This document discusses the opportunities for government agencies to use social media. It defines social media as content created by people using accessible publishing technologies, transforming information sharing from one-to-many to many-to-many. The document advocates using user research to identify how social media aligns with citizens' needs and the services different government agencies provide. It provides examples of how social media could help agencies share knowledge, engage citizens, and change how they communicate with the public.

1. Facebook.govt
An engaged, involved and informed New Zealand
Alix Vale - User Experience Consultant
Lulu Pachuau - User Experience Consultant
Provoke Solutions Ltd
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2. We are going to talk about...
What social media is
The changes it brings to communication
Identifying the right opportunities through user research
What it could be like
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3. What IS social media?
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4. …content created by people using highly
accessible and scalable publishing technologies….
It's a fusion of sociology and technology,
transforming monologue (one to many) into
dialog (many to many) and is the
democratization of information, transforming
people from content readers into publishers.
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media
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5. …interacting with other people
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6. Sharing
Connecting
Meeting
Recommending Communities
Friendship Discussing
Collaborating Common interests
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7. social search
micro blogging
social networking
wikis
social news social content
blogging social bookmarking
virtual worlds online chat
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8. social search
Rollyo
micro blogging
Twitter, Jaiku
social networking
Facebook, LinkedIn, Bebo wikis
PBWorks, Wikipedia
social news social content
Technorati Flickr, YouTube, Slideshare, Odeo, Last.fm
blogging social bookmarking
Delicious, Digg, Stumbleupon
Blogger, WordPress
virtual worlds online chat
Skype
Second Life
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9. 9

10. Is interacting with government that
different?
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11. Government
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12. Sharing
Culture
Participating
Using services
Providing info
Getting info
Connecting
Getting advice
Communities
Collaborating
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13. 13

14. Government
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15. Why does social media matter?
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16. 150 million members Unique visitors increased from
36 million members
Over half use every day 475,000 to 7 million in 1 year
It’s BIG and still growing
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17. We trust our peers the most
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18. …enhance participation and
engagement?
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19. Examples – online petition, connecting to peers, sharing opinions
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20. …to share knowledge, expertise
& content?
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21. Citizens
Examples – tweeting news, local data, sharing experiences
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22. Plenty more…..
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23. ..we are starting to expect transparency,
participation and collaboration in our
interactions
(including government)
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24. SM offers the opportunities to ..
• to be part of the conversation
• increase participation and engagement
• share knowledge, expertise & content
• change the way you communicate with your audience
• redefine your service offerings
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25. Thinking about using SM for your organisation?
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26. Questions
• Do you know your users enough?
• What do YOU offer to them?
• Are your objectives aligned with your
users’ needs?
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27. 85.6%
of New Zealanders
use the internet
Nielsen Online Broadband Report 2008
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28. 50% reading blogs
59% sharing links
80% sharing photos
48% visited social networking sites
Nielsen Online Broadband Report 2008
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29. But it’s NOT about reaching everyone
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30. It’s about IDENTIFYING your users & their needs
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31. Govt service
User Needs
provider
I want to apply for
John, CEO funding for our R&D NZTE
project
I want to get my
Amy, teenager NZTA via AA
driving licence
IRD
Roger, I want to pay my GST
IRD via Tax
contractor on time
Accountant
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32. Amy, teenager Is SM
Bebo, lots of friends, independent, web savvy
appropriate
for your
users?
What (SM)
John, CEO experiences
LinkedIn & SlideShare, many contacts, time poor
are
compelling to
them?
Roger, contractor Are facets of
your services
Trade me, prefers offline interaction, family-oriented
appropriate
for SM?
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33. …doing research about people -
your users and the tools they are
currently using...
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34. Find out more by…
• Listening to conversations
• Participating in conversations
• Initiating conversations
• Research - social interaction, social media, social psychology
Wisdom of Crowds Joshua Porter
Robert Cialdini
James Surowiecki Designing for the social web
Influence
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35. Are you ready???
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36. Content is created by users
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37. 37

38. 38

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40. Offline to online
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41. What next?
• Be focused on the goals and users
• Share the knowledge and experience
• Keep projects small and iterate
• Measure success and failure
• Don’t be faceless
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42. Thanks for all the images to....
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/dav/104349246/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/remcat/1140469002/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/clappstar/178050837/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/piet_musterd/1858568495/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/lexnger/217954859
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/beija-flor/230554907/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/paperpariah/2425651754/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/enggul/2510275926/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyinnyc/2515299236/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeremywilburn/2818259378/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/joeshlabotnik/305410323
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/visibleducts/3254593834/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/martintaylor/409644464/
• http://www.flickr.com/photos/bgivens/11131446/
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43. Also huge thanks to...
• Jock Phillips (Ministry of Culture & Heritage)
• Terry Woods (Archives New Zealand)
• Simon Pleasants
• All the other people I have questioned, talked to , discussed with and asked for
help
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44. …thank-you for listening and we’d
like to talk so more find us at…
www.twitter.com/alixvale
www.twitter.com/lulup
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