Social Media for Supervisors
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Case Study presented at the 2019 Annual PSATS Conference: The use of social media (SM) by elected officials is very much in the news today – in fact, it IS the news! You cannot ignore the value of SM in informing citizens. In this workshop, Newtown Township Supervisor John Mack describes how he has used social media to keep residents of his township informed about local issues.
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Social Media for Supervisors
- 1. PSATS 2019 Annual Conference Social Media for Supervisors A Case Study + Panel Discussion
- 2. PSATS 2019 Annual Conference John Mack’s Social + Digital Media Platforms • Website/Blog (www.johnmacknewtown.info) • Facebook page (www.facebook.com/JohnMackNewtown) – Facebook group: “Improve Communications for Better Government” • Twitter (@johnmacknewtown) • Instagram (www.instagram.com/johnmacknewtown) • Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/johnmacknewtown) • Youtube (www.youtube.com/user/johnjmack) – Playlist: “Newtown News & Politics” • Podcast: “Mack’s Newtown Voice” (on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud) • Scoop.It Topics (news “curation” site) – News of Interest to Newtown Residents (www.scoop.it/t/newtown-news) – Public Health & Safety – Good Government – Summaries of BOS Meetings – “Newtown News Update” email newsletter (www.newtownnewsupdate.com)
- 3. PSATS 2019 Annual Conference Links to my social media sites Links to latest Blog posts Buttons link to most important areas of the site Countdown widget Embedded Youtube Video Menu bar links to main pages Disclaimer Website
- 4. PSATS 2019 Annual Conference Scoop.It
- 5. PSATS 2019 Annual Conference Twitter
- 6. PSATS 2019 Annual Conference Instagram
- 7. PSATS 2019 Annual Conference Newsletter Over 500 subscribers 2-3 email “blasts” per month
- 8. PSATS 2019 Annual Conference Discussion Points • First Amendment Issues – E.g., “Viewpoint-based Discrimination”: Blocking Residents from Posting to Your FB Page and/or Twitter Account • Misinformation vs. “Fake” Information • Sensible Social Media Best Practice Guidelines for Supervisors vs. Employees • for posts to individual-owned social media accounts • for posts to other, third-party social media accounts (e.g., resident FB pages) or public bulletin boards (e.g., NextDoor, local news sites such as the Patch, etc.)
Editor's Notes
- These are MOST of the digital platforms that I own and use to keep residents informed. Aside from the sites that I own and manage, I also engage residents in 3rd-Party social media platforms such as NextDoor. This looks like a lot of sites to maintain, but I share content amongst these sites. Each site has its unique audience demographic. Thus, my content can reach all people online no matter what their preferred channel. I don’t have time to discuss how I use all these sites in the following slides. But let me just mention how I use Youtube because video is a very important asset for a campaign. I sometimes video record events that I attend such as an anti-ELCON incinerator meeting in Falls Township, or meetings about PFAS in our water. Mostly, however, I create Youtube videos from selected presentations and discussions at Board of Supervisors meetings. Although these meetings are recorded by the Township and are available as streaming video on the TWP website, it is difficult for viewers to jump to specific items on the agenda. Also, it is not possible to download these videos, edit them, and embed on my FB page or website. What I do is record clips from the broadcast video of BOS meetings from my VCR using my iPhone and then upload and edit them on Youtube. The resolution may not be the greatest, but at one point it was better than the resolution of the streaming vide on the Twp site! The next slide shows how I use Youtube.
