Social Media for Public Works

You have heard it before and will hear it again: Social media has

revolutionized the way the world communicates. Facebook, Twitter, YouTube,

LinkedIn, and others are here to stay.

Staying in touch with Customers Public works professionals have been using print as an important means of

communicating information. Although this should not be entirely compromised

in the digital era, the potential of social media is great. There are many

reasons why public works professionals who have yet to keep up with the trend

need to use social media channel to communicate with their customers.

Social Media is Efficient Social media channels are the newest and best way to communicate with you

customers. In communication, time is of the essence. It is always ideal to

communicate information that is accurate in the most efficient manner,

especially in public works where the public is usually anticipating to be

informed of a particular item. This is essentially where print falls short. The

tedious process from when information is received to when it is distributed

publicly requires a considerable amount of time. Moreover, having various

parties involved in the communication process complicates and lengthens the

time required, potentially causing an undesirable delay in distributing

information.

An advantage of social media in public works, then, is that they are able to

increase efficiency in sending information directly to the desired audience. In

utilizing social media, public works professionals are able to communicate

information effectively and efficiently, without having to go through several

parties and processes to do so. This will also minimize the possibility of the

intended message being distorted. Should there be any accidental or last-

minute occurrences, they can also give the public an advance notice to avoid

negative backlashes as much as possible.

Following the trend, many have flocked to social media platforms such as

Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates from public works professionals

as a majority of them now have Facebook pages or Twitter accounts that they

can access to inform followers directly on any matters.

Social Media is Participative Social media can be considered as one

of the most, if not the most

participative media platform that

currently exists. Before its emergence,

communication is mostly one-way; the

public is “informed” and there are

limited means for them to voice

opinions. But with the rise of social

media, the community is able to feel

connected, provide feedback, and

actively respond in the most productive

way possible. They are now able to

contribute.

When a community feels that their

opinions matter, it promotes a positive engagement between the public and

public works professionals, and communication becomes two-way. The former

is aware of what is happening behind what used to be closed doors and how it

affects them; the latter gets feedback on what should be retained and what

could be improved. As a result, the public will tend to appreciate the

opportunity to make a difference in public matters, and this will no doubt help

them in developing a positive attitude to public works in general as well.

Several platforms such as blogs and Facebook allow users to comment on

posted items. In short, anyone who has access to an electronic device and

internet will be able to contribute their thoughts on a particular issue merely by

commenting via social media. Such means of communication is highly

participative, and it also allows public works professionals to reach those who

are usually overlooked or do not have the courage to speak up in a normal

physical setting.

Social Media is Viral The very nature of social media has

a tremendous viral effect due to their

accessibility. In fact, this is one of

the best platforms to bring about

awareness and gain support from the

public on a particular subject, which

will come in handy in the aspect of

public works. In the digital age

today, an increasing amount of even

the most remote places are able to

access the internet. This is a great leap forward for public works professionals

as they can be sure that information will be able to reach places beyond which

they could ever imagine.

In the case of Facebook, one is able to see the number of “likes” and “shares”

a particular post has. These are extremely useful indications when gauging the

approximate reach of a post. To get an even more detailed analysis, a

Facebook page provides the administrator insights that enables one to view the

exact number of people a post successfully reached, a specific day or time in

which there is a highest number of traffic, or how many people visited the page

- just to name a few. As for Twitter, the hashtag (#) has functions similar to a

title - it is supposed to capture the essence of a message. If and when a

hashtag is used frequently enough, it will appear on the “Trends” column, and

this will no doubt bring about awareness throughout the world. Additionally,

the “retweet” function also serves as a brilliant indication of how popular a post

is.

With a tool as powerful as social media, public works professionals are able to

achieve more than ever before. With just a few clicks, one is able to put out

information that will reach hundreds and thousands of followers, which will

then be re-shared again with even more followers.

Social media is Ubiquitous

Social media is a broad term. To break it down, there are a few notable names

including Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. There are also blog sites that

come under the umbrella. With such an extensive array of choices to choose

from, public works professionals will be able to utilize one or many according to

their needs.

For example, Facebook is usually used for an average amount of text posting

or photos with a considerable amount of caption. As compared to Instagram

which is more personal and photo-based, Facebook is a great way to

communicate with the public due to its more generic interface and extensive

amount of user base. Twitter on the other hand, is good for communicating

short and succinct information in the fastest way possible, which is very

suitable for issues such as last-minute announcements or brief updates. Last

but not least, many public works professionals write regularly on blog sites -

these are great to communicate elaborate information and articles regarding

items such as policies.

Social media has become one of the most essential platforms that the public

obtains information from. Following this trend, if public works sectors are not

able to keep up with this pace, there will be a missing piece in the puzzle.

Regardless of the sector’s nature, there is always a social media platform that

public works professionals will be able to utilize for the benefit of the

community.

WebDPW is your solution to easily track the details and costs of acquiring and

maintaining facilities, infrastructures and assets. Achieve full facility risk management, and gain control of your capital and maintenance budgets.

call: 1-800-603-5578 | email: info@webdpw.com