1. From Facebook to government:
How to switch online
Gianni Florido e la
The role of socialTaranto improve
Provincia di media to
decision-making in public policy
Strategia di comunicazione
Rome, February 7th, 2011
Social media week
Take Action! Online engagement and the
power to change the world
Dino Amenduni, Italy

2. Who is the speaker?
My name is Dino Amenduni
I am 27, I graduated in work, communication and
organization psychology with a post-degree (master) in
marketing
I am the new media team leader and advisor for political
communication at Proforma (Proforma – website), an ad
agency in Bari, a city in Southern Italy where I was born and
where I live
Proforma designed the strategy and concept of Michele
Emiliano, Mayor of Bari (2004 and 2009) and Nichi Vendola,
Apulia Governor (2005 and 2010) electoral campaigns.

3. Who is the speaker?
I have co-led EmiLab, a group of 150 volounteers under30
supporting Michele Emiliano, Mayor of Bari, (Partito
Democratico, centre-left party)
Michele Emiliano – fanpage on Facebook
I am the social media team leader of Nichi Vendola,
Governor of Apulia and national spokesman of Sinistra e
Libertà (Left-oriented party out of Italian Parliament)
Nichi Vendola – fanpage on Facebook
I am a blogger on Fatto Quotidiano, a national daily
newspaper
Dino Amenduni - blog on Fatto Quotidiano

4. What are we talking about?
Michele Emiliano – “the mayor of Facebook”
and the “fannulloni (idlers) – operation”
Needs and conditions for using social media as
a boost for better public policy
Perspectives for a “web 2.0” government

5. Keynotes
Why did (and how) Emiliano did become
a national opinion leader?
Why did (and how) is Emiliano
appreciated as an innovator for his
use of social media?
Why does using social media in politics
entail strategic advantages in any
case?

6. Michele Emiliano
Taking care of a town
via Facebook

7. Emiliano, the Mayor of Facebook
Michele Emiliano has been the Mayor of Bari, regional
capital of Apulia (about 350k citizens) since 2004.
He is the regional chairman of Partito
Democratico, left-oriented italian national party
His re-election campaign in 2009 was handled by
EmiLab, a 150-under30 group of volounteers
He won the local elections in June of 2009: at that
time he was the Mayor in Italy with the highest
number of Facebook supporters in Italy
Since September 2010 he has managed Facebook
himself

8. Emiliano, the Mayor of Facebook
His way of leading his fanpage made him very popular
in town and in political web-sphere. Some strategical
features of his work:
-He liveblogs town councils (answering comments of
citizens in realtime);
- He tells about his activities as chairman of PD;
- He talks about national political themes, personal
feelings, events in town;
- He talks on his wall with all citizens;
- He shares his daily agenda (public and private
appointments);
- He makes photos and videos by himself;
- He shares contents recommended by his supporters

9. Emiliano, the Mayor of Facebook
His way of managing Facebook raises controversy in
the public opinion (especially on press) because of:
- His way of speaking (very informal);
- His lack of diplomacy (he writes everything he thinks);
- His high ability to attract attention and provoke thoughts;
- His use of Facebook to communicate top stories, pre-
empting them even before with press and TV;
- His use of Facebook to promote civic campaigns and to
listen to social complaints

10. Emiliano, the Facebook daily
Emiliano appears himself in a picture with some
schoolchildren:
I can’t describe my emotion […] Teachers and school principals
have been able to make two classrooms of pupils win the first
prize of President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano. I’m so proud
of them!

11. Emiliano, the Facebook daily
Emiliano has shot a video with his mobile phone
I met two fellow citizens, like two fiancés […] they made a wish:
to see the Petruzzelli theatre. No sooner said, than done.

12. Emiliano, the Facebook daily
Emiliano is jubilant: Bari (Italian serie A football team)
scored
GOOOL Bari ties!

13. Emiliano, the Facebook daily
Emiliano looks for feedback after an interview on a
national TV programme
Here is the video of my interview at “Invasioni Barbariche”. Please
make your suggestions as what i’didn’t say or said badly. If you
want, share them with those who didn’t watch the programme
and let me know tell their reactions. Otherwise, you can invite
them to write them here. Thanks from the heart.

14. Emiliano and “fannulloni”
A citizen shared this picture on Michele Emiliano’s FB
fanpage (January 2011), asking why these workers from
AMIU (Municipal Agency for Environmental Health and Waste
Management) are not at work during their shift

15. Emiliano and “fannulloni”
Emiliano re-posted the pic on his wall, commenting:
That picture portrays people chatting and the person who sent me
the picture states that in the street where he lives street cleaners
don’t clear the street well enough. If one of the workers
recognizes himself in picture, he could explain to us why he was
talking with colleagues during work hours instead of doing work
[…]. A little courage is necessary, otherwise we have to ask
citizens to keep on taking photos and making videos.

