
control of the message, especially where
policies for responding to online criticisms
are still to be drafted.
But the current economic crunch may have the catalyst that links councils and new media. Cash strapped councils may be attracted to the economies of using digital tools. For around $10,000 councils could purchase the hardware (digital camera, voice recorder and so forth), software and training that would allow PR staff to generate and distribute digital content directly to their residents.
Councils will continue to use PR, publications, events and local media to engage residents who are not online. That is non negotiable in terms of access and equity.
However the cost and speed of the new media, increasing take up rates among residents, and being able to bypass traditional media gatekeepers, could make it a welcome addition in Council communications.
*Bob Crawshaw runs Mainestreet Media, a low cost public relations and social media company. See his blog at
mainestreet1.blogspot.com/
