Creating your Agency Social Media Plan

How To Integrate Social Media Into Your Communications Plan

Answering Your Toughest Questions On How To Get Your Agency Started By Using The Right Tools, Managing The Process And

Tracking Results

Andrea R. BakerChief Social Engineer

Andrearbaker.com@immunity

AgendaWhat does Social Media in Government mean to me?

Review of course objectives Group discussion and introduction to each other

Understanding Your OrganizationTools: What is a wiki, blog, and a tweet (and more .. Oh

my)!?Quick survey of who uses what tools

Creating the matrix of knowledge and tools Internal communication best practices External outreach best practicesRisks vs. BenefitsBuilding Your Social Media TeamHow to start your agency Social Media PlanDon’t forget about Open Government

Course ObjectivesWhat is my agency's mission? Who is my agency's target audience? How do I communicate now? What social media tools are right for my agency? How can I create a community and manage it? How can I obtain management approval? How can I pick the right tools for the job? When can my agency expect results? Who should be my agency’s champion? What kind of social media tools should be used? How do I make my agency's site look more Web 2.0 without

taking away from our message?

Think About ItDid you ask yourself the following questions

before attending this workshop:

What office am I in, how does it effect the mission?

What do I want people to know about my office? Is my message internal or external?

What is your agency doing now in social media? How can you find out?

Do you have a relationship with your public affairs office?

Where Should You Be?

Social Media in GovernmentWhat does it mean to me?

Exercise: Group discussion and introduction to each other

What do you hope to learn out of today’s workshop that might not have been listed in the course overview?

What have we learned about each other from this exercise?

Understanding Your OrganizationWhat does your org chart look like?Do you have direct access to the top of your

organization? – YOU SHOULD!Does information flow towards you and from

you? – IT SHOULD!Exercise: Map out your organization within 5

minutes.

The Social Media PrismBy Brian Solis and Jess3

So Many Tools, Do So MuchWikis BlogsMicroblogsChattingForumsSocial NetworksEnterprise Collaboration SuitesEmail

How do I choose?

BlogsWhat do you find yourself talking about? Are you repeating the same testimonial from a customer

again and again when talking with prospective clients? Are you using certain stories or illustrations repeatedly in

presentations? Do you have a favorite fact you like to reference? Are there new laws, guidelines, or mandates that govern your

business or industry? What about at informal gatherings, when someone asks you

what you do, how do you respond? Do you have a daily report or monthly newsletter that your

organization disseminates via email?Do you find yourself receiving a lot of “agency-all”

newsletters or announcements via email?

Blogs ContinuedWho are you talking with? We each have a unique set of friends, family members,

neighbors, colleagues, associates, etc. Some of them are quite knowledgeable, sometimes on topics seemingly unrelated to what you do on a daily basis. But look for the parallels.

Look for the ways to apply their approaches, lessons learned, bestpractices, and enthusiasm to your responsibilities. Also, remember,that not everyone is getting to have these conversations but may benefitfrom reading about them on your blog or social media profiles. In theprocess quote or mention that friend, family member, neighbor,colleague, or associate.

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to be quoted or mentioned, particularly when you’re talking about something you learned from them. This may also get more eyes on your blog and faithful followers for future posts.

Blogs ContinuedWhat are you attending? One of the greatest uses, in my opinion, of blogs

and social media is allowing people to virtually attend events that they might not otherwise be able to be a part of.

While your at an annual conference, symposium, or meeting, why not turn what your learning into a blog post? Or consider contributing to the event’s Twitter hashtag and doing live tweets. It’s a great way to keep your following informed, and the event coordinators love to have the extra coverage.

Where do you go for ideas or inspiration for blog posts or social media profile updates? What other approaches work for you?

Blogs ContinuedWhat are you reading? Perhaps you have subscriptions to magazines, trade

journals, national newspapers, and/or local newspapers. Maybe there are certain web sites or blogs you visit on a daily or weekly basis. Again, your list of sources is unique to you. As you read, think about what your circle of contacts would be most interested in knowing about.

Again, it makes you a valued resource when others know that you are well-read and that you are keeping them in mind. Reference your sources, and let the publications know you used them. They will like it and may let others know about your blog or profile.

WikiA wiki ( /ˈwɪki/ WIK-ee) is a website that

allows the easy creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor.

Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used to create collaborative wiki websites, to power community websites, for personal note taking, in corporate intranets, and in knowledge management systems.

What is Wiki Software?When we are talking wikis, we are really talking about the software and then the use of that software. So what is it that qualifies a software program to be a wiki?

