Cutting Through the Red Tape
By: Lindsay Bell
Canada’s Industry Minister Tony Clement is a bit of a social media pioneer, at least among most government members at his level. The House of Commons’ very own ‘Millhouse’ (with all due respect, the resemblance has been well reported) has a Twitter following of over 14,000 people, and many of those followers are as opposed to him politically as chalk and cheese. They follow because, quite simply, his tweets are hilarious. He’s found the magic recipe and manages to disseminate equal parts government information with equal parts pop-culture references. Toss in a couple of tablespoons of wonderfully dry wit for good measure, and you end up with tweets like this one: “This morning: announcing $$ for university research infrastructure. Included: human-robot interaction lab! Not The Borg, I trust…”
But, before you think Canadian politicians are social media’s version of the ’24 Hour Party People’, keep this in mind. The House of Commons just gave MPs and political staffers the official thumbs up to use official (i.e. not web based) Twitter and Facebook apps on their government-issued BlackBerrys this past February. And, prior to adopting twitter, Mr. Clement was never known publicly as anything other than a staid and sober MP.
And that’s an important point, because what he did was lift the veil. Government agencies and those that run them tend to be inclusive, private, and mired in bureaucracy. And frankly, one wouldn’t want it any other way. Whether running a nation’s military or keeping the day to day machinations of a small city running smoothly, their role is to ensure that issues are handled with tact and diplomacy – and often with high levels of privacy and security. But their role is also to be at the forefront of world trends and advancements. Plus,it couldn’t hurt government departments and agencies at any level to appear a bit more human.
That’s just what we are going to talk about at our Social 2011 panel Cutting Through the Red Tape. Speakers Leah Miller, Community Relations Manager Army and Air Force Exchange Service; Chris Keevill, President at Colour; Dan Soschin, Director of Interactive Marketing with American Public University System; and Jack Holt, Georgetown University Lecturer/former DoD Sr Strategist for Emerging Media, Communication Strategist & Adjunct Lecturer, are going to explore how government departments and agencies are breaking the stereotypes of government communications by leveraging the power of the social web to increase awareness.
Canada’s Industry Minister Tony Clement certainly broke the stereotype. He also angered opposition MP’s when he tweeted recently about a change to government policy. His response to their criticism was indicative of how government agencies moving forward need to be thinking: “There is nothing different from articulating government policy via social media as compared to a news release, or a press conference or other means that have been traditionally available to politicians.”
Ultimately, government departments and agencies, and those within them, have a responsibility to stay relevant and connected to the people. Social media engagement can help governments at all levels accomplish that.
What do you think? Should politicians or government departments and agencies be actively engaged in social media. Could the public’s perception of government as being ‘more human’ through the use of social media be a bad thing? And do you have any questions or comments you would like to leave for our panelists?
Jack Holt blogs at http://www.jackholtlive.com/
Dan Soschin can be found at http://www.dansoschin.com/
As for me is it very okay for politicians or government departments and agencies be actively engaged in social media. It could bring more understanding and harmony with the community.