Everything’s a campaign: using social media for local government improvement

Ingrid KoehlerImprovement Strategist, IDeA

Everything’s a campaign?

….sort of...

I was asked to speak about using social media in campaigns. I don’t campaign. But I do use social media to try to change behaviours (e.g. use performance management more effectively) or change policy (e.g. supporting LGA work with CLG to reduce reporting burdens)

This presentation covers practical, personal examples of how social media helps me in the work that I do.

Identifying and sharing best practice

Part of my work is drawing on current best practice and emerging tools and techniques to develop tools and guidance. I use social media to get evidence and promote the message.

Horizon scanning…from policy to practice

Peeps and whale, survive by Phil Romans on FlickrHow blue can it get, by Rietje Swart on Flickr

A key part of our work is making sure we know what’s going on…whether that be changes in policy or strategy or identifying new practice or challenges to the sector.

But it’s really all about networks

These are just a few of my Twitter “friends and followers”. Most of them are dedicated to public sector improvement, too - many in local government. We help each other and strengthen our network.

All of the work that we do is about networks of practitioners and policy makers.

People drive improvement.

Social media helps me to support my relationships with those people.

Connecting communities

This is one of my most important social media tools. The IDeA Communities of Practice platform www.communities.idea.gov.uk

This is the community I facilitate - with over 2300 members. Almost everything I do is shared through a relevant CoP.

Continuing the conversationWe run lots of face to face events, too - and we’ll never stop doing that as they’re so important to our work. But social media can help there, too.

This website:

www.ideaperformance.com

was the platform for social reporting we did at two performance management events.

This helped us capture the conversation before, during and after the event. We uploaded (almost) live content, talks, notes, Twitter, pictures and video. It helped bring people in who couldn’t be there in person.

Monitoring the scene

We need to know what’s happening.

Monitoring RSS feeds through Google Reader or Google alerts helps us to keep track of what’s being said.

Active listening

Twitter is a way of listening and responding. You demonstrate your value by helping. In return, people help you.

You can promote messages through Twitter, but it has little use without the social.

And promoting the message

I’ve used Facebook to promote an event and I use my blog to communicate messages, discuss ideas and promote discussion quickly and relatively informally.

My tool box

All free… all make it easy to share

These are some of the social media tools I use on a regular basis to support our work. All of them make it easy for other people to pick up and share what I’m saying elsewhere. (This is mostly good, but can have downsides) All of them have a free version.

Find me

Ingrid Koehleringrid.koehler@idea.gov.uk Policy and Performance Community of

Practice: www.communities.idea.gov.uk

www.ideapolicy.wordpress.comwww.twitter.com/ingridk