government 2.0 taskforce - project 8 - online engagement guidelines
TRANSCRIPT
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OnlineEngagementGuidelinesUpdatedbyJamesDellowon8
thApril,2010
ThisdocumentislicensedunderaCreativeCommons
Attribution2.5AustraliaLicense.
PreparedfortheGovernment2.0TaskforcebyHeadshiftAustralasiaPtyLtd.
PrimaryAuthors:JamesDellowandAnneBartlettBragg.
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TableofContents
1 Introduction .........................................................................................................41.1 Background ...................................................................................................41.2 AbouttheseGuidelines .................................................................................41.3 Acknowledgements .......................................................................................6
2 Welcome..............................................................................................................72.1 VersionHistory ..............................................................................................72.2 Abouttheseguidelines ..................................................................................72.3 Usingtheseguidelines...................................................................................72.4 Whattheguidelinesdon'tdo.........................................................................8 2.5 FurtherReading.............................................................................................9
3 DesigninganOnlineEngagement.......................................................................10 3.1 Overview .....................................................................................................103.2 UnderstandingtheScope ............................................................................103.3 DesigningyourOnlineEngagementSolution ...............................................213.4 Riskmanagementandcompliancewithgovernmentstandards ..................30
4 CommunityManagementHowTo......................................................................33 4.1 CommunityManagementOverview ............................................................334.2 TheroleoftheCommunityManager...........................................................33 4.3 CommunityManagementActivities.............................................................35 4.4 UnderstandingyourCommunity..................................................................47
5 Roles,CompetenciesandPolicies.......................................................................53 5.1 Overview .....................................................................................................535.2 OnlineEngagementRoles ............................................................................535.3 OrganisationalStructuresforOnlineEngagement .......................................60
6 UseCasesandModelExamples..........................................................................67 6.1 Overview .....................................................................................................676.2 ListofUseCases ..........................................................................................676.3 ModelExamples ..........................................................................................87
7 Appendix:SampleNetiquetteGuidelines ...........................................................998 Appendix:SampleRiskAssessmentMatrix.......................................................101
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1 IntroductionNote:ThissectionisintendedtobeanintroductiontotheguidelinesfortheTaskforce
sponsorsonly.
1.1 BackgroundThepurposeofthisdocumentistoprovide:
guidelinesandotherresourcestoassistAustralianGovernment
(Commonwealth)agencieswithunderstandingtheapplicationofWeb2.0tools
andtechniquesforcommunityengagementinapolicydevelopment,service
deliveryandregulatory/compliancesettings.
1.2 AbouttheseGuidelines1.2.1 OnlineEngagementFrameworkTheOnlineEngagementFrameworkdevelopedfortheToolkitBlueprintprovidesthe
conceptualscaffoldingfortheseguidelines.
Itisintendedthattheseguidelinesshouldremainbroadlyapplicableregardlessof
theengagementmodelused.Thisisachievedbyusingengagementcyclelevelsin
theframeworkthatarebasedonanumberofpreexistingmodelsandguidelines,
including:
1. The2003OECDpolicyengagementcyclemodel,referencedincurrentFederalguidelinesforonlineengagement;
2. ElectronicEngagement:AGuideforPublicSectorManagers,producedbytheAustralianandNewZealandSchoolofGovernment;and
3. TheInternationalAssociationforPublicParticipation(IAP2)PublicParticipationSpectrummodel.
Forsimplicity,fourlevelsof(online)engagementareusedinthisframework.These
are:
1. ListenandIdentify(AudienceAnalysis);2. Inform(Information);3. ConsultandInvolve(Consultation);and4. CollaborateandEmpower(Participation).
Theselevelsformthecoreprocessforengagement.Inthecontextofonline
engagementspecifically,governmentagencieshavetheoptiontoengageonlineup
toanyparticularlevelbutshouldconsiderthat:
Levelscannotbeskipped,howeveronlineengagementcancomplementtraditionalengagementactivitiestothesamelevelorhigherlevelsof
engagement;and
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Leadingpracticerecommendsthatthecyclemustbecompleted.Theframeworkalsodefinesfourhighlevelusecasetypes,whichare:
1. Identificationofproblems,opportunitiesandissues;2. Policyconsultation;3. Customerserviceandservicedelivery;and4. Marketingandcommunications.
Togetherthelevelsof(online)engagementandtheusecasetypesdefinethescope
oftheseguidelines.However,ratherthenfocusingonagenericonlineengagement
process(sincethisisalreadywelldocumented),specificusecasesforeachusecase
typehasbeendevelopedsothattheseguidelinescandemonstratehowanagency
canapproachonlineengagementinpractice.
1.2.2RelationshiptotheToolkitBlueprint
TheToolkitBlueprintandOnlineEngagementGuidelineswerebothintentionally
developedtoaddressthesameusecasesidentifiedintheOnlineEngagement
Framework.Thiswasensurethetoolkitandguidelinescouldbeusedtogetheras
complementaryresources.
Thetoolkitprovidesapatternbasedapproachtodesigningonlineengagement
solutions,usinganappropriatemixofWeb2.0technologies.Akeyconceptinthe
toolkitistheselectionofa'hub'softwaredeploymentpatternthatmayalsobe
augmentedwithoneormoresupportingsoftwaredeploymentpatterns.This
approachisalsomirroredintheseguidelines.
PleaserefertotheToolkitBlueprintforfurtherguidanceonWeb2.0technology
selection.
1.2.3 RecommendationsforusingtheseguidelinesTheseguidelinesaretargetedatstaffwithinagenciesthathavebeentaskedwiththe
responsibilityforeitherdevelopinganagency'scapacityforonlineengagementor
areseekingguidanceonhowtogoaboutconductinganonlineengagement.Some
leveloffamiliaritywithWeb2.0andonlineengagementconceptsisexpectedand
additionaltrainingandcommunicationmayberequiredbeforesomeagenciesareabletoapplytheseguidelineseffectively.
TheseguidelineswillalsobenefitfromongoingimprovementasGovernment2.0
practicesmaturewithinagencies.SimilartotherecommendationsintheToolkit
Blueprint,werecommendassigningstewardshipoftheseguidelinestoan
appropriateagencyorasponsoredcommunityofpracticegroupwhoshouldbe
giventheresponsibilityforupdatingandpromotingtheirusewithingovernment.
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2Welcome2.1 VersionHistory
Firstversionpublishedon18thDecember,2009. Thisversionupdatedon8thApril,2010:
o Addednewappendixsection:Anexampleguidetousingsocialmediaforstaff,providedbytheDepartmentofFinanceandDeregulation.
o Addedreferencetothenewappendixinsection5.3.2.2 AbouttheseguidelinesTheuseofWeb2.0toolsandtechniquesforcommunityengagementarean
increasinglyimportantpartofthepolicydevelopment,servicedelivery,regulatory
andcomplianceactivitiesconductedbygovernmentagenciesinAustralia.However,
therateoftechnologychangeandthedifferentlevelsofinterest,accessibilityand
sophisticationofdifferentstakeholdergroupscanmakeitdifficulttonavigatethe
manydifferentoptionsforonlineengagementavailable.
Forexample,questionsyoumightaskwhileplanninganonlineengagementactivity
couldinclude:
Whatistheprocessforgoingonlinetoengagewithinterestgroupswewanttoconsult?
Willweneedablogorwiki?Andhowmucheffortwillitrequire? Howdoweencouragemeaningfulcontributionratherthananavalancheof
commentsaboutissueswecan'taddress?
Theseguidelinesareheretoassistagencieswithansweringthosetypesofquestions
andtoencouragegreateruseofWeb2.0toolsandtechniquesforonline
engagement.Byprovidingtheseguidelinestheaimistomakeyouronline
engagementactivitiesassuccessfulaspossible.
Note:Theseguidelinesmayofcoursebeofassistancetootherlevelsofgovernment
orevenothernongovernmentorganisations.However,theguidelineshavebeen
specificallydesignedwiththeneedsofAustralianGovernment(Commonwealth)
agenciesinmind.
2.3 UsingtheseguidelinesTheseguidelinesaredividedintofourchapters:
Designinganonline
engagement
Thischaptercoverstheessentialstepsfordesigningan
onlineengagement.Thesestepsinclude:
Definingtheonlineengagementscopeorbrief; Creatinganonlineengagementplan;and DesigningtheWeb2.0technologysolutionto
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supportyouronlineengagement.
Theappendixalsocontainsasampleriskmatrix,usedduring
theplanningforanonlineengagement.
Community
ManagementHowTo
Communitymanagementisanimportantsetofactivities
aimedathelpingparticipantsandstakeholdersgetthemaximumbenefitofanyonlineengagementactivity.
Thischapterwilladdressthefollowingtopics:
Theroleofthecommunitymanager; Techniquesforcommunitymanagement;and Understandingyourcommunity.
Roles,Competencies
andPolicies
Governmentagenciesaregenerallyorganisedinawaythat
suitstheneedsoftraditionalcommunicationchannels.This
chapterexplainshowtoadapttothisnewlandscapeanddescribes:
TheCoreandSupportingRolesneededforonlineengagement,includingnewrolecompetencies
required;
Optionsforcoordinated,integratedandembeddedorganisationalstructuresthatsupportonline
engagement;and
Howtodevelopeffectiveonlineengagementpolicies.
OnlineEngagement
UseCasesandModel
Examples
Thisfinalchapterprovidesalistofpossibleusecasesfor
onlineengagement,includingpossiblebenefitsandcritical
successfactors.
Modelexamples,addressingasampleselectionoftheseuse
casesarealsoprovided.
Wesuggestyouworkthroughthesesectionsinorder.Firstdesignyourapproach,
thenreviewtheguidanceontechniques,rolesandresponsibilities.Finallyusetheusecasesandmodelexamplestohelpinformthedesignofyourengagementplan.
Thenrepeattheprocessagaintoensurethatyouhavepickedtherightengagement
processalongwiththerightresourcesandtechnologytosupportit.
