This document discusses the importance of building a social media infrastructure for organizations. It notes that 62% of Australians use social media and over 70% of Commonwealth agencies and politicians use social media. It then lists 63 reasons for having a social media presence, including attracting good staff, challenging the community to help solve problems, and seeking fast feedback on policy ideas. Key themes are identified as listening to audiences and seeking their feedback. The document defines social media infrastructure and presents an online infrastructure pyramid with various levels of social media strategy, policy, and guidelines for organizations to implement.

1. Building your social media
infrastructure
Craig Thomler
Managing Director
Delib Australia & New Zealand
September 2012

2. Who am I?

3. What is Delib?

4. Why have a social
media presence?

5. Australia’s social media experience
Use internet: 98%
Use social media:
• 62% of Australians
• 73% of
Commonwealth
agencies
• 72% of
Commonwealth
politicians

6. 63 reasons off the top of my head…
To:
advertise to your audience, amplify your communications, attract good staff, break down
silos, build awareness of conversations already underway, build awareness of services, build
community resilience, build staff experience ahead of more advanced technologies, build
sustainable ongoing audiences, build personal connections, build relevance, build website
traffic, challenge the community to help solve problems, collaborate with colleagues across
agencies and jurisdictions, collaborate with colleagues in your agency, consult your
audience, convene supporters, correct misinformation, deliver emergency information, employ
agile policy development methodologies, empower the community with information, engage
stakeholders, find best practice overseas, find good staff, find good vendors, get a heads-up on
what will be in traditional media the next day, identify community influencers, identify fraudulent
behaviour, identify opinion leaders, identify unlawful behaviour, improve accountability, increase
transparency, listen to your audience, locate experts, locate stakeholders, maintain engagement
between campaigns, market research, organise events, promote events, provide consistent
answers to questions, provide customer service, provide information in forms other than
text, remain effective in a 24/7 media cycle, run competitions, save money, save time, seek fast
feedback on policy ideas, share data, share expertise, share information with colleagues across
agencies and jurisdictions, share information with colleagues in your agency, share knowledge
nationally and globally, share media announcements, source emergency information, streamline
processes, support your Minister, target geographically dispersed groups, be approachable and
reachable, explain to people what you do, reach an audience who won’t talk to you face-to-face or
by phone, reinvent government processes, track audience sentiment, train staff in engagement

7. 63 reasons off the top of my head…
To:
advertise to your audience, amplify your communications, attract good staff, break down
attract good staff
silos, build awareness of conversations already underway, build awareness of services, build
community resilience, build staff experience ahead of more advanced technologies, build
challenge the community to
sustainable ongoing audiences, build personal connections, build relevance, build website
traffic, challenge the community to help solve problems, collaborate with colleagues across
help solve problems
agencies and jurisdictions, collaborate with colleagues in your agency, consult your
correct misinformation
audience, convene supporters, correct misinformation, deliver emergency information, employ
agile policy development methodologies, empower the community with information, engage
stakeholders, find best practice overseas, find good staff, find good vendors, get a heads-up on
identify community influencers
what will be in traditional media the next day, identify community influencers, identify fraudulent
behaviour, identify opinion leaders, identify unlawful behaviour, improve accountability, increase
transparency, listen to your audience, locate experts, locate stakeholders, maintain engagement
between campaigns, market research, organise events, promote events, provide consistent
listen to your audience
answers to questions, provide customer service, provide information in forms other than
text, remain effective in a 24/7 media cycle, run competitions, save money, save time, seek fast
feedback on policy ideas, share data, share expertise, share information with colleagues across
agencies and jurisdictions, share information with colleagues in your agency, share knowledge
seek fast feedback on policy ideas
nationally and globally, share media announcements, source emergency information, streamline
processes, support your Minister, target geographically dispersed groups, be approachable and
reachable, explain to people what you do, reach an audience who won’t talk to you face-to-face or
by phone, reinvent government processes, track audience sentiment, train staff in engagement

8. And the key themes

9. So what is a social
media infrastructure?

10. Infrastructure
(noun)
1. The basic framework or underlying
foundation (as of an organisation or a
system).
2. The roads, railways, schools, and other capital
equipment which comprise such an underlying system
within a country or region.
3. The buildings or other permanent installations
associated with any organisation, operation, etc.
The Macquarie Online Dictionary

11. Social media infrastructure
(noun)
1. The basic framework or underlying
foundation under an organisation’s social
media presence.
2. The systems, processes and governance which
comprise such an underlying system within an
organisation.
3. The services or other permanent installations
associated with any organisation, operation, etc.
Craig Thomler

12. Online infrastructure pyramid
Campaign/
project practice
Guidance and training
Strategy & framework
Social media policy
Agency instructions and policies
Government policies and guidelines
Legislation and international agreements

13. Online infrastructure pyramid
Branch/
Team
Campaign/
project practice
Guidance and training
Whole
of
agency Strategy & framework
Social media policy
Agency instructions and policies
Whole of Government policies and guidelines
Governmen
t
Legislation and international agreements

14. Framework
Engagement hub Monitoring suite
Blogs Polls Forum Web reporting Archiving
Groups Idea market Social media monitoring
Your website
Outreach activities
Blogs Forums Enabling services
Groups Social media publishing
URL shortener Survey
File transfer Email
Email
Social media presence
Facebook Twitter YouTube Groups Storage (image, video, docs)
LinkedIn Yammer Foursquare Forums Mapping Apps

15. Questions?

16. Craig Thomler
craig@delib.net
@CraigThomler
http://eGovAU.blogspot.com
www.delib.net/australia/
@Delibaunz