The Slings and Arrows of…

Glen Ocskó & Gareth Young Welovelocalgovernment.com

@welovelocalgov

Who are we?

• Started in 2008 as an anonymous blog • In 2011 named one of the eight most

influential organisations in local government • Mask removed in 2012 • Re-launched in 2013 with a new blog and

podcast • Present on twitter (@welovelocalgov) • Now combining the online with the ‘real’ world

• One of the ten young local government leaders of the future (Guardian - 2013)

• Digital leader in the sector • Now working for TSO • @glenocsko

• Worked for Tower Hamlets and Merton

• Led on Participatory Budgeting, shared services and other change projects

• @gyoun82

Social Media = Facebook + Twitter

What is Social Media?

It’s a bit more than that

Social Media in the Year 2000…

It’s not 1:1, it’s 1:many

Trust in the media

28%

Trust their friends

92%

It’s an issue of trust

Personal

Professional Organisational

Risks

Starbucks got it wrong

Barnet – Banning Bloggers

It’s essential, but not sufficient

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Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Pinterest

Social Media Platforms

Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Pinterest

And in the UK…

Millions more using snapchat, instagram, whatsapp and many more besides.

But…

A few people attend council meetings

50,000 people went on a ‘no to austerity’ march

Over 13 million people read the Sun each week

There are 306,591,000 visits to public libraries per year

Local people WANT to get involved

Local activists are using digital tools to shape the local conversation

And they now have many more options for how to get their voice heard

Councillors do have support

• Social Media is essential but not sufficient

• Everyone working in this area has a duty to be informed and involved

• Everything is changing – keeping on top of it is as important as understanding the debates at council meetings

• You CAN’T just ignore it!

Thanks for listening

www.welovelocalgovernment.com @welovelocalgov Find our podcast on i-tunes @gyoun82 @glenocsko