2.4 Whattheguidelinesdon'tdoItisimportanttoconsiderwhattheseguidelinesdon'tdo:
Theseguidelinesarenotacrashcourseinsocialmediaorpolicyengagementrefertothefurtherreadingsectioninthischapterifyouwanttolearnmore
aboutaspecificelementofonlineengagement.
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TheseguidelinescannottellyouhowtoconductYOURonlineengagementrememberthateveryonlineengagementissubtlydifferent,sousethese
guidelinesasareferencenotarulebook.
Followingtheseguidelineswillnoteliminatealltherisksassociatedwithonlineengagement,howeveritwillhelpyoutoreduceormitigatethemostcommonrisks.
2.5 FurtherReadingTolearnmoreaboutthistopicwerecommend:
Bacon,J.,2009,TheArtofCommunity:Buildingthenewageofparticipation,O'Reilly
Media,USA
Christakis,N.A.&Fowler,J.H.,2009,Connected:TheSurprisingPowerofourSocial
NetworksandHowTheyShapeOurLives,LittleBrown&Co,USA
Crumlish,C.andMaline,E.,2009,DesigningSocialInterfaces:Principles,Patterns,andPracticesforImprovingtheUserExperience,OReillyMediaandYahoo!Press
Howe,J.,2009,Crowdsourcing:WhythePoweroftheCrowdisdrivingthefutureof
Business,ThreeRiversPress,USA
Li,C.&Bernoff,J.2008,Groundsweel:WinninginaWorldTransformedbySocial
Technologies,HarvardBusinessPress,USA
Locke,C.,Levine,R.,Searls,D.&Weinberger,D.,2001,CluetrainManifesto:Theend
ofbusinessasusual,BasicBooks,USA
Mader,S.,2007,WikiPatterns,Wiley,USA
Palloff,RenaM.&Pratt,Keith,2005,CollaboratingOnline:LearningTogetherin
Community,JosseyBass,USA.
Salmon,G.,2002,eTivities:TheKettoActiveOnlineLearning,RoutledgeFalmer,UK
Salmon,G.,2004(2ndedn),eModerating:TheKeytoTeachingandLearningOnline,
RoutledgeFalmer,UK.
Shirky,C.,2008,HereComesEverybody:ThePowerofOrganizingwithout
Organizations,PenguinPressHC,USA
Weinberg,T.,2009,TheNewCommunityRules:MarketingontheSocialWeb,
O'ReillyMedia,USA
Wenger,E.,1998,CommunitiesofPractice:Learning,Meaning,andIdentity,
CambridgePress,UK
Wenger,E.,White,N.&Smith,D.,2009,DigitalHabitats:stewardingtechnologyfor
communities,CPsquare,USA
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3DesigninganOnlineEngagement3.1 OverviewThischaptercoverstheessentialstepsfordesigninganonlineengagement.Thesestepsinclude:
Definingtheonlineengagementscopeorbrief; Creatinganonlineengagementplan;and DesigningtheWeb2.0technologysolutiontosupportyouronline
engagement.
Thischaptershouldbereadinconjunctionwiththeotherchaptersinthisguide,as
theyprovideadditionalinformation(suchasCommunityManagementactivities)and
examplestohelpyoudesignanonlineengagement.Thetypesofactivitiesthatwilltakeplace,themotivationsofthepeopletotakepartandwherethosepeoplewill
participate,willinfluencethefinaldesignofyouronlineengagementsolution.
3.2 UnderstandingtheScope3.2.1 WhatisOnlineEngagement?Whatexactlydowemeanbyonlineengagement?
Inthecontextofgovernment,citizenshipandcommunitywecanthinkofonline
engagementasaspectrumofpossibilitiesnumerousexamplescometomind,
rangingfromOpenAustralia1(aWebsiterunbyvolunteerstohelppeoplefollowtheparliamentaryactivitiesoftheirelectedrepresentatives)toSuperstruct(amassively
multiplayerfutureforecasting"seriousgame").However,theseguidelinesrepresent
onlyapartofthatspectruminparticulartherangeofactivitiesthatsupportthe
executive(administrative)roleoftheCommonwealthgovernmentanditsneedto
engagewiththecommunityforpolicymakingandpolicyimplementation,including
servicedelivery.
Onlineengagement,justliketraditionalmethodsofengagement,isalsoaprocess.In
fact,inmanycasesweshouldnotdrawadistinctionbetweenonlineandtraditional
engagementbygovernmentthetwoareoftencomplementaryorruninparallel
together.However,therearealsosomeinstanceswhereonlineengagement
providesthechanceforengagementtotakeplaceinnewandinnovativewaysthat
wouldnototherwisebecosteffectiveorpracticaltoachieveusingtraditional
methods.But,eveninthesecasestheprocessofengagementremains
fundamentallythesame.
Finally,theseguidelinesreflectadesiretomakeuseofthelatestWeb2.0toolsand
techniquesforonlineengagement.OnlineengagementusingWeb2.0meansthat
1
Seehttp://www.openaustralia.org/
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governmentagencieshavetheopportunitytointeractandcommunicateinnew
ways,whichmayhelptoovercomebarrierstoengagementorcreatebrandnew
methodsforengagement.
Tosimplifythis,wehavecreatedanOnlineEngagementFrameworkthatisdescribed
inthenextsection.ThisframeworkdescribesboththeprocessofonlineengagementandthetypesofonlineengagementCommonwealthagenciesarelikelyto
undertake.
3.2.2 TheOnlineEngagementFrameworkTheOnlineEngagementFrameworkhasbeendesignedtohighlighttwoimportant
aspectsofonlineengagementthatareusedintheseguidelines:
TheOnlineEngagementLifecycle;and Thefourkeytypes('Genre')ofonlineengagement.
Diagram1:OnlineEngagementFramework
TheOnlineEngagementLifecycle:
TheLifecycleisbasedonasimplifiedversionofotherpolicyconsultation
methodologies,suchasthe2003OECDpolicyengagementcyclemodelandthe
InternationalAssociationforPublicParticipation(IAP2)PublicParticipationSpectrum
model.TheLifecyclelevelsusedinthisguideare:
ListenandIdentify(AudienceAnalysis); Inform(Information); ConsultandInvolve(Consultation);and CollaborateandEmpower(Participation).
Treatingtheengagementprocessasalifecycleprovidesadirectionalpathway
througheachleveloftheprocess,whileencouragingthecompletionofthecycle.For
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example,atthestartofanonlineconsultationprocessyouwillinformparticipants
aboutthepurposeoftheconsultation.Attheendoftheconsultationyoumustclose
loopbeinformingthemabouttheoutcomes.Thelifecycleappliesregardlessof
whethertheengagementtakesplaceonlyonlineorincludesamixtureofonlineand
traditionalengagementactivities.
TheGenreofOnlineEngagement:
ThefourGenreofonlineengagementwereidentifiedthroughaprocessofresearch
andanalysis,withinputfromAustralianPublicServicerepresentativesalready
workingwithsocialmediaintheiragencies.ThewordGenrehasbeenusedto
describeloosedescriptionsthatreflectastyleorpatternofonlineengagement
ratherthanahardandfastdefinition.ThefourGenreare:
1. Identificationofproblems,opportunitiesandissues;2. Policyconsultationandpolicycollaboration;3. Customerserviceandservicedelivery;and4. Campaigns,promotionandcommunications.
WhiletheLifecycleisthesameforeveryGenre,theactualflowandtimingofthat
lifecyclemaybedifferentforeach.
Whendefiningthescopeofanengagementitisimportanttoidentifyboththe
Genreandthelevelofengagementexpectedfromtheprocess.
CreatinganOnlineEngagementPlan
WhycreateanOnlineEngagementPlan?
Aswithanyotherkindofproject,creatingaplanforanonlineengagementisgood
practice.Foranonlineengagement,byfollowingtheLifecyclemodelthisplanalso
ensuresthattheengagementprocessiscompletedinfull.
TheOnlineEngagementPlanshouldprovidethefollowing:
Aprojectscopeorbrief; Aprojectschedule,coveringtheoperationalactivitiestosetupandmanage
youronlineengagement;and
Anengagementschedule,coveringtheengagementactivitiestobecompletedforeachstageoftheLifecycleinvolved.
Theplanmayrequireanumberofiterationsasreviewswiththeproject'ssponsors
andstakeholderstoensurethattheplanisachievable.Insomeinstances,youmay
alsostagetheengagementplantoallowforchangingoremergingneedsor
requirementsduringtheengagement.
Considerthefollowingquestionstoassisttheevaluationofyourplan:
Doesyouronlineengagementhaveaclearlydefinedpurpose?Thisiscritical,becausewithoutaspecificpurposeitislikelytotranslateintoapoorly
structuredexperiencefortheparticipants.
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Howwillyouknowthatyoureachedyourobjectivesattheendoftheonlineengagement?Rememberthatsuccesscanbemeasuredinmanydifferent
ways.
Willthemajorityoftheintendedparticipantshavethecapacity,motivationandskillstointeractonline?Haveyouconsideredtheindividualandgroupdynamicsthatmightneedtobefacilitated?Aretheavailabletechnologies
goodenoughtosupportthislevelofactivityanddrivethemotivation
requirements?
Willyoubeabletoachieveyourobjectivesinthetimeandusingtheresourcesyouarelikelytohaveavailable?
Doestheonlineengagementhaveaclearstartandfinish?Ifyouronlineengagementislikelytobeongoingortakingplaceoveralongperiodoftime,
youshouldstillfactorincheckpointsandmilestones.
Inmanyinstances,itmayalsobeworthwhileenlistingstakeholdersorarepresentativegroupofstakeholdersinthedesignoftheplanitself,andthiscanformpartoftheuserexperiencedesignprocessfortheonline
engagementsolution(s)tobeutilised.
LevelsoftheOnlineEngagementCycle
TheLevelsoftheOnlineEngagementCycleprovidethescaffoldingfortheonline
engagementprocess.Thefollowingtabledescribeseachofsevenlifecyclelevels:
Phase Level Description
1 Listenand
Identify
(Audience
Analysis)
Thefirststepofanyonlineengagementshouldinvolve
researchingtheintendedparticipants.Dependingonthescope
oftheonlineengagementthisresearchmightinclude
understandingtheircurrentattitudes,understandingwhatwill
motivatepeopletoparticipateonline,mappingthesocial
networkstheyinhabit,considerationoftheiraccesstothe
internet,andtheirleveloftechnologysophistication.
