Communicating in the Digital Age

The Internet, Government 2.0 and the future

March 18, 2010

Presented at:The Ministry of Home Affairs

Singapore

Shubhodeep PalSingapore Management University (SMU)

http://twitter.com/shubhodeep_pal

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Agenda

• The New Landscape

• Government 2.0 – sowing the seeds

• An analysis of some social media tools

• Gearing up for the future

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The three key words of communication

• Traditionally, the medium has been chosen depending on the message.

• What How & Where

• Now… all three words can be answered by one word…

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Medium? What medium?

• The Internet has put everything at one place…

• TV, Radio, Newspapers, Telephony, Books, Music…

Communicating in the Digital Age 5Source: NewMedia

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What has changed?

• Now the three words have to be answered in a different context.

• The Internet is in itself a culture.

• Establishing what, how and where now happens within the Internet.

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Convergence

• What can you communicate on the Internet?

• Now… Turn this question on its head.

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What can you not do on the Internet?

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Where are we spending time these days?

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“Digital Natives”

“…thanks to the internet, digital natives will grow up to be more responsible citizens, using their technological expertise to campaign on social issues and exercise closer scrutiny over their governments… Examples abound, from Barack Obama’s online campaign to activism on Twitter…

”

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So, what’s happening on the Internet?

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The future is online

A three-year study by the MacArthur Foundation found that spending time online is “essential for young people to pick up the social and technical skills they need to be competent citizens in the digital age”.

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Government 2.0

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What does this shift imply for governments?

• Internet User Statistics (3Q 2009, InternetWorldStats)    - Total Internet Users in Singapore: 3,370,000    - Internet Penetration Rate in Singapore: 72.4%

• Increasing use of social media by netizens

• The Internet can tell governments what its citizens are thinking and saying

• Also, it can let citizens talk to the Government

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How governments can help themselves

• Social technologies make connecting to the public simple and powerful

• Mechanisms for combating negative publicity

• Gauging public sentiment to help inform public policy

• Advertising job vacancies/ agency needs

• Live broadcast coverage of niche events

• Saving money – social software can replace phone calls, focus groups, and airline tickets

Source: MediaShift

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Three Challenges

• The Problem of Scale

• The Problem of Controls and Privacy

• The Problem of No Choice

• Cultural Issues (an added consideration)

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Do not be overwhelmed!

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Simplifying slightly…

• Syndicated Web Feeds (RSS)• Blogs• Wikis• Multimedia: Video , Photo Sharing, Podcasting• Social Networking Sites• Mashups• Widgets• Virtual Worlds

Source: USA.gov

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It’s time to…

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Should governments use blogs?

• Attracts new audiences for government information and services

• Allows a wider dissemination of government-related information (esp. targeting youth)

• Puts a human face on government

Source: USA.gov

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Ready for change?

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Getting ready to blog?

Issues to Consider• –Who can write/represent the agency?• –Enough content of interest?• –Long-term commitment?• –What content? Who reviews? • –Comments?

• Either way, communicate with bloggersSource: USA.gov

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Create interactive, interesting content

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Rich content like videos and photographs are appealing

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Reach out to the community

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Connect on social networks

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What do we know now?

• Rich content like videos and photographs are appealing

• Messages can be delivered quickly and with high impact

• Preferably, encourage the use of tools attract the largest audience. Eg. YouTube

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Do you recognise this symbol?

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Using RSS feeds productively

• Use RSS reader e.g Google Reader

• Promote use of RSS feeds in organization

• Use feeds to get e-mail alerts

• Publish feeds for government websites

Source: USA.gov

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Encourage sharing –

comprehensive,inclusive,

and neutral

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Encourage sharing

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Making a difference…

• Incredibly useful in spreading information with speed

• Genuine causes can go viral overnight and gain immense support

• Managing crises (Spreading the word/preventing inflammation)

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How to makethe most impact?

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Channel Selection

• All channels do not merit selection

• Look for maximum impact channels

• Multiple channels might make the message incoherent

• Never give a tool more importance than your message

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But…

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Scaling the barriers

• Listen

• Accept change

• Collaborate across organisations to establish protocols and best practices

• Be ready to change and adapt on the run

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Acknowledgements

• Professor Michael Netzley for his guidance.

• The wonderful support system that is the Internet.