Social Media - Staying in Touch with Today's Online Community

Social Media: Social Media:

Staying in Touch with Staying in Touch with

Today’s Online CommunityToday’s Online Community

Jeremy Lasich, Deputy DirectorOffice of Public Affairs

jeremy.lasich@fairfaxcounty.gov

What Is Social Media?What Is Social Media? Traditional media (newspapers, television, radio, books,

CDs) can’t be changed.

Social media is interactive.

Social media allows for real-time feedback.

Anybody can publish social media.

Social media is infinite with no limitations on length or quantity.

Social media is linkable and easily reused.

What Is Social Media?What Is Social Media? Social media is one aspect of a wider Social media is one aspect of a wider

Government 2.0 movement that engages Government 2.0 movement that engages people, fosters collaboration and provides even people, fosters collaboration and provides even more transparency.more transparency.

Social media is just another set of tools; we Social media is just another set of tools; we already use: already use: – Web sites Web sites – News releases News releases – Hotlines/Phone NumbersHotlines/Phone Numbers– News conferences News conferences – BrochuresBrochures

Social Media ToolsSocial Media Tools FacebookFacebook TwitterTwitter YouTubeYouTube WikipediaWikipedia FlickrFlickr BlogsBlogs And many more examples …And many more examples …

Why Use Social Media?Why Use Social Media? Traditional media on the decline with Traditional media on the decline with

layoffs, budget cuts, fewer printed pages layoffs, budget cuts, fewer printed pages and minutes of coverage.and minutes of coverage.

Who fills the void? How do messages and Who fills the void? How do messages and information spread? How do information spread? How do we tellwe tell people people directlydirectly what’s going on at the what’s going on at the local level?local level?

Important to get content where the Important to get content where the eyeballs are.eyeballs are.

Why Use Social Media?Why Use Social Media? We, the government, are viewed as We, the government, are viewed as simply one content provider and everyone simply one content provider and everyone else has just as much power (though not else has just as much power (though not necessarily the same credibility) to provide necessarily the same credibility) to provide public information.public information.

Help others become our information Help others become our information ambassadors.ambassadors.

Answer questions and provide quality Answer questions and provide quality customer service.customer service.

StatsStats The Washington PostThe Washington Post

– 665,000 print circulation665,000 print circulation washingtonpost.comwashingtonpost.com

– 14 million monthly unique visitors 14 million monthly unique visitors worldwideworldwide

FacebookFacebook– 300 million active users worldwide300 million active users worldwide

YouTubeYouTube– 100 million daily views worldwide100 million daily views worldwide

Change

Video that highlights many of the communications and technology changeshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ILQrUrEWe8

What Have We Done?What Have We Done? Podcasts & RSS: 2007Podcasts & RSS: 2007

YouTube: February 2008YouTube: February 2008

Facebook: March 2008; Facebook: March 2008; – Re-launched as business page Oct. 2008Re-launched as business page Oct. 2008– Re-launched with comments March 2009Re-launched with comments March 2009

MySpace: March 2008; R.I.P March 2009MySpace: March 2008; R.I.P March 2009

What Have We Done?What Have We Done? Twitter: January 2009Twitter: January 2009

SlideShare: March 2010SlideShare: March 2010

IdeaScale: March 2010IdeaScale: March 2010

Flickr: May 2010Flickr: May 2010

Facebook StatsFacebook Stats

Demographics DebunkedDemographics Debunked Fairfax County’s Facebook Fans:Fairfax County’s Facebook Fans:

90% age 25+ 58% age 35+

Twitter MetricsTwitter Metrics

YouTube MetricsYouTube Metrics 98 98 videos uploadedvideos uploaded 45,13845,138 views of those videos views of those videos

Current Roster of SitesCurrent Roster of Sites

PoliciesPolicies• Need protocols to minimize risks Need protocols to minimize risks (FOIA, public records, 1(FOIA, public records, 1stst Amendment).Amendment).

• Fairfax County developed a Fairfax County developed a social media appendix to our Web Content Policy.

• Our E-Government steering Our E-Government steering committee is leading policy efforts – committee is leading policy efforts – deputy county executive, IT, public deputy county executive, IT, public affairs, libraries, attorney, others.affairs, libraries, attorney, others.