2 Inform
(Informatio
n)
Thisphaseinvolvesinformingpotentialparticipantsaboutthe
purposeoftheonlineengagement,explainingtheprocessof
engagementandinvitingthemtoparticipate.Itmayinclude
providinginformationabouthowtoparticipateinatraditionalengagementprocessforexample,anonlineeventpage.This
phasemaystillinvolvesomeinteractionwithparticipants,
howeversuchparticipationwillrelatetothescopeorquestions
abouttheprocess.
3 Consult
andInvolve
(Consultati
on)
Atthislevelofengagement,theonlineengagementfinally
movesintoaphaseofgreateractivityandinteractivity.Ifthe
engagementinvolvesaCollaborateandEmpowerphase,thenit
isusedtohelpdefinethetermsandprocessofthenextphases
withtheparticipants.
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4 Collaborate
and
Empower
(Participati
on)
UnliketheConsultationphases,theactivitiesinthisphase
movefromacontrolledConsultationtoonethatiscontrolled
byeitherthemechanicsoftheactivityorpreagreedsocial
rules.Facilitationandmoderationofthisactivitywithinthese
mechanismsorrulesbecomesthefocus.
5 Consult
andInvolve
(Consultati
on)
Thisphasemarksthebeginningoftheonlineengagementclose
downprocess(eitherofthewholeengagementorofanactivity
withinaprogramofactivities).Ifyourengagementdoesnot
involveaParticipationphase(Phase4),thenPhase3and5will
mergetogether.Thisphaseprovidestheopportunitytoreflect,
clarifyandvalidateinformationandotheroutputsfromearlier
phases.
6 Inform
(Informatio
n)
Tofinalisetheinteractivephasesoftheengagement,itis
duringthisphasethatyouensuretheparticipantshaveaccess
totheeithertheoutputsorotherevidenceofactivities.Italsoprovidesthechancetocelebratethesuccessoftheonline
engagementandacknowledgedifferentparticipantsor
particularcriticalorimportantoutcomes.Acknowledgingthe
socialaspectsoftheonlineengagementiscriticalwherea
substantialcommunityhasdeveloped.
7 Listenand
Identify
(Audience
Analysis)
Thisfinalstepoftheonlineengagementprocessclosestheloop
togatherdirectandindirectfeedbackfromparticipants.Itmay
alsoprovideinformationthatcanbeusedforfollowupor
subsequentonlineengagementprojects.
Itisimportanttoemphasisthatthisisprovidedonlyasaguide.Asophisticatedor
complexonlineengagementinitiativemayinvolvemultipleengagementlifecycles
takingplaceatthesametime,sothelifecycleapproachshouldnotbetreatedasa
purelylinearprocesswithinasingleengagementproject.Withineachphase,acycle
ofCommunityManagementactivitieswillalsoneedtotakeplaceyouwillneedto
considernowtointegratetheseactivitiesasyoutransitionbetweenphases.
UnderstandingtheGenreCharacteristicsofOnlineEngagement
EachGenrereflectsadifferentstyleofonlineengagementandasaresulthavedifferentengagementlifecyclecharacteristics.Naturally,someapproaches,
techniquesandtoolsaremoresuitableforsomegenreandlesssuitableforothers.
UnderstandingtheseGenreCharacteristicswillprovideaframeworkthatenables
youtodesignabetteronlineengagement.
ThefourGenrearedescribed,alongwithavisualrepresentationoftheOnline
EngagementCycle("WavePattern"),inthefollowingtable(theusecaseslistedare
describedmorefullyintheUseCasesandModelExampleschapter):
OnlineEngagement
Genre
DescriptionandEngagementCycleWavePattern
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Acompetitionbasedapproachmayworkwell,since
peoplearefamiliarwiththatprocessanditbringsa
naturalclosetoevents.However,rewardsfor
participationmaytakeotherformsormaysimply
involvethesatisfactionoftakingpartinagame.
Sampleusecasesthatfitthisgenreinclude:
Betatestingnewservices; Crowdsourcing; Futurescanningandscenarioplanning; HackDays; Ideagenerationandinnovationprocesses;
Mashupcompetitions;and Pilotsandresearch.
(TheseusecasesaredescribedintheUseCasesand
ModelExamplesChapter)
PolicyConsultationand
PolicyCollaboration
ThisistheclassiconlineengagementGenre,whichhas
theexplicitgoaloffeedingintopolicydesignatonelevel
oranother.ThisGenreischaracterisedbythevarietyofusecasescenariosthatfollowthesamebasicpatternof
engagement,butinpracticeneeddifferentsolutions
andmethodsofcommunitymanagementbecauseof
thescope,topicsandtypesofparticipantsinvolved.
Inthepast,mostonlineengagementaroundpolicy
designhasfocusedonprovidingtheabilityfor
participantstoaskquestions,discussthepolicyareaand
submitfeedbackelectronically.Thosemethodsofonline
engagementarestillvalid,howeverWeb2.0
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helpothercustomers).
Theinitialstartupphasescanbetreatedasalaunch
process,whichcouldbesupportedbyaparallelsocial
andtraditionalmediapromotion,oralternativelya
moreconsultativeapproachcanbetakenwherecustomershavetheopportunitytoshapethenew
servicechannel.
AsmallnumberofusecasesforthisGenrewillrequirea
stricterapproachtoinformationsecurity,becauseof
policyorlegislativerequirements.Thisdoesnotchange
thelifecyclepattern,butitmayintroduceadditional
userexperiencechallengestobeovercome.
SampleusecasesthatfitthisGenreinclude:
Accesstoculturalorhistoricalartefacts; Datasharing; Education,newsandinformationsharing; Onlinecustomerservicenoprivacyor
commercialimplications;
Onlinecustomerservicepersonal/commercialprivacyimplications(e.g.ATO);
Projectbasedcollaborationwithnongovernmentorganisations;and
Resourcesforteachingandstudents.(TheseusecasesaredescribedintheUseCasesand
ModelExamplesChapter)
Campaigns,Promotion
andCommunication
ThisfinalGenreinvolvesengagingwiththecommunity
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inordertohelpagenciescommunicatemoreeffectively
aboutgovernmentservices,policychangesandother
specialevents.Tobeeffective,thispatternofonline
engagementmustmakeuseofpublicsocialmediaand
socialnetworkingonlineservices.
Thisdynamicintroducesinterestingissuesfordealing
withthelifecycleforthispatternofonlineengagement
becausethecontentandconversationsaboutthe
initiativemaywellliveoninthoseexternalcommunities
longaftertheformalengagementprojecthasfinished.
Likethetransitorycommunitythatmightbecreatedas
partofaCustomerServiceandServiceDeliveryGenre
onlineengagementinitiative,theextendedcommunities
touchedbyaCampaign,PromotionandCommunication
initiativeneedstobeaccountedforaspartoftheengagementplan.
ItveryimportantthattheuserexperienceinthisGenre
focusesontwoparticularaspects:enablingpeopleto
share,contributeandremixcontent("Letmetellmy
friends"seetheUserExperiencePrinciplessectionfor
moreinformation),andunderstandingthemotivationto
participate("Showmewhat'sinitforme?"seethe
UserExperiencePrinciplessectionformore
information).
Thepatternofengagementmaybemoreeffective
whereitispairedwithaparallelCustomerServiceand
ServiceDeliverybasedcommunityasitprovidesapre
existingcommunityintowhichannouncementsand
othercontentcanbeseeded.Thosecommunitiescan
alsobeinvolvedinthedesignprocess.Alternatively,
agencieswillneedtopayspecialattentionduringthe
startupListenandIdentifyphaseofthelifecyclein
ordertoidentifytherightsocialmediaandsocial
networkstoseedthecommunication.Thismaycause
somechallengesifnotenoughtimeisallowedduringtheplanningstagetocompletethephaseeffectivelyas
result,theprojectmaynotachievethedesiredlevelof
reachorparticipation.
Thistypeofengagementmayalsobetheprecursorin
itselftoanothertypeofonlineengagementandisan
effectivemethodofutilisingthemomentumgenerated
byearlierCampaigns,PromotionandCommunication
initiatives.
SampleusecasesthatfitthisGenreinclude:
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Changestoserviceavailability; Compliance; Emergencymanagement; Launchnewinitiatives; Majornationalevents; Newserviceannouncements; PublicEducation;and Recruitment.
(TheseusecasesaredescribedintheUseCasesand
ModelExamplesChapter)
3.3 DesigningyourOnlineEngagementSolution3.3.1 OverviewThereiswhatcanfeellikeanoverwhelmingchoiceofsoftwareoptionsfromwhich
anonlineengagementsolutioncanbebuilt.Tohelpsimplifythechoices,thetypes
ofWeb2.0toolsandservicescanbebroadlydividedintothreedifferentcategories:
FoundationalCoresocialcomputingtechnologies,includingblogsandwikis.Thesetoolshavethegreatestpotentialforinhousedeploymentbyan
agency,butcanalsobeprocuredasahostedservice.
VerticalSpecificSpecialisedWeb2.0technologies,suchaseventmanagement,videostreamingandsocialmediamonitoring.Insomeinstancesthesetoolscanbedeployedinhousebyanagency,butareoften
deliveredasahostedservice.
OnlineNetworksWhollyWebbasedservicesthathostusergeneratedcontentoractivitystreaming.Thesearetypicallyrepresentedassocialmedia
orsocialnetworkingsites.Theseservicescanonlybeaccessedordelivered
online,becausetheonlinenetworkmakestheseservicesuniqueratherthan
justthefunctionalitytheysupport.
