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Having a social media presence on the Internet such as a Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Flickr, is becoming increasingly important for anyone especially those in business.  But is there value in social media for community government?  Based on the research I completed, I would have to say YES!

This past January a group of individuals from differing governmental offices in Ohio came to the Government Social Media Conference.  While some of the groups are still figuring out the benefits and how it fits their community, there were others that immediately got it and have implemented some strategies that were right on.

Before I give examples of some of the good, I would like to say a few things to anyone who might be reading this.

• Celebrate Experimentation - It doesn’t have to be perfect the first time. For reasons too numerous to mention people think they need to have the perfect social media strategy before they try anything but that simply isn’t the case.  If you aren’t sure what to do or how to use the tool don’t just wait until it comes to you, do something, anything and see what happens.  If people don’t like it, they’ll tell you and you can rework your strategy.

• Reasonably Commit– Implementing a social media strategy will take time and commitment.  If you aren’t sure how much time you can commit, that’s okay.  Figure out what you can do and start there.  Maybe the depth of your commitment is posting to Facebook one time a week.  That’s all right, start there.  As you figure out what you are doing, it will get easier and you’ll most likely find that you want to, especially as people start to respond.

With that said, we’ll move on to the good.  

There was a lot of great stuff I saw as I looked over the different Pages that were put together.  The City of Dublin, Ohio has a great Facebook Page and it was stellar to see how they were using their Facebook Pages to keep the community informed with what was going on in the city.  On the OSU Medical Center Page someone asked about hotels in the area and he got an answer!  On the Canal Winchester page there was a discussion on the pool closing early this year.  It’s not shocking that people would talk about the pool closing but it’s great the City allowed it on their Page.  After all, isn’t that the sort of feedback they want to hear?

I found some wonderful examples in the Twitter-sphere also.  

• The City of Columbus did a great job of showing what is going on all over Columbus.  
• MORPC did a great job of educating its followers on using the # to create a hashtag to follow what’s going on at #morpc.

The list of good goes on and on.  The fact that any of these groups are developing a social media presence is a big deal and deserves to be commended.  The challenges can feel huge but these groups took the challenge and are showing that there is a use for social media for the local government and it brings a lot of value to the community.  

As for the bad, what can I say that was bad? There are things that could use improvement such as making sure all of the social media sites are easy to find from the website, and conversely, including website links on Facebook and Twitter.  With that said, all efforts of building an online community through social media deserve to be commended.

Now if I could only get my small little borough in Bucks County, PA to take the hint and implement a social media strategy of their own.  Maybe I should get them to show up to the next Government Social Conference in Columbus in March of 2011!

It all started with a backed up drain pipe in my basement. My husband tried snaking the drain but it remained clogged.

Plumber #1: We called Rescue Rooter who snaked the drain ($248) as far as they could (which was not far enough). They sent a camera down (free) and determined our sewer pipe had collapsed. They provided a quote of almost $5K to repair the sewer pipe. The dude from Rescue Rooter seemed more like a sales guy than a plumber guy, plus he had a Chicken Little kind of attitude (don't flush toilet paper!) so we went looking for a 2nd quote. I searched online for sewer repair reviews (of which they are few) and asked my network for referrals (online and off).

Plumber #2:Online searching came up with Calhoun Plumbing. They ran a camera through the pipe ($255), gave us a dvd of the video, determined the sewer line had collapsed and said they would provide an itemized quote within a day. I asked for an off the top of their head quite of estimate and was told $7K.

At this point, I am wondering how much a first born child goes for on the black market. (Kidding. Just kidding.) And we are taking all showers and doing laundry elsewhere as we are afraid to end up with something terrible arising from our basement drain.

Plumber #3: I had been relaying all our drain drama to my networks via Twitter and Facebook. I received multiple suggestions of plumbers. Most of them do not touch sewer repair. One of my Facebook Friends (a previous client) suggested Muetzel Plumbing (which does not have a website). They sent a rep to provide a quote. I told their rep my story, including that I had become distrustful of his industry. He sent a camera through our sewer drain. He then asked me "How do you know you have a collapsed pipe?" I said "It was snaked and then I was told it was collapsed". He said "Did you see the video?" I said "Yes, but I had no idea what I was looking at, plus the 2 videos I have seem looked entirely different." He was not convinced the drain had collapsed. He suggested they run a power wash type of tool called a Jetter through our sewer pipe for $253. I said "do it". Anything to avoid putting my first born on the black market. Can you guess the end of this story? The Muetzel Plumbing power washing tool worked! Turned out it was roots! He then showed me on the video how my drain was clear all the way to the main sewer. He even found a few roots left in the sewer pipe so he ran the power washing tool again! Honorable. FINALLY. A skilled and honorable plumber.

The skilled and honorable plumber was found how? Facebook Friend. Who is actually a colleague. And my network comes through again.

When I searched Facebook Pages created by and/or for Ohio cities, the most impressive Page I found was the City of Westerville.

