Dave Briggs discusses how community engagement through social networking can be used to make public scrutiny and engagement more effective. He argues that digital engagement is already happening online through forums and social media in both large cities and small towns. Groups should participate in online discussions to listen, acknowledge others, create content, and collaborate. When starting online engagement efforts, organizations should release content frequently and get involved in existing online networks while also growing their own. [/SUMMARY]

1. Community engagement through social networking
Dave Briggs
Community Evangelist
Learning Pool

2. Or: how we can use
the internet to make
scrutiny more
interesting?
(It doesn’t need to be
that confusing.)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mn_francis/388474284/

3. @davebriggs
dave@learningpool.com
www.davepress.net
http://www.flickr.com/photos/janetedavis/4407684366/

4. I was a scrutiny
officer once!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/4622198215/

5. Five years later, I was
working at Number 10.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/downingstreet/
3045344571/

6. I think we can safely
say, then, that this
stuff works.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
89186997@N00/3396410350/

7. It’s not just a young
person’s game.

8. But be careful out
there, folks!

9. So, what is digital
engagement?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/takomabibelot/
4373062612/

10. Cognitive surplus,
anyone?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
poptech2006/2969510044/

11. 100 million hours
200 billion hours
http://www.flickr.com/photos/maddi/2432148351/

12. £5,500
£153,516
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atheist_Bus_Campaign

13. First up: people are
already engaging
online in your area.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/havovubu/3728604649/

14. Sheffield
Pop: 534,500
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roger/9694345/

15. Sheffield forum
Total posts: 4,288,013

16. Ampthill,
Bedfordshire.
Pop: 6,767
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elsie/785181609/

17. Around Ampthill
Total posts: 38,700

18. Secondly, you really
ought to be a part of
this.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/motoyen/4393846581/

19. It’s no different than
any other kind of
engagement - it’s just
in a different medium.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andyi/4745259789/

20. Quick
Cheap
Conversational
Mobile
Scalable
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
9229859@N02/1052409181/

21. Third, there’s some
things you need to
do to get cracking.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/purpleslog/183842413/

22. Listen
Acknowledge
Create
Collaborate
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theory/3193684688/

23. Most importantly: go
ugly early.
(Or: release early,
release often.)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/babasu/410086519/

24. Fourth, some
important things to
remember.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalart/2101765353/

25. Use existing
networks, and grow
your own too.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/phrenologist/3172558/

26. If you build it, people
won’t necessarily
come.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
9229859@N02/1052409181/

27. Make policy, but
keep it light.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdickert/2570185865/

28. You have your
culture, the internet
has its.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/inel/1388664496/

29. Be bold.
Be relentlessly
positive.
Be human.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdegenhardt/4623915594/

30. All this in action:
letstalkcentral.com

31. Thanks for listening!
dave@learningpool.com
www.learningpool.com
www.davepress.net
@davebriggs
http://www.flickr.com/photos/blackbeltjones/
3365682994/