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Diagram:Web2.0TechnologyCategories
Inmostcases,simplyselectingasingletoolfromoneofthesecategoriestosupport
youronlineengagementisunlikelytocreateanadequatesolution.Asaresult,
designinganeffectiveonlineengagementsolutioncanbeacomplexexercise:
TheonlineengagementsolutionislikelytoinvolveusingacombinationofdifferentWeb2.0toolsandtechniques;
Asyouaddmorepartstothesolutionyouneedtotakeintoaccounthowpeoplewillinteractwithitthisincludesdealingwithusability,accessibility,
andtheoveralluserexperience;and
Asagovernmentagency,considerationofriskandcomplianceissuestoensureyouronlineengagementisconductedinawaythatmeetsthe
expectationsofthecommunity.
Thiscombinationofdesignissueswillmeanthateveryonlineengagementwillbe
slightlydifferent.However,inanapproachsimilartotheGenredescriptionsforthestyleofonlineengagement,wecanalsodescribeanapproachtodesigninganonline
engagementsolutionthatisbasedonkey'patterns'2(andpatternprinciples).These
patternsprovidedescriptionsthatrepresentgooddesignpracticesfordeveloping
onlineengagementsolutions,butinsuchawaytheycanbeappliedtosolvethe
samedesignproblemsinmanydifferentsituations.Byusingpatternsitalsomeans
2.Tolearnmoreaboutpatternlanguage,startwiththeWikipediadefinition.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pattern_language
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thataswegainmoreexperiencewithonlineengagementforgovernment,wecan
improvethesepatternstotakeintoaccountthatnewexpertise.
Thepatternsweusehereinclude:
Softwaredeploymentpatternsthesedescribethetypicalhighlevelconfigurationpatternsforthedifferentwayswecandeploysoftwareforanonlineengagement;and
Userexperienceprinciplesthesedescribetheuserexperienceprinciplesthatwillenableparticipation.
Byplanningtheonlineengagementprocess,youshouldbeabletodeterminethe
riskandcomplianceprofileforyourproject.Thisprofileshouldbeusedtoevaluate
theappropriatenessofyoursoftwareanduserexperiencechoices.Wheregapsexist,
eithermitigationstrategiescanbeusedorchangestothedesignwillneedtobe
made.However,careshouldbetakentounderstandhowanychangeswouldaffect
theuserexperienceandcommunitymanagementprocesssincethiscanunderminetheoverallobjectivesoftheonlineengagement.
Thefollowingdiagramexplainshowtheseelementsfittogether:
Diagram:TheOnlineEngagementSolutionDesignProcess
Onceyouhavereadtheremainderofthissection,agoodwayoflearninghowto
understandthesepatternsisanalyseexistingonlineengagementstoseeifyoucan
recognisethedifferentSoftwareDeploymentPatternsusedandassesshowwellyou
thinktheycomplywiththeUserExperiencePrinciplesdescribedintheseguidelines.
SoftwareDeploymentPatterns
TheSoftwareDeploymentPatternsaredividedintotwogroups:
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aHub environment.AnexampleofaHubinthe
Networkmightincludeawhollyself
containedYouTubechanneloraFacebook
pagethatformsthecoreoftheonline
engagementapproach.Somecautionshould
beusedwhenattemptingtoapplythis
pattern,asthesocialnetworkingdynamics
ofthehostsitewillplayaparticularlycritical
roleinthesuccessoftheonlineengagement
initiative.
Themainreasonfordoingthiswillbeto
accessthesocialnetworkinwhichtheHub
willexist.
YouTube,iTunes,and
SlideShare),Social
NetworksConsumer
Orientated(e.g.
FacebookandOpen
Forum)andSocial
NetworksBusiness
Orientated(e.g.
LinkedIn).
ThefollowingtableoutlinesthesecondarypatternsthatenhancetheprimaryHub
siteinsomeway.Theneedtousethesesecondarypatternsdependsuponthescope
oftheonlineengagement.
Secondary
PatternName
Description WhattypesofWeb2.0
technologiescanbeusedfor
thispattern?
(W)Hubwith
supporting
sites
Supportingsitesprovideinformation
orotherfunctionalitythatsupports
theHubsite.Asfaraspractically
possible,thesupportingsite(s)is
integratedwiththeprimaryHubto
providetherightuserexperience
(particularifmorethanone
Foundationaltechnologyisused).
TheHubcontinuestobepositioned
asthemainentrypointor
destinationafterinteractingwithin
thesecondarysite.
Reasonsfordoingthisinclude:
Toprovidefunctionalitythatcannotbeprovidedeasilyin
theHubsite.
Toimprovetheoveralluserexperience.
Toprovideaccesstoaspecificgroupofusers.
Supportingsitescanbe
agencydeployedorhosted.
Blogs,WebContent
ManagementSystems,Wikis,
PrivateSocialNetworks,
Forums,CommunityForums
(thesearemoresophisticated
typesofforumthatofferuser
profiles,hostingforcontent,
etc),PublicMetaverses(e.g.
SecondLife),Privateor
FederatedMetaverse(3D
worlds),BudgetAllocators,
EventsManagement,Idea
Management,LiveBlogging,
LiveChat,Poll/Survey,PrivateorFederatedMicroblogging.,
Webinars.
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Reasonsfordoingthisare
similartotheHubpatterns.
(X)Feeder
Networks
Integrationwithfeedernetworks
bringsawarenessoftheonline
engagementandactivityaroundthatonlineengagementthrough
sharingcontentandother
promotionalactivities.Theaimisto
eitherbringpeopletotheHubsite
orallowthemtoparticipate
indirectlythroughthefeeder
network.
Thereasonsfordoingthisinclude:
Theneedtopromote,butnothostactualonline
engagementdirectlyinthese
othersitesornetworks.
Theneedtomaintainvisibilityorremind
participantsofonline
engagementactivities
throughthesitesand
networkstheyaccessmore
frequently.
SocialNetworksConsumer
Orientated(e.g.Facebookand
OpenForum),SocialNetworksBusinessOrientated(e.g.
LinkedIn),EmailList
Management,Content
Syndication,Microblogging
(e.g.Twitter)
Note:Itmaybepossibletouse
API'sfromFeederNetworksto
integratethesetoolsdirectly
intoyourHuborsecondary
supportingsite(s).Forexample,aFacebookwidget.
(Y)Distributed
content
Contentrelatedtotheonline
engagement(e.g.activity,
information,data,geodata,
multimedia)maybemirroredor
hostedonthirdpartysites,
applicationsordevices.
Thereasonsfordoingthisinclude:
Accesstothesocialnetworkwherethiscontentwillbeavailable(e.g.theiTunes
store).
Lowcostormoreeffectivecontentstorageand
distribution(particularlyfor
multimedia,suchasvideo
streaming).
Accesstospecialfeaturesoraccesschannels(e.g.mobile)
ContentSharingNetworks
(e.g.Flickr,YouTube,iTunes,
andSlideShare,VideoHosting
&Streaming,OnlineMaps,
SocialBookmarking&Tagging,
Widgets.
Note:Itmaybepossibleto
embedexternallyhosted
contentbackwithinyourHub
orsecondarysupporting
site(s).Forexample,
SlideShareandYouTubeallow
contenttoembeddedinother
sites.
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thatcontributetotheuser
experience.Alsosee(X)
FeederNetworks,which
mightalsobeusedfor
contentdistribution.
(Z)Social
media
monitoring,
social
graphingand
activity
tracking
Theparticipantsinonline
engagementarelikelytobe
participatinginothersocial
networks,soitisnecessaryto
understandwheretheyparticipate
andlistentotheminthose
networks.
Thereasonsfordoingthisinclude:
Understandingthetargetaudience.
Trackingforthepurposesofmeasurementoftheonline
engagementssuccess.
Usingthisinformationasanindirectinputintothe
outcomesoftheonline
engagement.
Avarietyofmonitoringand
analysisareavailable.
Forexample: PatternA+X+Y+Zcouldrepresentahighlevelorbroadpublicpolicy
consultationinvolvinganagencyhostedHub,whichalsousesdistributed
contentservicestohostmultimediacontent(e.g.avideostreamingservice),
feedernetworks(e.g.microbloggingservice,likeTwitter,andsocial
networkingsiteslikeFacebook)tobringpeopleintotheconsultationHub,
andacombinationofinhouseWebanalyticsandhostedsocialmedia
monitoringservice.
PatternAcouldrepresentapolicyconsultationinvolvingspecialistsorspecificstakeholderswheretheaudienceisidentifiedandinvitedto
participatewhomightsimplyuseanexternalhostedcommunityforumor
privatesocialnetworkingsiteasitsHubtoconducttheconsultation,withno
additionaltoolsorservicesrequired.
UserExperiencePrinciples
Userexperiencecomplementsthesoftwaredeploymentpatternsdescribedinthe
previoussectiontoexplainhowtheuserwillinteractwiththesolution.Forthe
purposesoftheseguidelineswehavenotattemptedtodescribeeverypossibleuser
experiencepatternthatmightapplytoonlineengagement.Insteadwehave
describedthemainuserexperienceprinciplesthatshouldbeappliedtoensurethere
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mediaorsocialnetworkingsites.
Forclosedorofflineengagementactivities,itmay
stillbebeneficialtoprovidemechanismstoshare
informationabouttheengagementprocessitself
orparticipationinanactivity.(Alsosee,Helpmekeepupwithactivities)
networkingsites.
Notproviding
activitystream
feeds.
Notallowingtheonlineengagement
solutiontobe
indexedbysearch
engines.
Notprovidingstatic
URLstopagesand
anchorsto
individual
participant's
contributions.
Whereare
weupto?
Iftheonlineengagementprocessinvolvesany
kindofasynchronousstepsuchasregistration,
submissionofcontent(includingcomment
moderationprocesses),tallyofresults,
competitionresults,etcparticipantsmustbe
keepinformationaboutprogressorprovided
informationabouttheprocessbeingfollowedand
expectedtiming.
Thiswillnotonlyhelptomanagetheexpectationsofparticipantsabouttheparticularstepbutwill
alsoencouragethemtostayengagedwiththe
process.
(Alsosee,Showmewhathappened?)