Wiki software (also known as a wiki engine or wiki application) is software that runs a wiki, or a website that allows users to collaboratively create and edit web pages using a web browser. A wiki system is usually a web application that runs on one or more web servers. The content, including all current and previous revisions, is usually stored in either a file system or a database. Wiki software is a type of collaborative software.

Types of WikisPlatforms Wiki ProvidersKnow what platform you

will be working with:Java-based JavaScript-based Microsoft services-

based .NET/Mono based Perl-based PHP-based Python-based Ruby-based

JiveConfluenceTractionTiddlywikiSharePointMindtouchSocialTextDrupalMediaWikiZwikiRedmineWagn

Wikis: A Replacement for Email?

Graphic Credit: Manny Wilson, CENTCOM 2008

MicroblogsYammerTwitterSocialtext SignalsIdenticaFacebook news feedFriendfeedIll fated google buzzeChirp

Chat/Instant MessagingTool is known to most as it has been around

since AOL’s chatrooms and now integrated with gChat.

Tools like meebo, trillian, jabber pull in multiple chat sources to consolidate profiles.

ForumsAre their any focused forums on your

organization or that discuss your organization.

Your staff should be monitoring the forums for opportunities to share positive information and events where misinformation or brand management needs to occur.

Social NetworksMyspaceFacebookLinkedIN

Enterprise Collaboration SuitesMindtouchSocialTextMoxieYakobodSocialCast … just to name a few

EmailOutlookGmailEnterprise email solutions

Don’t forget this is collaboration as well, just highly stovepiped!

What Tools?Exercise: List social media tools into the

quadrant where you see their value.

Internal vs. External ToolsSo which tools from the quadrant chart on

the previous slide are good for internal use and good for external use?

Let’s Discuss…

Internal Comms Best PracticesHello.bah – Booz Allen Hamilton’s internal

communication network – makes use of Mindtouch software.

Socialtext – internal collaboration enterprise suite that connects organizations like Getty, Mayo Clinic, and Walgreens.

SharePoint – Government approved at most agencies – more than a document repository if implemented and used for more of its peripheral tools.

External Comms Best PracticesHands down my favorite resource is:

http://socialmedia.defense.gov/

For beautiful web presence I also suggest: http://www.nasa.gov/connect/index.html

Policy:

Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media by Federal Departments and Agencies

Information Security and Identity Management Committee (ISIMC) Network and Infrastructure

Security Subcommittee (NISSC) Web 2.0 Security Working Group (W20SWG)

Version 1.0 September 2009 This document is publicly releasable

Risks vs. Benefits of SocMedRisks:Malware, phishing and spoofing Impersonation and blackmail from malicious

outsiders Denial of service, security failures Jurisdictional issues over privacy and compliance

from social media platform operators Companies that do not provide social media

training for employees are at risk for damage to their reputation, regulatory liability and disclosure of sensitive information.

More Risks of Social Media Multiple personality disorder. Profile proliferation happens

outside the enterprise, as people joining Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter are required to create profiles that conform to the particular provider's format. Multiple employee profiles also are becoming more common within the enterprise, as employees have one profile for the company's Facebook-like site, and may create other identity profiles for various work communities they belong to, e.g., a women's support group , a professional best practices forum or a community outreach organization supported by HR. The risk: If these multiple profiles are not synchronized, the lack

of integration can lead to concerns about accuracy, the Burton Group report states. When employees manually maintain their multiple profiles, often they favor one over another, or may abandon others or choose not to participate because of the manual overhead required. The inaccuracy of any one of those profiles likely is not known by co-workers. The risk is compounded when social profiles from consumer providers are aggregated with enterprise profiles, a practice that is becoming more prevalent as products such as Lotus Notes and Microsoft Office offer integration with LinkedIn and other sites.

Additional RisksToo much information: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and

other networking tools now incorporate activity streams that update a person's status and activities. These updates are sometimes entered by the person himself, but they also are generated by applications, based on permissions granted. The updates can be cross-posted to other sites, Burton Group notes, and can be captured in real time by search engines like Google. Enterprise sites also have activity feeds that update profiles, for example, when an employee joins a group or comments on a work project. The risk: Automating profile updates can be a good thing

(see above), but Burton Group stresses that without proper controls, the automatic posting of certain types of actions (winning or losing an important account, or joining a diversity group of gay or lesbian employees, for example) can result in "over-sharing of information" and create security and privacy issues.

Additional RisksTwitter, Twitter everywhere: 2009 was the year Twitter

became a corporate tool, in more ways than one. Engaging with customers (or reporters) in 140 characters or less can generate dividends for companies, but they must be careful. So many risks: The validity of Twitter accounts, for

starters, Burton Group says. Are the account and the person authorized representatives of the company? Enterprises must be careful of following a Twitter account that could offend a customer (politics, religion). Enterprises should monitor who follows their Twitter accounts also (spammers, representatives of sketchy sites). Some industries require the capture of Twitter messages for compliance reasons. Employees who use Twitter may inadvertently, disclose sensitive intellectual property or sully the brand if their messages are associated with the company.

