Information and Knowledge Policy Development 2008

Social Media and the Public Sector -Examining the Hazards and their

Policy Implications

Matt Moore

Situation 1You are a public sector manager. Anne, a member of your staff, has a public blog where she posts mostly personal news about her rock climbing hobby. You don’t read the blog but occasionally she sends round email links to her climbing photos on the blog to her colleagues in the office. One afternoon you receive an angry phone call from Tricia, a senior public servant in another department. Apparently Anne has posted a blog entry critical of activities of that department that involve the rock climbing community. The post is not defamatory but some of the readers' comments attached to the blog post are abusive. Tricia believes that Anne has broken her terms of employment and wants to institute disciplinary proceedings against her.

What do you do?

Situation 2An internet forum site with thousands of Australian users – tidalwave.com.au – includes a number of threads that are openly critical of the work that your group does. One thread in particular contains accusations that you and your group have acted illegally. These accusations are false. A major national newspaper has been lifting stories from this forum site on a regular basis and you fear that the contents of this thread could be next. You contact the media relations advisor in your department but they do not appear to understand the risks involved.

What do you do?

Situation 3A wikipedia entry referencing the minister of your department includes derogatory nick-names given to your minister by the press. A senior advisor to the minister approaches you in the tea room one day and asks you – as the office “computer whiz” – to delete the offending remarks.

What do you do?

http://www.gapingvoid.com/Moveable_Type/archives/004717.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ppym1/343729914/

Tim O'Reilly - http://www.flickr.com/photos/timoreilly/44349798/

Andrew McAfee, Dion Hinchcliffe - http://blogs.zdnet.com/Hinchcliffe/?p=143

http://www.netratings.com/pr/pr_080226_NZ.pdf

Three situations

Internal

Official & External

Unofficial & External

9 Issues (Not Excuses) To Consider

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nexus_6/264060490/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wolfraven/1334244592/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/residae/2560241604/

http://www.mcmag.com/gold/awardlogos/images/Gold_Key.bmp

http://www.divasthesite.com/images/Greta_Garbo/Greta_Garbo_intro.jpg

http://www.hyperorg.com/blogger/images/ironmountain_archive2.jpg

http://www.creativecommons.org/

In Summary Social software offers many opportunities for

the public sector.

These opportunities (mostly) outweigh the risks.

It's ours but we don't own it.

http://www.advcomms.co.uk/footprint.jpg

Thank You

Matt Moore

matt@innotecture.com.au+61 423 784 504http://innotecture.wordpress.com