Moderating
commentstoablog
withoutproviding
anyindicationabout
howlongitwilltake
forcommentstobe
approved.
Askingpeopleto
signupforaneventwithlimitedplaces,
butnotindicating
howmanyplaces
areleft.
Helpmeto
keepup
with
activities
Keepingpeopleuptodatewithactivitiesiscritical
toensuringongoingparticipationthroughoutthe
engagementprocess.
Itisimportanttomakeitaseasyaspossibleto
followactivitiesandparticularitythoseactivities
theyaremostinterestedin.Multiplemethodsand
channelsshouldbesupported,including,butnot
limitedtoemail,RSS,SMS,microblogging,activity
streamsharingandinstantmessaging.Mobileand
otheraccesschannelsshouldalsobesupported.
Wheneverpossible(andappropriate)contentand
informationshouldbedeliveredtoparticipants,
ratherthanforcingthemtovisitthesitewhereit
originated.
Onlyprovidinga
singlemechanism
forreceiving
updatese.g.email
only.
Notproviding
participantswith
theoptiontoselect
whichactivity,how
much,how
frequentlyorwhat
informationstreams
theywanttofollow
e.g.allornothing
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Note:Thesepatternsmaybedifficulttoachieve
withclosedonlineengagementprocesses,as
manyWeb2.0methodsofsharinginformation
areinherentlyopen.
approach.
Showmewhat
happened?
Theonlineengagementchannelshouldreflecttheactivitiesandoutcomesoftheentireengagement
cycle,evenifsomeactivitiesorstepsare
conductedusingatraditionalengagement
process.Thisappliestostepswithinthe
engagementcycleitself,aswellasthe
engagementprocessoverall.
Providingeasyaccesstotheoutcomesorstepsof
anengagementprocess,regardlessofwhetherit
wasultimatelycompletedonoroffline,willhelp
tosupportboththelegitimacyandvalueofthatengagementbutalsohelptoencourage
participationbypeopleinthefuture.
Archivingorrestrictingaccessto
contentand
activitiesgenerated
duringthe
engagement
processassoonasit
hasbeen
completed.
Waitinguntillong
aftertheonlineengagement
processorastepin
theprocesshas
completedbefore
sharingthis
informationwith
participants.
Theseprinciplesprovideanintroductiontokeyuserexperienceconcepts.However,therearemanybooksandonlineresourcesthatdiscussandprovidemoredetailed
Web2.0designpatterns3.
3.4 RiskmanagementandcompliancewithgovernmentstandardsUseofWeb2.0foronlineengagementexposesgovernmentagenciestopotentially
newrisksandusestechnologiesthatmayrequireexistingrulesandguidelinestobe
reanalysedtounderstandhowtheyapplyandtheirimplications.Arangeof
legislativerequirements,policiesandstandardsaffectthewaythatagenciescanand
shoulduseWeb2.0technologiestointeractonlinetheseareprimarilydesignedto
eitherreducerisktogovernmentortoensurethatagenciesconductthemselvesinawaythatmeetsthecommunitiesexpectations.Manyoftheapplicablepoliciesand
standardshavebeenidentifiedinAGIMO'sWebpublishingguidelines4.Theserules
andguidelinesrelatetoboththetechnologyitselfandtheoperationofthose
technologies.
3Forexample:Crumlish,C.andMaline,E.,2009,DesigningSocialInterfaces:
Principles,Patterns,andPracticesforImprovingtheUserExperience,OReillyMedia
andYahoo!Press.
4
Availableonlineathttp://webpublishing.agimo.gov.au/
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Moregenerally,theonlineengagementprocessitselfcreatesriskthatrelatetothe
engagementitself.Forexample:
Whathappensifnooneparticipatesintheprocess? Whathappensifthekeymessageismanipulatedorhijacked?
Anengagementprocesslevelyoucanusestandardriskmanagement(anexampleof
aRiskAssessmentMatrixforanonlineengagementisalsoprovidedintheappendix
oftheseguidelines),projectmanagementandcorporatecommunications
techniquescanbeusetomitigatethesekindsofrisks.Howyouorganiseand
coordinateyouronlineengagementactivitiesisalsoimportantrefertothe
CommunityManagementHowToandRoles,CompetenciesandPolicieschaptersfor
additionalrelatedinformation.
Focusingonthetechnology,whenselectingdifferentWeb2.0toolsandservicesas
partofyouronlineengagementsolutionsareastoconsiderinclude:
Generalrequirementstheserelatetoarangeofgeneralagencyriskareas(e.g.reputationalrisk,brandingsupport)andalsotheabilityofsolutionsto
supportdesirableWeb2.0anduserexperiencefeaturesinWeb2.0toolsand
servicesused.
SecurityandidentityrequirementsthisrelatestobothactiveinformationsecuritymeasuresintheWeb2.0toolsandservicesused,butalsosecurity
featuresthataffecttheuserexperience.Forexample,foranonline
engagementwhichislowrisk,canaparticipantloginusinganothersocial
networkingidentityorOpenID?
Privacyrequirementsthestakeholdersinyouronlineengagementmayhaveparticularexpectationsaboutprivacy,socantheWeb2.0toolsandservicesmeetthat?
OperationalrequirementstherereferparticularlytononfunctionalrequirementsrelatedtotheoperationoftheWeb2.0toolsorservices.For
example,canyouexportdata?
Rememberthatafailuretocomplyexplicitlywithaparticularpolicyorstandardmay
notmeanaWeb2.0toolorservicemustbeexcluded,howevermitigationstrategies
mayneedtobeimplementedsuchasexplainingtheprivacyimplicationsfor
participantsiftheychoosetoaccessaparticularaspectofyouronlinesolution.
TheseareasareoutlinedinmoredetailinaTechnicalReviewChecklistcontainedin
theToolkitBlueprint.HoweveraworkingknowledgeofWeb2.0technologiesand
familiaritywithAGIMO'sWebpublishingguidelinesisrequiredtousethischecklist
effectively.Werecommendeither:
UsingWeb2.0toolsandservicesthathavebeenevaluatedandusedbyotheragencies;or
Completetheevaluationwithinputfromappropriatelyexperienceorqualifiedspecialists(refertotheRolesandCompetencieschapterformore
informationontheWebSpecialistroleandothersupportingroles).
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4CommunityManagementHowTo4.1 CommunityManagementOverviewCommunitymanagementisaspecialisedtaskwithinanonlineengagement,andalthoughstakeholdersandparticipantscanandshouldplayapartintheactivities
outlinedinthischapter,itisprimarilythedomainofthecommunitymanager.
Communitymanagementcanbethoughtofasbothanactivityandarole:
Communitymanagementitselfisasetofactivitiesaimedathelpingparticipantsandstakeholdersgetthemaximumbenefitfromanyonline
engagementactivity.Communitymanagementensuresthattheonline
environmentisconduciveforappropriate,goalorientedparticipationwhere
deeperengagementisenabled.
Communitymanagerswhoareresponsibleforcarryingoutcommunitymanagementactivitiesplayapivotalroleinthesuccessofanyactivity
aimedatengagingstakeholdersonline.Furthermore,theyarethehuman
faceofthepropositionandtheyhelpsetthetoneofdiscussion,steerthe
debate,ensurethatinappropriatebehaviourdoesn'ttakeplace,protectthe
brandorreputationofstakeholderagencies,whileextractingthemaximum
valuefromparticipation.
Thischapterwilladdressthefollowingtopics:
Theroleofthecommunitymanager(includingrecruitingandtrainingcommunitymanagers);
Communitymanagementactivities;and Understandingandevaluatingyourcommunity.
Note:WeusethetermCommunityManagementintheseonlineengagement
guidelinesasthisisagenerallyaccepttermfortheroleandactivitieswedescribe
here.However,youarewelcometouseanothertermtodescribethisconceptifyou
prefer,suchasOnlineEngagementManagement,OnlineConsultationManagement
orevenTechnologyStewardship,ifthiswillbebetterunderstoodwithinyouragency
orbyyourexternalstakeholders.
4.2 TheroleoftheCommunityManager4.2.1 WhatdoestheCommunityManagerdo?Communitymanagersusearangeofskillsandactivitiesthatincreasethevalueand
relevanceforparticipantsandstakeholders.Theyincreaseparticipation;makingit
broader,creatingdeeperengagement,whileatthesametimekeepingdiscussions
focusedandofvalue.Theskillsrequiredare,primarily,clearcommunicationand
networkingratherthanITbased.Theactivitiesofthecommunitymanagerwillbe
differentdependingupontheGenreofengagement,althoughsimilarskillsare
requiredofthecommunitymanager,regardless.Inordertobeeffective,trainingis
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required,asisathoroughunderstandingbothofthepropositions,theapproachto
beundertaken,andtheoutcomedesired.
Evaluationisalsonecessaryandconstructive,withthecommunitymanagerplayinga
partingatheringandreportinghighlightsandoutcomesmorewidely.Datatoo,for
exampleusagestatistics,canandshouldbeanalysedformeaningandtrends.Thereare,insomeinstances,barrierstoengagementbutaskilledcommunitymanagercan
reducethesebarriers,makingitpossibleforpeopletoincreasetheirlevelof
participation.
Asthehumanfaceoftheonlineengagementtheyshouldalwayshaveaprofilethat
isvisibletoparticipants,includingtheirnameandanydetailsthatarerelevantfor
userstoknow,forexampleanyparticularskillsorinformationabouttheir
backgroundthatrelatetothecommunitycontextthisprovidesanumberof
benefits:
Itgivesusersaclearpointofcontact; Putsanameandfaceonwhatotherwisemightbeviewedasimpersonal
bureaucracy;
Helpsusersunderstandwhoisaccountableformanagingthecommunity;and
Empowersthecommunitymanagersbymakingthemfeelpersonallyaccountable
Whenprovidingcustomerserviceandservicedeliverythroughonlineengagements,
customersofgovernmentserviceswhodealwithanamedindividualaremorelikely
tofeelthattheyhavebeenheardandarevalued.Italsohelpsstaffwhodealwithinquiriestofeelthat,farfrombeingananonymouspartofthebureaucracy,they're
arebothidentifiableandaccountableforthelevelofservicetheyoffer.