Benefits of Social Media Branding / Reputation Management Collaboration/Sharing and Communication (Internal/External) Crisis/Disaster Response Customer Relationship Management and Customer Service/Engagement Competitive Analysis Events/Conferences and Fundraising Ideation (Creation of Ideas) Information/Data Distribution and Knowledge Management/KM Marketing and Market Analysis Organizational Efficiency Organizing Constituents Business Process Engineering/BPR Product Improvement Public Relations Recruitment/Retention Research and Training/Education

Social Media TeamCreate a Social Media Policy First

Essential Skills to Look ForStay Committed

Create a Social Media PolicyEvery Government Agency with a presence in

the social space should have a social media policy, even if it’s just a few lines advising employees how they should act in regards to referencing the agency in public.

Creating a social media policy before you get a team in place will help you in deciding who to employ to implement it.

Be sure you have a social media policy in place, so that your team is clear on how the company wishes to be portrayed in the space. A social media policy should be available to all staff too.

Essential SkillsPassion for the brand and knowledge of the social space.A social media team should have at least one person that

knows their numbers and stats. Stats are crucial in not only measuring performance or ROI, but also in understanding your community and what they respond to, what works for them.

Social and communication skills need to be accompanied with business skills, which will differ depending on what business objectives you are looking to achieve. Common skills to look for would be customer advocacy, writing skills, editorial planning and reporting.

Someone who has great listening and customer service skills should be the one to engage with customers on blogs and Twitter.

A blog manager = editorial and writing skills.You also want people who pay great attention to detail and

have the ability to manage several things at once.

Stay CommittedRemember creating your policy and building up your team

are just the beginning. You need to be thinking long term.“Social media and online engagement isn’t something you

can turn on and off at your discretion. Once you start listening and talking to your target audiences, they will expect you to be there for them every day, and to be successful you have to do just that.

Don’t build a faceless presence — select the right people for the job, because they will be the voices and faces of your company online.”

And don’t forget that even the most suitable candidate needs ongoing development and possibly even further training.

From a Dell Employee –“Social media gives Dell more opportunities to listen, connect and engage than ever before.”

Creating Agency SocMed PlanA Simple 2-3 page outline and overview

would prepare you for management by-in. An example will be provided in class.

Once management approves, start implementing the plan.

Revisit the plan every quarter to make sure it makes sense and adjust for technology and personnel growth.

Open GovernmentBe sure that you are aware of the Open Government Initiative stating: Government should be participatory. Public engagement enhances

the Government's effectiveness and improves the quality of its decisions. Knowledge is widely dispersed in society, and public officials benefit from having access to that dispersed knowledge. Executive departments and agencies should offer Americans increased opportunities to participate in policymaking and to provide their Government with the benefits of their collective expertise and information. Executive departments and agencies should also solicit public input on how we can increase and improve opportunities for public participation in Government.

Government should be collaborative.  Collaboration actively engages Americans in the work of their Government. Executive departments and agencies should use innovative tools, methods, and systems to cooperate among themselves, across all levels of Government, and with nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals in the private sector.  Executive departments and agencies should solicit public feedback to assess and improve their level of collaboration and to identify new opportunities for cooperation.

Sources http://mashable.com/2010/11/10/small-biz-social-media/ http://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/4-ways-to-turn-what-youre http://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/a-shift-in-thinking-on?xg_source=activity http://www.centerforsocialmedia.org/documents/whitepaper.pdf http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/TransparencyandOpenGovernment/ http://mashable.com/2010/11/02/building-social-media-team/ http://searchcio.techtarget.com/news/1510020/Monitoring-the-benefits-of-social-

media-and-the-risks?ShortReg=1&mboxConv=searchCIO_RegActivate_Submit& http://www.cio.gov/Documents/Guidelines_for_Secure_Use_Social_Media_v01-

0.pdf http://zerostrategist.com/content/papers/

Zero_Strategist_Prosci_Conference_Paper_Social_Media_Change_Management_Trends_And_Tips.pdf

http://y-desygn.com/ydesygnblog/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/social-media-prism.jpg

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wiki_software http://www.opm.gov/About_OPM/keyofficials.asp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki_software http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki

ContactAndrea R. Baker, Chief Social Engineer

Email: andrearosebaker@gmail.comTwitter: @immunityLinkedIN:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/andreabaker