Why is it so impressive?
Its engaging. The tone of the posts made by the City are friendly and welcoming (that is - they do not read like press releases). They read like a real person posted them, someone you'd like to chat with. Turns out, the primary admin of the City of Westerville Facebook Page is Christa Dickey, the City's Community Affairs Administrator (that is, she does PR). Yet she does not talk in PR speak on the Facebook Page. How can this be? Because she's smart. Her primary job is not social media but she did some research, used her PR savviness and came to the conclusion that a successful Facebook Page will engage current, past and potential residents.  Christa's posts are informative about the community itself, not just the city. This is important - she does not only post about trash pickup or city council meetings.

Why is the Page so active?
According to Christa its successful because the community of Westerville is engaged and active. Of course, that's her job to talk about how engaged and great the community is! From the outsider's viewpoint I'd say, yes, the community is active but its certainly easier to be engaged when the City asks your opinion, cares what you say and responds to you.

How do we know the Page is engaging?
Scroll through the City of Westerville Facebook Page and you will rarely find a post that does not have some thumbs up and or comments. All those replies are not made by the same 3 people. And, Christa replies when appropriate to posts by the Page's Fans.

What about negative posts?
Biggest concern I hear from government representatives regarding Facebook Pages is "What if we get a negative post???" According to Christa, the City of Westerville has had two negative posts. That's it? Yep.  One said Westerville has too many parks (oh, what a terrible problem) and the other was about the City's recycling program. She considers serious complaints posted to their FB Page an opportunity for customer service. She responded to both, engaged both individuals. She understands she will not win every battle and she is ok with that.

Christa's advice to municipalities setting up FB Pages:
Get the support of the city's management. The more they understand, the more supportive they will be.

Know of a municipality doing a great job with FB Pages? Please share! Would love to see it.

I was all ready for my OneWebDay (in Columbus, Ohio) presentation / discussion last week when something from underneath of my car was pulled into the wheel and I got stranded from this event I was so excited about. The one day all that can go wrong happens on "One Web Day"!

In celebration of "One Web Day" I created a blog about the topic I was going to discuss - Transitioning from Personal use to Professional Use of Facebook.

Employees beware - employers are savvier than you think
Be it for pre-employment or for making sure their companies image is being properly represented by their employees; employers have most likely checked out your web presence or, found someone else who can.

I have been contacted by large and small organizations to help with the pre-employment process. One photo, one statement or even a wall post can make a grand impact - because this (not your resume!) is their first impression of you. When an organization does not have the resources to implement "web screening" or when employers do not have a profile themselves, I have even seen cases of employers using their children's account to find you. This means if you happen to be friends with your potential new boss' kids, even if you have your profile access limited to your friends, you potential new boss could be looking at your profile!

My mother asked me to teach her how to use Facebook. My family has been encouraging her to get on Facebook for the past year. My mom is a social person. We know she'll love it. Will it confuse her sometimes? Certainly. Will she make mistakes? Certainly. Should those things keep her from using it? Certainly not. The value it will bring to her life is most definitely worth any struggles. Facebook will help her feel connected to her family members that are spread throughout the country. Facebook will be an important social outlet for her.

We all struggle with technology. For various reasons we choose to continue using it, having determined it has enough value to warrant dealing with the frustrations.

The world we live in is very much digital. We go online to pay bills, research purchases, find jobs, pay taxes, and connect to each other. Many of us (myself included) get frustrated when a task I expected to accomplish online is not possible.

What of those in our society unfamiliar with accomplishing tasks online? What of those who do not know how to complete an online job application? What of those who must use a public access computer to check their email? How are their lives impacted by lack of access to technology and/or lack of digital skills?

The digital divide is not just about individual access. Its also about businesses.  A small business that has a computer but does not understand what tools are available or how to use them, is considerably slowed down.

OneWebDay is September 22. OneWebDay provides an opportunity for communities to celebrate the power of Web for positive change. This year, OneWebDay focuses on the importance of access to fast, affordable, open Internet for all people, otherwise known as digital inclusion. OneWebDay activities are taking place all over the world.

For OneWebDay Columbus we have planned a mix of activities around both learning and giving. Focused on the idea of digital inclusion, we've recruited volunteers to teach workshops and accept technology donations. Workshops include: Intro to Ubuntu (an open source operating system), Free/low cost online applications for small businesses and Legalities of open source software.

OneWebDay Columbus is very much a community effort. Its completely supported by volunteers and small business donations. EdgeCase is covering the cost of food. FreeGeek is providing the space. ShinyDoor is coordinating the day. Assist Data Recovery will be cleaning all donated hard drives. Possitivity Green will be recycling all donated equipment that cannot be refubished. All the workshops will be taught by volunteers.

I love Columbus. I want my city to thrive. I know that for any location to thrive, we need to support each other - to teach each other, to encourage each other. Technology is an integrated, important piece of our lives - personally and professionally. For each of us to thrive, we need technology support. Gathering to teach each other and build computers for others not only spreads knowledge and resources, it also builds community.

Join us. September 22. 4:00-9:00 at FreeGeek Columbus located in the basement of Summit United Methodist Church at 82 East Sixteenth Avenue.

Bring computer equipment to donate/recycle. And attend a class. Give. And learn.