Entry bubble Government and Social Media

By: Joanne | October 28, 2008 | Category: General

connectLast week the Social Media Club of Washington kindly invited me to join a panel presentation on social media in government. It was a great opportunity for me to talk to the group about how USA.gov is exploring social media to connect with the public and to deliver government information and services in this powerful new way.

I’ve heard a lot of positive feedback about the government using social media, and when I was with the Social Media Club it was really energizing to see the level of interest the social media community has in government using social media tools.

That’s why we’re stepping up to the next level. Government agencies are using social media tools like blogs, YouTube, Flickr, Facebook and Twitter to reach out and give you information. USA.gov is working on a strategy to use social media tools to better engage in conversation with the public and to deliver information and services the way you want to get it. Do you like to get your information from the printed page, hold that publication in your hands? Do you like to talk to us on the phone? Or are you into blogs, Twitter, Facebook, and the like?

Help us form our strategy by telling us what you like – fill out this quick (about 5 minute) survey.

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Entry bubble Government in the Web 2.0 Age

By: Sommer | April 11, 2008 | Category: General

 the word connect spelled out with computer keyboard keys

Since you’re reading this blog you know that government is somewhat active in the social media arena. Here at GSA's Office of Citizen Services, we’re really having fun with this new and exciting way to communicate with the American public. We have very supportive leadership that encourages us to be innovative and creative and to reach out to you in a way that’s most convenient for you rather than making you come to us and conform to the bureaucracy.

However, some government agencies don’t have the same flexibility we do. A lot of agencies are afraid of losing control of their information and content and many don't understand if and how using social media tools can advance their agency missions.

So, America, I pose a question to you… What do you think of government agencies using social media tools like blogs, RSS feeds, podcasts, YouTube, Flickr, widgets, and microblogs to reach out and give you information? Is it good? Bad? Are there ways you’d like the government to provide information that we haven’t thought of or addressed yet? After all, we’re public servants and we’re here to serve, so let us know what you want and need.

| View Comments [21] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: blogging   conversation   government   media   rssfeeds   social   sommer   web2.0