Day to Day OperationsDay to Day Operations What’s the purpose of the overall What’s the purpose of the overall

county account versus agencies? county account versus agencies? Should agencies repeat info from Should agencies repeat info from

others? others? What if agencies don’t highlight What if agencies don’t highlight

something that should be?something that should be? HR issues: response expectations HR issues: response expectations

beyond business hoursbeyond business hours

H1N1 and Social MediaH1N1 and Social Media H1N1 Vaccine Clinics: We relied H1N1 Vaccine Clinics: We relied

on our .gov site, Facebook and on our .gov site, Facebook and Twitter to provide real-time Twitter to provide real-time updates about mass H1N1 updates about mass H1N1 vaccination clinic; updated from vaccination clinic; updated from EOC/JICEOC/JIC

Snowmaggedon 2010 Snowmaggedon 2010

# of Facebook “Fans”# of Facebook “Fans”– Feb. 3: Feb. 3: 2,9922,992– Feb. 16: Feb. 16: 3,9113,911

# of Facebook Interactions# of Facebook Interactions– Feb. 3-16: Feb. 3-16: 585585

Facebook Messages

Facebook Q&A with Residents

What Is SlideShare?What Is SlideShare? The YouTube of PowerPoint The YouTube of PowerPoint

presentationspresentations

Easily hosts slides so people can Easily hosts slides so people can share, view and embed our share, view and embed our information directlyinformation directly

How Could It Be Used?How Could It Be Used? Media could embed slides into a Media could embed slides into a

news articlenews article HOA could embed slides of FY2012 HOA could embed slides of FY2012

budget onto its sitebudget onto its site Interest groups such as the local Interest groups such as the local

Sierra Club could embed energy Sierra Club could embed energy efficiency slides onto its siteefficiency slides onto its site

Parents could E-mail slide links to Parents could E-mail slide links to their social networkstheir social networks

SlideCastSlideCast Allows MP3 audio track to be played Allows MP3 audio track to be played

along with a presentation so it’s a along with a presentation so it’s a narrated package of infonarrated package of info

Some county agencies have Some county agencies have expressed a need for this tool -- not expressed a need for this tool -- not everyone can attend community everyone can attend community meetingsmeetings

Channel 16 helps agencies record Channel 16 helps agencies record audio files if necessaryaudio files if necessary

IdeaScaleIdeaScale

Social Voting to Continue Our Social Voting to Continue Our Efforts at Public EngagementEfforts at Public Engagement

Social VotingSocial Voting Allows ideas to be published and Allows ideas to be published and

then others vote up or down; then others vote up or down; most popular ideas rise to the topmost popular ideas rise to the top

29 federal government agencies 29 federal government agencies using IdeaScale right now to using IdeaScale right now to collect inputcollect input

IdeaScale PilotIdeaScale Pilot Snow Summit on March 16Snow Summit on March 16

– Asked people for comments on Asked people for comments on improving snow removal and related improving snow removal and related issues; shared all feedback with BOS, issues; shared all feedback with BOS, VDOT and othersVDOT and others

– 69 Ideas, 120 Comments, 1,486 Votes69 Ideas, 120 Comments, 1,486 Votes

IdeaScale PilotIdeaScale Pilot

NewsWire: Ask Fairfax!

NewsWire now feature chats with county staff. This is a way for us to engage our community through online tools.

We are hosting a variety of topics from all agencies, departments, offices and more. A topic is posted online and then questions may be submitted a few days in advance. We then have the guest(s) answer the submitted and live questions for 1 hour.

NewsWire: Podcasts

Podcasts will continue: News to Use, Health & Safety, Board of Supervisors Recap; Parks and libraries also produce podcasts

NewsWire: Flickr

One countywide account started in May; 98,000+ views of our pictures.

Future Trends: MobileFuture Trends: Mobile Information will spread even Information will spread even

faster in social ways on mobile faster in social ways on mobile devices such as the iPhone devices such as the iPhone – More mobile phone users in the More mobile phone users in the

world than desktop computer users.world than desktop computer users.– More phones allow direct uploads of More phones allow direct uploads of

text, video and photos to social text, video and photos to social media sites.media sites.

– How do we respond/participate as How do we respond/participate as governments?governments?

Changing Times

Anyone with a cell phone or a computer can be a reporter and share pics, tweets and more; rapidly changing world

Changing Times

Changing Times

More Change

Video that asks the question, “Is Social Media a Fad?” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFZ0z5Fm-Ng

Questions?Questions?Comments?Comments?Discussion?Discussion?

Future Trends: MobileFuture Trends: Mobile Personal use of Facebook and Twitter Personal use of Facebook and Twitter

vs. using them for work-related events vs. using them for work-related events (schools, clubs, special events)(schools, clubs, special events)

Understanding that the school system Understanding that the school system doesn’t control what individuals, PTAs, doesn’t control what individuals, PTAs, parents, or students post about them parents, or students post about them on social mediaon social media

Effective use of blogsEffective use of blogs You Tube channels; how to use them, You Tube channels; how to use them,

how to search for posted videoshow to search for posted videos