leveraging twitter in the workplace
DESCRIPTION
Twitter is all the rage, but is it right for government communications? This session takes you through the basics of Twitter and provides actionable steps to get started, along with real-life examples of government and social change agents using the service.TRANSCRIPT
Session Title: Leveraging Twitter in the
Workplace: Efficient or Time Waster?
Presented by: Tamera KremerJune 3, 2009
Government 2.0 and Social Media Conference
It's one of the fastest-growing phenomena on
the Internet. ~ New York Times
What’s all this Web 2.0 chatter about?
Social communications tools
Social networking platforms
Individual content publishing
Real-time feedback Citizen
participation
Dialogues, not monologues
Traditional broadcast methods don’t work
People expect interaction with a human, not a faceless entity
People get involved when energized & motivated
One size doesn’t fit all
I get blogging, but what’s “micro-blogging”?
Short updates (typically <160 characters)
Status updates on Facebook; Tweets on Twitter; Songs on blip.fm
Twitter; Tweet; Tweeple Fastest growing social
network in 2009 Short, SMS-style
messages “Follow” the tweets of
people of interest Interact with them
using “@” Participate on
particular topics using “#”
Share others tweets via “RT”
Types of interactions on Twitter
Information exchange
Customer service Collaboration Chitchat Promotion/
Awareness Mobilization
The only hard & fast rules of Twitter interactions?
Add value or don’t participate
Be a real person
Not everyone is going to care about what you have to say
Who’s Tweeting? What’s happening in 140-
characters?
Who’s Tweeting? - Government
Mayor Miller Ontario Ombudsman Toronto Transit Privacy
Commissioner Mayor Robinson Toronto Police Calgary Police Downing Street Ontario Arts Council
@mayormiller @Ont_Ombudsman @BradTTC @PrivacyPrivee @mayorgregor @TrafficServices @calgarypolice @DowningStreet @oac_cao
Government Tweets
San Francisco adds 311 service via Twitter
http://sftwitter.sfgov.org/twitter/ Street Cleaning Graffiti Removal Pothole and Sidewalk Defects Abandoned Vehicles City Garbage Can Maintenance Department Information (office hours,
location, phone numbers) ... and much more!
Who’s Tweeting? - Brands
Ford Whole Foods Rogers Honda Dell Comcast LuluLemon Roots
@scottmonty @wholefoods @keithmcarthur @Alicia_at_Honda @RichardatDell @comcastcares @lululemon @rootscanada
People are engaging with brands… positively &
negativelyThe Good Dell Comcast Molson
The Ugly #MotrinMoms #Skittles #AmazonFail
Who’s Tweeting - NGO
WarChild WWF Earth Hour US Red Cross CA Cancer Society
Unicef UK Plan Australia Goodwill Intl
@TopsatWarChild @WWF_Climate @EarthHourCanad
a @RedCross @CancerSociety @unicef_uk @PlanAustralia @GoodwillIntl
Citizens are engaged in social change
ChangeCamp | @changecamp
NetChangeWeek | @NetChange
SustainabilityCamp | @SusCamp
MentalHealthCamp | @MentalHealthC
HoHoTO | @HoHoTO SpinTO |
@SpinToronto
Participatory Tweets
So… there are a lot of diverse conversations
happening in 140-characters…
What does this all mean?
W.O.M happens in real-time Feedback loops Active participation Crowd sourcing Plan to be in perpetual “Beta” Move fast Content is portable
Integrating into a workplace culture
Pros Tap into collective
stream Share/ find
valuable and timely information
Monitor sentiment in real-time
Research & Development
Cons Participation takes
time/ resources Rules of
engagement New methods of
cross-departmental integration
Assuming the Pros outweigh the Cons, now
what?
Building a strategy: Figure out what works for you
Getting Started: Explore
Get to know the tools & how they’re used
Look at the different mediums & where your customers/ constituents are
Tap into your internal resources
Explore ways in which a particular tool may be right for you
Getting Started: Learn Read, read, read Explore what your
competition or partners are doing
Think as a person, not a company
Ask questions of everyone & incorporate feedback
Weigh the benefits & the risks – prepare for them
Getting Started: Engage
Figure out who you want to talk to & why – your influencers may not be mine
Get to know people authentically
Have something valuable to say first
Experiment & be honest
Getting Started: Enjoy
Being engaged in social media is not 9-5; make sure you’re having fun
Play around with what’s possible – push boundaries: internally & with ‘customers’
Brainstorm ways to integrate the tools into where you are now & where you want to be
Getting Started: Monitor/ Measure
Keep track of what you are doing in the space/ sentiments
Record feedback & build it into your internal processes
Measure your efforts based on your criteria, not arbitrary rules
Be open about how much things change
Final thoughts on getting started
If you decide using Twitter (or similar direct communication tools) is the right fit be prepared to incorporate within your daily activities
Be passionate about connecting & learning or it will show
Before you set your final benchmarks use the tools & do your research
Iterate & evolve
Some “Get Started” Tools
Desktop Clients: TweetDeck Twhirl Seesmic Desktop Tweetie (Mac)
Mobile Clients: TwitterBerry
(BlackBerry) TwitterFon (iPhone) Tweetie (iPhone)
Image Credits http://www.flickr.com/photos/rytc/387947202/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/sergei24/1384515674
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/stephenpoff/3057295487/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/viamoi/3369117014/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/metrix_feet/23740128
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/beebee/1039724712/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/viamoi/3303676088/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/kitsa_sakurako/18164
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/merwing/7842171/