16. Emiliano and “fannulloni” – reactions
on media and public opinion
This story was reported by main national broadcasting
media
Emiliano was interviewed by the press, radio and tv
Bloggers and columnists talked about “fannulloni-
operation” for days
Trade unions, public workers and a part of the public
opinion complained about these methods
CGIL, the most important Italian Trade Union (left-oriented)
asked Emiliano to “close down his Facebook page”

17. Emiliano and “fannulloni” – local
reactions
Citizens keep on posting photos and videos about public
workers’ slackness and report malfunction and decays in
many districts of Bari
Citizens also report good behaviors of public workers
AMIU started to communicate with citizens on Facebook
Emiliano continues to confront himself with citizens,
stakeholders, journalists about his way of using Facebook
and keeps on using social media to promote campaigns
and opinions

18. Emiliano and “fannulloni” – some
reactions
Emiliano vs. CGIL (Trade Union):
They accused me of wanting to start a campaing against them on
the media. It’s not true. I just shared a picture of a citizen who
was asking me for an explanation […] I won’t allow conspiracy of
silence […] you should confront Italian people.

19. Emiliano and “fannulloni” – some
reactions
Emiliano reported a positive feedback about AMIU
workers:
A citizen posted this on my wall: “I want to inform you that the
street cleaners in Piazza Mercantile do their job properly , in spite
of the incivilty of citizens […]” GOOD JOB, GUYS!

20. Emiliano and “fannulloni” – some
reactions
Emiliano posted a note to reply two local policemen:
The people i represent ask you, as well as i do, that police
makes do their duty properly and tactfully. […] You
shouldn’t be afraid if some citizens post photos of
misconducts on my wall. They’re more than willing to
support you, to resepct you and be on your side […]

21. Emiliano and “fannulloni” – some
reactions
Emiliano posted a video sent by a citizen, reporting an
abuse of authority by police
I haven’t authorized anyone to reserve 30 parking places
[…] which turned out to be for the guests of a policeman
wedding […]. This is unacceptable and shameful […] That
will never happen again and i will immediately start
investigations in order to find out how that could happen.

22. Emiliano and “fannulloni” – some
reactions
Emiliano posted a photo sent by a citizen showing a police
car parked in double line
These people should be aware that they work for the
benefit of citizens who pay for their salary. […] In this way
they fuel the false idea that all public workers are the
same. And it’s not true.

23. Fannulloni-operation: strong
points
Huge boost to his Facebook fanpage (and to
Emiliano’s national popularity);
Genuine interaction with his fellow citizens;
Citizens feel more represented by public
authorities

24. Fannulloni-operation: weaknesses
This is not a scientific method. It depends on
citizens’effort and not on a public control system;
This method encourages the use of a public
Facebook fanpage (of a Mayor of a big town) to
inform on others;
Emiliano is the Mayor, so he is mainly responsible
for the lack of lawfulness, most of all in public
companies (handled using political power to
appoint managers)

25. Fannulloni-operations:
opportunities
This method could prevent wrong or illegal behaviors by
public workers and citizens in general;
With time, this method could avoid waste of money, time
and energy now spent to control public workers;
Emiliano stimulates a greater sense of responsability in
public workers (who are exposed to public criticism);
This method could be scientific if managed by
town municipality, by public warning of
inefficency (and not just by suspecting people
of be slack at their job) via social media and
internal check for charges

26. Fannulloni-operations: threats
This could make public workers and people on constant fear
of being exposed on Facebook without a real reason;
Nobody could prevent the improper use of Facebook to
attack someone or put him in a bad light in the Mayor’s
eyes and in those of citizens and the public opinion;
His Political opponents could use the contents posted on
Emiliano’s Facebook page to attack him or to prove
citizens he is not able to maintain lawfulness in his town

27. Emiliano and “fannulloni” – what
happened on Facebook
Facebook pages increased rate on January 2011 in Italy in
Politics (source: Baroncelli.eu - Baroncelli.eu – website)
Emiliano, although he is only the Mayor of a city, he scored
was the third highest number of new supporters on a
fanpage in January 2011. Only Vendola and Berlusconi are
ahead of him

28. Emiliano and “fannulloni” – what
is happening in town
Emiliano is number 7 in ranking among most beloved Mayors
in Italy of 2010. In 2009 he was 23°.
This proves key-role on social media in gaining
and keeping consensus and shows a positive way
of using the social network pages

29. Emiliano and “fannulloni” – what
mayor thinks about
I know that the picture itself doesn’t prove
anything, but too many people everywhere don’t
do their duty and citizens are tired of putting up
with it.
(interview, La Repubblica, 11 January, 2011)

30. Un grande abbraccio
Grazie!
Dino Amenduni
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/dinoamenduni
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/doonie
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/dinoamenduni
Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/doonie (here you can find this slideshow)
Proforma
Site: http://www.proformaweb.it
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/proformaweb
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/proformaweb
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/proformaweb