Inlargerormorecomplexonlineengagementinitiatives,morethanonecommunity
managermightbeassignedortherolemaybeseparatedintodifferentspecialtiesor
toemphasisaparticularskillsetthatiscriticaltotheonlineengagement(referto
theRoles,CompetenciesandPolicieschapterformoreinformation).Acommunity
managermightalsobetaskedwithmanagingallonlineengagementsinaparticular
agency(likeaprogrammanager),toensureconsistencyandcontinuityacross
differentonlineengagements.
4.2.2 WheretofindaCommunityManagerIncreasingly,communitymanagementisviewedasaspecialisedrole,conductedby
thosewithexperiencewhohelptocreateandshapeinteractionsinsocialspaces
online.Specialistproviders,bothagenciesandfreelancers,existtoprovidearange
ofcommunitymanagementservices.However,it'salsooftenpossibletoidentify
someonefromwithintheexistingworkforcewhohas,orcanlearn,theskills
requiredtobeaneffectivecommunitymanager.
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MostsuccessfulcommunitymanagersdonothaveanITbackground,nordothey
necessarilyrequireindepthknowledgeofsocialmediait'sfarmoreimportantthat
theyareaneffectivecommunicatorandnetworker,aswellasbeinggenerally
sociableandfairintheirdealingswithothers.Theyshouldbeabletowork
independentlyandtobothnoticeandreacttopotentialproblemsorrisksquickly.
Theyshouldexercisegoodjudgment,andapplytheguidelinesconsistentlyand
fairly,regardlessoftheirpersonalfeelingsabouttheindividualparticipantsthey
encounterortheviewsexpressedbythem.
Communitymanagementcanbeoutsourced,andanincreasingnumberofproviders
areofferingsuchservices.Also,thereisagrowingnumberofcommunity
managementspecialistswhomaybeavailableonafreelancebasis,orcouldbehired
specificallytomanageonlineengagements.Theircompensationvariesgreatly
dependingontheseniorityoftheroleandexperience.Someserviceproviderscan
alsoofferacompleteserviceoffering,thatincludesbothatechnologyplatformfor
onlineengagementalongwithcommunitymanagementservices.Thebenefitsof
outsourcingcommunitymanagementcanbebothtacticalandstrategicfor
example,athirdpartyprovidermightbeviewedasbeingmoreneutralifthetopicis
particularlycontentious.
Whicheverapproachistaken,itisimportantthatthecommunitymanageris
providedwithadequatetrainingandsupport.Thetrainingneedstocoverallofthe
activitiesoutlinedinthischapterandshouldbesupplementedwithadviceontone
ofvoiceandmanagingcontent.Preferably,anexperiencedcommunitymanagerwill
beallocatedtosupportanewcommunitymanageronabuddysystemfortheirfirst
project.
4.2.3 DevelopingcommunitymanagementskillsandcapabilitiesAnytrainingprogramneedstotakeintoconsiderationthediverserangeofskills
bothtechnicalandcommunicationbasedthatnewcommunitymanagersmight
alreadyhave.Astructuredplanthatcombinesboththeopportunitytoexperience
theactivitiesinactionandaselectionoftheoreticalunderpinningswillallowanew
communitymanagertodeveloptheirownstyle,whileobservingthepracticeand
experienceofothers.
Participationinasimilarcommunityenvironment,involvementintheplanningand
designingstages,engagementwithkeystakeholdersandabuddysystemwithanexperiencedcommunitymanagerarerecommended.
Formoreinformationaboutthedifferentcompetenciesthatcontributetothe
communitymanager'sskillset,refertotheRoles,CompetenciesandPolicies
chapter.
4.3 CommunityManagementActivities4.3.1 WheredotheactivitiesoftheCommunityManagerfit?
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CommunitymanagementactivitiestakeplacewithineachphaseoftheOnline
EngagementCycle.Foreachphase,acommunitywillmovethroughfourgeneral
stagesofactivity.Ateachofthesestages,theroleofthecommunitymanager
requirescarefulplanninganditislikelytoincorporateoneoracombinationofthe
managementactivitiesoutlinedinthissection.ThisincludestheListenandIdentify
phase,althoughthisshouldbetreatedasasetofpassiveactivitieswherethe
communitymanageriseithertryingtounderstandinghowatargetorplanned
communitywillreactorinteractwiththeactivitiesinlaterphasesorconductinga
finalevaluationattheveryendoftheonlineengagement.
Diagram:CommunityManagementActivityStageswithineachPhaseoftheOnline
EngagementCycle
Thefourstagesare:
Stage Description
1 SettheStage
Settingthestageinvolvesactivitiesthatintroducetheparticipantstoeachotherandtheselectedcommunityplatform.Clear
guidelinestomanageexpectations,outlinetheengagement
objectives,andprovidedetailsforassistanceorfurthercontactare
importanttoensureparticipantsunderstandtheparametersand
possibilities.
2 Modelthe
Process
Asinfacetofacesocialinteractions,welearnhowtobehavein
givensituationsbywatchingothers,reflectingupongroupreactions,
andtakingguidancefromgroupleaders.InStage2,thecommunity
managermodelscollaborativebehaviourandencourages
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participantsastheynegotiatetheparametersofacceptableonline
communitybehaviour.Theenvironmentshapedbythecommunity
managerwillinfluenceparticipants'contributionsandtheir
reactionsthroughoutallstagesofthecommunityprocess.
3 GuidetheProcess
ModellingthebehavioursinStage2isjustthefirststeptowardseffectiveonlineengagementprocesses.InStage3,thecommunity
managerhastheresponsibilitytomaintainthecommunity
momentumthroughactivitiesthatguidethecommunitytowards
achievingitsobjectives.
4 Evaluate
the
Process
Thisstageiscriticaltodetermineiftheonlineengagementactivities
forthisphasehavemettheintendedobjectives.Thiscouldinvolve
gatheringfeedbackfromcommunityparticipantsandreflective
feedbackfromthecommunitymanager,inadditiontoevaluation
criteriaoutlinedintheCommunityEvaluationsectioninthis
chapter.
Withineachphaseandateachofthestages,differinglevelsofinvolvementfromthe
communitymanagerwillbeexpectedasthecommunityprogressesthroughthe
onlineengagementprocess.Thereisnosinglerightapproachtocommunity
management,althoughtheGenreofonlineengagementwillprovidesome
indicationoftheoverallstyleofcommunitymanagementrequired.Inpractice,itis
alsoimportantto'level'orlinkactivitiesbetweenphases.Forexample,activitiesin
thefirstInformphasewillhelptopreparethecommunityforactivitiesinthenext
Consult&Involvephase,howeverthecommunitymanagerstillneedstorepeatallthestagesforthatspecificphase.Anexperiencedcommunitymanagerwill
understandallthesedimensionsandhelpintegratealltheseactivitiesintoasingle
onlineengagementplan.
4.3.2 OnlineEngagementGenreandCommunityManagementStyleThestyleofcommunitymanagementneededisreflectedineachGenreofonline
engagement.TheIdentificationofproblems,opportunitiesandissuesandPolicy
ConsultationandPolicyCollaborationGenrerequireasimilarstyle,withsomesubtle
differences,buttheCustomerServiceandServiceDeliveryandCampaigns,PromotionandCommunicationGenrerequiretheirownstyle;subsequentlythisalso
impliesadifferentsetofactivitiesforeachGenre.
Genre Styleofcommunitymanagementneeded
Identification
ofproblems,
opportunities
andissues
Whiletheirroleisnottosolvetheissue,thecommunitymanager
mustbeginwithaclearunderstandingoftheobjectivesforthe
onlineengagement.Activitiesmusthelpparticipantsmove
towardstheobjectiveswithoutconstrainingthescopeorsetting
unnecessaryboundariestheemphasisisonsteeringactivities
thatmaintainthevalueofdiscussionsasnewideasemerge.The
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styleofmoderationmustbeadjustedtothespecificsoftheonline
engagementandtheparticularmechanicsoftheonline
engagementprocessbeingused(e.g.crowdsourcingrequiresa
differentstyleofmoderationfromanideagenerationprocess).
Contentcurationshouldbeusedtohelpothersbuildonexisting
ideasorcrosslinkrelatedissues.Attheendoftheonline
engagementprocess,thecommunitymanagerwillhighlightkey
contributionandreportfindingsbacktostakeholders.
Policy
Consultation
andPolicy
Collaboration
TheessenceofthisGenreisthatthecommunitymanagerhelpsto
guideparticipantsthroughtheconsultationjourneybyoutlining
thecurrent,orproposedpolicy,andasksforinitialthoughtsto
encouragewiderparticipationanddeeperengagement.Theywill
settheagendabystatingclearlythegoalsoftheconsultation
exercise,andexplaininghowtheoutputwillbeusedandby
whom.Theywill,wheretimelimitsapply,alsomaketheseclearandhelpparticipantsworktowardsthatdeadline.Theywill,
wheretopicdriftoccurs,steerthediscussionbacktoitsstated
purpose,andcreatenewbranchesofdiscussionwheretopics
requirefurtherexploration.Theywillcurate,addingstructureto
thediscussionsandhighlightingkeycontributions,andwillreport
findingsbacktostakeholders.Formorecollaborativepolicy
consultations,theycontinuetoactasamoderatorbuttheywill
drawondifferenttechniquesforexample,moderatinga
discussionforumorblogisdifferentfrommoderatingawiki.
