Social media provides opportunities for government engagement but also challenges. Government should engage with social media communities by being open, seeding discussions, and supporting community dynamics rather than exploiting users. Both using existing platforms and building custom platforms each have advantages and disadvantages. Broad communities may be harder to manage but include more voices, while specialist communities can engage existing groups but risk being exclusive. Different models of government-citizen interaction through social media include services integration, online portals, and facilitating self-managing communities. Successful initiatives often start small with a manageable topic or community.

1. Social Media and Government: The Big(ger) Picture Dr Axel Bruns Associate Professor ARC Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation Creative Industries Faculty Queensland University of Technology [email_address] http://snurb.info/ – http://produsage.org/

4. (http://www.canada.com/technology/Facebook+vows+improvements+after+user+backlash/1426664/story.html)

9. (Archived version of first DBCDE blog post, http://www.archive.dbcde.gov.au/2009/july/future_directions_blog/topics/minister_tanners_welcome)

10. (Excerpt from comments to first DBCDE blog post, archived at http://www.archive.dbcde.gov.au/2009/july/future_directions_blog/topics/minister_tanners_welcome)

13. (From Modern Democracy 1 (2009), pp. 8-9, http://www.e-voting.cc/static/evoting/files/ModernDemocracy_2009_01.pdf )