- I created the Website/Blog when I started campaigning. I use the templates and tools provided by Online Candidate. The website is used to house and/or link to everything! Many local reporters regularly access the site to get the latest news about issues. It really closes a BIG hole in communications with residents. Unlike SM, it is not interactive, but will be very useful when I again campaign for office and include a button on every page for donations! On the homepage and other pages I can “embed” posts from my social media accounts including Youtube videos (as shown here), Tweets, newsletter, Instagram posts, podcasts, and “Scoops,” which I will talk about in my next slide. The Youtiube video shown here is a presentation of a consultant about his recommendations for improving our Fire and Emergency Services. The “Events” page is actually an embedded Google Calendar that users can copy to their iPhone or Android mobile devices. This is NOT possible with the official Township calendar. I try to include all the official Township events and meetings – with agendas – as well as other events I think interesting such public meetings about PFAS in our water and Drug Drop Off events, etc. I also post events on my FB page. Residents have told me that they have learned of a town meeting from my calendar. Every page of the website includes this statement: “This site is paid for and approved by John Mack. The opinions expressed here are solely those of John Mack and do not represent the opinions of any other person or entity.”
- Scoop.It is where I “curate” articles from the media. Each curated article is a 200-300 word summary of the article that can include “insights” from me appended at the end and identified as my comments. These are called “Scoops.” An example of a Scoop is shown on the right. Note that I can edit the title and add a graphic to make the Scoop more interesting. On the left is my “dashboard” showing the different categories for Scoops. Each category has a unique URL. Each Scoop links back to the FULL article in case anyone is interested in reading that. The “News” button on my website links to the “News of Interest to Newtown Area Residents.” Once a month I send out a email newsletter from this category to my over 500 opt-in subscribers. I recently added a “Human Relations” category dedicated to promoting the value of diversity and addressing discrimination. It was created after our Township created a Human Relations Board, which will handle discrimination complaints in housing and employment in Newtown Township through a fact-finding conference with the parties of the dispute in order to reach a resolution without the need to hire lawyers or go to court. When I create a Scoop, I can automatically post it’s title (with edits if I want) to my Twitter and FB pages. This draws in viewers. Scoops can also be “embedded” on my website and blog pages. This platform allows comments from visitors and other people who have Scoop.It sites can “reScoop” my Scoops. My Scoops have received over 7,600 views from more than 3,800 visitors since the platform was launched in October 2017. The analytics tell me how many views each Scoop has received, which is very helpful for me to understand the issues of greatest importance to my constituents. I also use this information to create my monthly newsletter and blog. Lastly, it is a great repository for all the articles I think are important – a great resource! Each topic header include this statement: “Any opinions and insights appended to these article summaries are solely those of John Mack and do not represent the opinions of any other person or entity.”
- Everyone should be familiar with Twitter by now. I use it mainly to link to content on my website, social media platform, and newsletters. It’s all about getting eyeballs to my online content and subscribers to my newsletter. Sometimes, I tweet short clips from my Youtube Videos. I’m a big fan of graphics and often include them in my tweets. Although I only have a bit more than 100 followers on Twitter, I can interact with other people and organizations – such as our Police Dept – that have their own Twitter accounts. The best way to do this is to retweet and add your own comments, perhaps with a link to a relevant Scoop, video, or blog post. Newtown Twp does not have a Twitter Account.
- I think Instagram is a great way to stay in touch with a younger audience. Again, I may have only one 100 or so followers, but it’s a great way to maximize your photo ops and keep a visual diary of your activities and support of good causes. Some recent posts include: Official photo of Supervisors – me included – with some of our police officers at a plaque presentation to our Interim Police Chief Township Spring Craft Fair sponsored by our Parks & Rec My donation to the NAS Chief in from of a new rescue vehicle Group photo of the Newtown Human Relations Board members Me enjoying the Irish Festival on Saint Paddy’s Day Me on the beach is Florida
- My monthly e-newsletter is sent via email to over 500 opt-in subscribers. Although I am a Democrat, my newsletter and other content is designed to inform all citizens regardless of their political affiliation. However, I have used voter registration data to learn more about many of my subscribers, including their party affiliation. I can use this information to target certain subgroups of subscribers to send them special content of interest to them. For example, if the newsletter has an announcement about a fundraiser for Democratic candidates, I can prepare a version without that notice and send the appropriate version to the appropriate list of subscribers, assuming that most Republicans won’t be interested in contributing to Democrats!