CustomerServiceand
ServiceDelivery
EngagementsofthisGenrebeginwithlisteningandacknowledging,effectivelygivingparticipantstheopportunityto
fullystatetheproblemorneed,andthentakingresponsibilityfor
providingaresolution.Communitymanagersinvolvedinthis
genreofengagementshouldalwaysbenamed,empoweringthem
totakeresponsibilityandgivingparticipantsarecognisable
contactpointthattheycanreturntolaterifrequired.Itisoften
usefulthat,whereafullresolutioncannotbemadequickly,for
thecommunitymanagertoredirectcommunication,takingit
"offline",sothatpersonaldetails,orhighlyspecificproblems,
aren'tdealtwithinpublic.Curationisstillanimportantactivitybecauseresolutionsprovidedtooneindividualcanbehighly
valuabletoothersinsimilarcircumstances,leadingtocontactless
resolutionsthatcanreducesupportcosts.Also,thenatural
languageusedbythoseengagingincustomerserviceactivities
onlinehaveahighimpactuponSearchEngineOptimisation
becausetheycontainthenaturallanguageusedtodescribe
problemsorrequirements.Thatis,thiscontentbecomesan
alwaysgrowing,easilyfindableknowledgebaseofquestions,
responses,resolutions,andservicedeliveries.
Campaigns, Socialmediaallowsstakeholdersanopportunitytoengage
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Promotionand
Communication
directlywithconstituentsatascalenotpossiblewhenusingone
toonecommunicationsmediumssuchasthetelephoneoran
email.Asinglecontactcanbeseenbymany,yetrequireslittle,if
any,additionaleffort.Online,morethanelsewhere,peoplehave
cometoexpectcommunicationstobemadeinawaythatisopen,
honestandtransparent.Agoodcommunitymanagerwillbe
highlyskilledatcreatingmessagesthatachievethecorrecttone
ofvoiceinthisway.Itshouldbenotedthatalthoughtheagency
website,andonlineengagementspace,areareaswheresuch
messagescanbepostedandconsumed,thoughtshouldbeput
intoplacingmessagesmorewidely,usingthesocialnetworking
platformsandcontentsharingservicespreferredbyusers.
Relevancy,however,isimportantwhendoingthis.Forexample,
officialphotographsmightbeplacedonaphotosharingservice,
likeFlickr,wheretheymayverywellreachamuchwider
audience,anaudiencewhomightnothavepreviouslyknownabouttheactivitiesoftheagency.Likewise,acommentpostedby
acommunitymanageronathirdpartyblog,whereappropriate,
mightlinktotherelevantdiscussionwithintheengagement
space,attractingnewparticipantsfromadifferentaudience.
Onlineengagementscanalsobeusedtocollectfeedbackon
existingcommunicationstrategies,andthisfeedbackcanbeused
tofinetunethefinalproductorservicebeingdelivered.Thisisa
highlyproactiveapproachthatcitizensgreatlyappreciate,andis
oftenpressworthy.
4.3.3 TypicalActivitiesbyCommunityManagementStageStage TypesofActivities EffortRequired
Setthe
Stage
SettingtheAgenda Whenusersfirst
arriveintheengagementspace,they
won'tnecessarilyknowwhattodo,what
isavailabletothem,orhowtheyare
meanttocontribute.Thecommunity
managersetstheagendabyclearlylabellingtopicsanddiscussions,and
providingguidelinesthatoutlinethe
boundariesofdiscussion.Theymayalso
beresponsibleforprovidinglinks,both
withinthecommunityitselfandoutside,
thatguideusersthroughthedifferent
areasavailable.Theseactivitiesareaimed
atencouragingnewuserstoparticipate,
andwideningtherangeofactivitiesand
Attheearlystagesofthe
communitydevelopment,
theeffortsofthemoderator
aredirectedtowards
ensuringtheparticipantis
receivingtheboththeinformationandtechnical
supporttobeableto
contributeeffectively.A
communitymanagerwould
beexpectedtobeavailable
towelcomeandguide
participantsastheylogon
andrespondtoquestions
andrequestsforhelpduring
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discussionsavailableforparticipantsto
engage.
SignPostingCollaborativelycreated
contentoftengrowsinunexpected
directions,withlittleattentiongiventoitsstructure.Thecommunitymanager,with
overviewofallengagementactivity,can
bothunderstandhowparticipant
generatedcontentanddiscussionsfitinto
theoverallframeworkofwhatis
intended.Thatis,theycanhighlightmain
pointsofdiscussion,edittheminto
manageablesections,addheadlinesand
subheadingsessentially,turningfree
flowing,collaborativeworkintosomethingthatcanbeformattedfor
consumptioninaclearandlogicalway.
Thisactivityisincreasinglyimportantasa
communityagesandnewbranchesadded
onincrementallywithlittlethoughtput
intohowitmightaffectthestructureor
usabilityofthewhole.5
ParticipationGuidelinesThecommunity
managerisalsoresponsibleforcreating
thecommunity'sparticipationguidelines.Thesecanincludeprivacystatements,
informationonhowcontributionswillbe
used,andagreementsaboutacceptable
onlinebehaviouror"netiquette".Seethe
AppendixforsampleNetiquette
Guidelines.
RegulatingThecommunitymanageris
responsibleformoderatingthediscussion
monitoringcontent,applyingthe
guidelinesforparticipationtransparentlyandconsistently,andremoving
inappropriatecontributionsand,where
necessary,takingactionagainstthose
whoviolatetherules.Moderatingthe
contentandbehaviourisanactivitythat
businesshours.The
communitymanager's
visibilityandpresenceisat
itshighestduringthisstage
anddependinguponthesize
ofthecommunity,maybe
requiredtobepresentonline
atalltimeswithinagreed
hours.
5AnexampleofthiskindofactivitywithinaWikicontextiscalledwikigardening
seehttp://www.socialtext.net/exchange/index.cgi?wiki_gardening_tips
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willberequiredatallstagesofthe
communitylifecyclebutissignificantin
theearlystagesoftheengagement
processtodemonstratehowthe
participationguidelinesaremanaged.
Model
the
Process
EncouragingWiderParticipationand
DeepeningEngagementThecommunity
managershouldintroduceparticipantsto
topicsanddiscussionswhichmightbeof
interest,andencouragenewusersto
participatebymodellingthestyleof
languageandlengthofpostrequired.
Theymayalsoreachouttonew
audiencesbyhighlightingtheactivity
takingplaceintheengagement,bothwithin,andoutside,theengagement
space.Theseactivitiesareaimedat
wideningthebaseofparticipation.The
communitymanagercanalsodeepen
engagementbythankingusersfor
contributions,askingfollowupquestions,
andprovidingsignpoststoothertopicsor
discussionswithintheengagementthat
mightbeofinterest.
Atthisstage,creatingan
atmospherewhereviewsare
respectedandparticipants
feellowbarriersto
engagementiscriticaltothe
ongoingsuccessofthe
community.Althoughthe
focusforthecommunity
managermayhaveshifted
fromtechnicalguidancetooneofmodelling
engagement,theirpresence
andamountofinvolvement
isstillhighlyvisible.
Guidethe
Process
SteeringDiscussion(Facilitating)Thecommunitymanagerisresponsiblefor
facilitatingmeaningfuldiscussionand
discouragingbehaviours,suchasdrifting
offtopic,whichmightdetractfromcore
objectives.Theymaycreatetopics,steer
discussion,provideoccasional
summaries,introducenewbranchesof
discussion,andhighlightkey
contributions.
CuratingThoughthecommunitymanagerwill,throughtheiractivities
withintheengagementspace,create
content,theirprimarypurposeisto
increasethequantityandqualityof
contributionsmadebyothers.Thatis,
oneoftheirrolesistocurate,ratherthan
create,contributionsfromparticipants.Note:Thecommunitymanager,while
bothfacilitatingandcurating,willplaya
Atthisstageinthecommunitydevelopment,
theparticipantsare
becomingmoreselfdirected
andtheroleofthe
communitymanageras
technicalsupportis
diminishingasitfocuseson
thefacilitationandcuration
aspectsofthecommunity.
Dependinguponthesizeandlevelsofactivitywithinthe
community,thecommunity
managercouldnowbe
expectedtologonacouple
oftimesadaytoperform
theirrole,ratherthanthe
needtobeconstantly
availableasinStage1.
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partin:
Determiningwhattopicsarediscussed;
Theparametersofthosediscussions;
Providingsummariessothatthosejoiningthediscussionmidway
througharequicklyabletogetup
tospeed;
Protectthecontributionsofparticipants;and
Sharingknowledgeofactivitiesandlearningfromtheonline
engagementmorewidely.
RefertoChapter5:Rolesand
Competenciesformoredetailsonthis
role.
Evaluate
the
Process
Research,ReportingandEvaluationThe
communitymanager,morethananyone
else,hastopleveloversightacrossthe
entireonlineengagementanddirect,
regularcontactwithparticipants.Because
ofthis,theyarewellplacedtoextractmeaningfromdiscussionandprovide
reportscontainingvaluableinsightsinto
thethoughtsandfeelingsofthe
community.Thecommunitymanagercan
alsohighlightintheevaluationprocess
anyrecurringtechnicalchallengesorhave
recommendationstoenhancethe
selectedplatformfurtherforfuture
engagements.Itisimportanttonotethat
gatheringquantitativedatainisolationofthecommunitymanager'sreflectionswill
notbelikelytoprovideadequateinsights
forfutureonlineengagements.Feedback
thatoutlinesactivitiesorstrategiesthat
workedwell,strategiesthatcouldbe
improved,andthenatureofinteractions
arethebasisofaqualitativereport.
Thecommunitymanager's
attentionandeffortsinthe
finalstageofeach
engagementphaseare
turnedtowardsthe
evaluationofoutcomesandobjectives.However,
dependinguponthenature
ofthecommunity,being
attentivetoclosingstagesof
communityandtheneedsof
theparticipantsremains
withintheirresponsibility
thisisoftencarriedoveras
anobjectiveintothenext
phaseoftheonlineengagement.
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4.3.4 OverviewofCoreActivitiesandApproachesModeration
Moderationisacriticalelementofthecommunitymanager'swork(refertothe
Roles,CompetenciesandPolicieschapterforadetaileddescriptionofthisrole,againstwhichatrainingprogramcanbedesigned).
Thecommunitymanagerorthoseactinginaspecificmoderationroleare
responsibleforensuringallparticipantsareawareofandadheretoparticipation
guidelines.Insomeinstances,thismayrequirethecommunitymanagertotake
actionwhereacontributionisidentifiedasinappropriate.Deletingmessagesmust
beseenasalastresort,itispreferabletoreplytoauser'smessageandquotethe
relevantsectionoftheguidelines.Thecommunitymanagermustmakeitclearthat
theyareactinginanofficialroleandjustfollowingtheagreedguidelinesratherthan
usinganypersonalopinion.
Ifquotingrulesdoesnotdrivetheuserstorephraseorremovethecomment,the
communitymanagershouldstepintoremovethemessagethisactionshouldbe
takendecisivelyandfairly,referringbacktoasetofpredeterminedandpreagreed
setofguidelines.
Itisuptothediscretionofthecommunitymanagertoknowwhentotakeactionin
publicandwhentodoitprivately.Ifitislikelytheuserwilltakeoffenceorbeupset
byapublicrebukethenitisbestnottodoso,maintainingacalmandfriendly
environmentismoreimportantthatsendingwarningstootherusers.
Theexactmoderationprocedurewillbedictatedbythemoderationworkflow.Some
optionsformoderatingusergeneratedcontent(e.g.comments)are:
1. PreModerationcontentisreviewedbeforetheyarepublished.2. PostModerationcontentisreviewedwithinaprescribedtimeafterthey
arepublished.
3. Reactive/AlertOnlyonlycontentthathavebeenalertedbyusersarereviewedthiscangivethecommunitymanagementtheaddedlevelof
legitimacyifforcedtotakeaction.
Whenselectingamoderationworkflow,communitymanagersneedtobeawareof
thelegalandcommunityresponsibilityimplicationsofthemoderationapproachthatwillbeused.Issuestobeconsideredinclude:
Defamationandinjuriousfalsehood; Contemptofcourt; Copyrightinfringementandbreachofcommercialinconfidence; Offensiveordiscriminatorycontent; Violationsofprivacylaws; Dealingwithminorsorothervulnerablepeople.
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Unfortunatelypremoderationisnotnecessarilyaprotectionagainstlegalaction,
sinceitcouldbetreatedasaconsciousdecisiontopublish.
Thankfully,seriousviolationsoftherulesarerare,butescalationproceduresshould
beinplace,withclearlydefinedpointsofescalation,evenoutsidenormaloffice
hours,availabletothecommunitymanager.Note:Youshouldseekguidancefromtechnologylawspecialistifyouareunsure
abouttherisksofmoderatingusergeneratedcontent.
OnlineCommunicationStyle
Communitymanagementonlineshouldfollowthesameapproachthatgoodoffline
communitymanagementdoes:
ConversationalTextonlycommunicationcanoftenbemisinterpretedasitdoesnotconveythebodylanguagethatreallifecommunicationdoes.As
such,anextraefforttousinglanguagethatisclearandsimpleina
conversationalstyleisessential.
EngagedandvisibleThecommunitymanagershouldmodelthestyleofcommunicationappropriateforthecommunitycontextandbeanever
presentmemberofthatcommunity.
NonthreateningGiventhekeyroleistoencourageparticipation,adirectorassertivetoneshouldbeavoidedunlessdealingwithanextremecaseof
moderationandwithinaprivatecontext.
NonjudgementalandencouragingofallopinionsAsabove,aninclusivestyle,withclear,conversationallanguagewillbeamodelforresponsesina
similarstyle.
However,whiletheapproachisthesame,thereisastyletoonlinesocialinteraction
thatdiffersfromtheofflineinteraction.Duetothepotentialanonymitythatonline
communicationsoffertherecanbetendencytowardsmoreoffthecuffcomments
andpolarisedopinions.Thisis,insomewaysisbornoutofthetechnology
commentthreadsarefullstatementsfollowedbyfullstatements.Afirstuserstates
apositionandafollowinguserstatesanotherpositionthisdiffersfromverbal
communication,whichcontainsmuchmoreinterjection.
Giventhis,itmustbeunderstoodthatpointsthatcanreadasaggressiveand
adversarialareoftennotintendedtobeunderstoodassuch.Thecommunitymanagerneedstobeawareofthisandknowwhentoallowdiscussionstorollon
andwhentoredirectdiscussionswhichbreedlanguagethatmakesengagement
moredifficultfornewcomers.
Differenttypesofuserswillparticipateonlinesonosingletoneofvoiceislikelytobe
suitableforallcommunications.Businessuserswillexpectabusinessliketone,
whilstyoungpeoplemightpreferbrevity.Remember,participantsareindividuals,so
should,whereverpossible,beaddressedbynameinafriendlymanner.
EncouragingParticipation
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Participationiswhatturnsinactivecommunitiesintovibrantonesgettingpeopleto
engagewiththecontentofthecommunityandwitheachotheristhekeyroleofthe
communitymanager.
CaseExample:Flickr
Flickr,aleadingphotosharingcommunity,isoftenviewedasbeingaparticularlygoodexampleofcommunitybuildingbestpractice.Oneoftheco
foundersoftheservice,CaterinaFake,revealedinaninterview6,thatthekey
tobuildingcommunityonthesiteduringit'searlydayswastheactivitiesofa
skilledcommunitymanageranditisoftenquotedasaprimeexampleofhow
toencourageparticipation.InthisinterviewwithAdamPenenberg,Caterina
FakethefounderofFlickrexplainstheirearlycommunitymanagement
approach:.
"Georgina(George)Oates,anearlyemployeeofFlickr,andIgreeted
everyonewhocameintotheinstantmessagingconversationsorpostedon
thesite.Wesaid,"Ohyouknow,Inoticeyou'reintoNorwegianMetalandI
noticedyouliveinPittsburghhere'sanotherpersonfromPittsburgh.
Communitiestakeonthekindofcharacterofapartyattheoutsetandyou
needtobeagoodhost."
Themainaimwastoturnneworcasualusersoftheservice,earlyadopters,
intoregularcontributorswhoviewedtheirparticipationascontributorytoa
senseofcommunity.
Itisimportanttoconsiderincreasingcommitmentlevels.Makeengagementvery
easyatfirst,offeringsingleactions(e.g.Voting,Rating,Favouriting)ratchetingup
engagementfromthereonceusersfeelincreasinglevelsofattachmentandownershiptothecommunity.Makesurethatyourcommunityhasincreasinglevels
ofengagementbothtechnically(favourite,shortcomment,longcomment,article
authorship)andatacommunitymanagementlevel(increasinglevelsofrespectand
deferenceshowntodifferentusers).
Engagingwithindividualsandencouraginggroupstoengagealsorequiresslightly
differentapproaches.Toillustratethispoint,helpingtofostercontinued
engagementfromanindividualmightmeanfindingaspecificpieceofcontentfor
them,oransweringadirectquestionforthemwhenthecommunityofusersseems
tohavenomoretosay.
Thecommunitymanagerneedstohaveagoodunderstandingofthecontentthat
sitswithintheirspacesotheycanactasaveryknowledgeableuserwhocananswer
manyquestions.Theyshouldbeabletoofferlowleveltechnicalsupportonspecific
pointsandknowthecontentofthesite,oftenleavinglinks,whichactaswayfinders.
6FlickrCoFounderCaterinaFakeontheValueofViralLoops[ExclusiveQ&A],
http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/adampenenberg/penenbergpost/flickrco
foundercaterinafakevalueviralloopsexclusiveqa
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Ontheotherhand,helpingtofostercontinuedengagementfromagroupisnot
aboutspecificsbutisaboutunderstandinggroupdynamicsandhowtoperpetuate
conversation:
Dippingintotheconversationatthecorrectpointstohelpitalong; Encouraginguserstodevelopcertainpoints; Leavingopenquestions,developingtopics; Playinggameswithinagroupandintroducinggamemechanics;and Applyingadhocrulestocreatecompetitionbetweengroupmembersand
encouragingplayfulness.
4.3.5 DesigningOnlineActivitiesAcommunitywithoutdeliberatelydesignedonlineactivities,sometimesreferredto
asetivities,willpotentiallyexperiencedisengagedparticipants,lackingtheguidanceanddirectionrequiredtoachievethecommunity'sobjectives.Acommunity
manager'srolewillnotonlyincludethecapabilitiestodesignactivities,butalso
understandhowtousethesetomotivateparticipationinatimelymanner.
Somekeyprinciplesfordesigningactivitiesare:
Planinadvancewhatyouexpectparticipantstodo,andwhatactionsthecommunitymanagerwilltake;
Startwiththeoutcomeinmind,thendesignanactivitytoachievethis;
Buildinmotivationprovideareasonforparticipation; Considertimingshowlongwilltheactivitytaketocompletemakesurethis
iscommunicatedtoparticipants;
Providemilestonesletparticipantsknowwhencompletionisdue(notnecessaryinallsituations)andwhennewactivitiesarescheduled;
Writeclearinstructionalguidelines,keepthemsimple,butalsobepreparedforpeoplenotreadingthem;and
Rememberthatheadlinesortitlesareimportanttheyneedtoattractattention,explainwhattheactivityisabout,andcreateaction.
Whenplanningactivities:
Decidehowmanyarerequiredusuallyplanfornomorethan2or3activitiesperweek,howeverasingleactivitymaybesufficientifyouare
expectingparticipantstointeractwitheachotherandrespondtocomments;
Mapactivitiesagainstthetimeframesoftheprojectensuringtheactivitiesdesignedcanbeachievedintheintendedoutcomes;and
Preparecontingencyactivitiesincaseanactivitydoesnotresultinthedesiredactions.
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TheappendixcontainsanOnlineActivityTemplatethatcanbeusedasaframework
fordesigningactivities.
4.4 UnderstandingyourCommunity4.4.1 UserTypesCommunitiesaremadeupofmanyindividualsandgroups,witheachcommunity
havingaslightlydifferentdynamic.It'simportanttounderstandthisdynamicand
howcommunitymembersactuallyviewthemselvesasacommunity.Thefollowing
tabledescribestwocommonusertypesPowerUsersandLurkers:
UserType DescriptionandImplications
PowerUsers Analysisofonlinecommunitiesoftenshowsasmall,buthighly