I’ve fulfilled one of my social media resolutions for 2009, and have recently re-read the Cluetrain Manifesto. As I mentioned in that post, I always feel so much better about the work that I do when I look at it through the lens of the 95 theses laid out in Cluetrain. This is even more true now. Ever since President Obama’s “Transparency and Open Government” memo was issued a few weeks ago, it seems that every one of our clients is asking about social media. They all want to know how/if social media can help them become more transparent, participatory, and collaborative. They all want to know what they need to do to comply with the new Administration’s goals of transparency. Inevitably, this increased interest has brought its fair share of social media carpetbaggers and alleged Government 2.0 gurus, but it has also done an incredible job of bringing together real-life Government employees with contractors and consultants for a common goal.
Just as the Cluetrain laid out 95 theses that described the new global conversation taking place via the Internet, here are 20 theses (I’m not nearly as ambitious as the Cluetrain authors) for carpetbaggers, gurus, civil servants, contractors, and anyone else interested in Government 2.0. There are undoubtedly many many more that could be added to this list and I encourage you to add any that you think of in the comments.
- The risks of social media are greatly outweighed by the risks of NOT doing social media.
- Your Government agency/organization/group/branch/division is not unique. You do not work in a place that just can’t just use social media because your data is too sensitive. You do not work in an environment where social media will never work. Your challenges, while unique to you, are not unique to the government.
- You will work with skeptics and other people who want to see social media fail because the transparency and authenticity will expose their weaknesses.
- You will work with people who want to get involved with social media for all the wrong reasons. They will see it as an opportunity to advance their own their careers, to make more money, or to show off. These people will be more dangerous to your efforts than the biggest skeptic.
- Younger employees are not necessarily any more knowledgeable about social media than older employees. Stop assuming that they are.
- Before going out and hiring any social media “consultants,” assume that there is already someone within your organization who is actively using social media and who is very passionate about it. Find them, use them, engage them. These are the people who will make or break your foray into social media.
- Mistakes can and will be made (a lot). Stop trying to create safeguards to eliminate the possibility of mistakes and instead concentrate on how to deal with them when they are made.
- Information security is a very real and valid concern. Do NOT take this lightly.
- Policies are not written in stone. With justification, passion, and knowledge, policies and rules can and should be changed. Sometimes it’s as easy as asking, but other times will require a knockdown, drag-out fight. Both are important.
- Be humble. You don’t know everything so stop trying to pretend that you do. It’s ok to be wrong.
- But, be confident. Know what you know and don’t back down. You will be challenged by skeptics and others who do not care and/or understand social media. Do not let them discourage you.
- There are true social media champions throughout the government. Find them. Talk to them. Learn from them.
- Government 2.0 is not a new concept. It’s getting so much attention now because social media has given a voice to the ambitious, the innovative, and the creative people within the government.
- Social media is not about the technology but what the technology enables.
- Social media is not driven by the position, the title, or the department, it’s driven by the person. Stop trying to pidgeon-hole into one team or department, and instead think of a way to bring together people from across your organization.
- Instead of marketing your social media capabilities, skills, experience, platforms, software, etc. to the government, why don’t you try talking with them? An honest conversation will be remembered for far longer than a PowerPoint presentation.
- Today’s employees will probably spend five minutes during the workday talking to their friends on Facebook or watching the latest YouTube video. Today’s employees will also probably spend an hour at 10:00 at night answering emails or responding to a work-related blog post. Assume that your employees are good people who want to do the right thing and who take pride in their work.
- Agency Secretaries and Department Heads are big boys and girls. They should be able to have direct conversations with their workforce without having to jump through hoops to do so.
- Transparency, participatory, collaborative – these terms do not refer only to the end state; they refer to the process used to get there as well. It’s ok to have debates, arguments, and disagreements about the best way to go about achieving “Government 2.0.” Diverse perspectives, opinions, and beliefs should be embraced and talked about openly.
- It’s not enough to just allow negative feedback on your blog or website, you also have to do something about it. This might mean engaging in a conversation about why person X feels this way or (gasp!) making a change to an outdated policy. Don’t just listen to what the public has to say, you have to also care about it too.
The technology that is currently driving social media will change, but the principles of participation, transparency, and collaboration will not. You can either jump on the Government 2.0 cluetrain or get hit by it. Which one will you be?
*thanks to Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, Doc Searls, and David Weinberger for inspiring this post with their book, the Cluetrain Manifesto.
at
Good word, Steve.
at
Good word, Steve.
at
Very insightful post. I will be sharing it with lots of clients. I want to piggy back on Gwynne’s comment about age because I think she hits the nail on the head about the kind of experience that is really helpful in government. The question is not, “do you use social media?” it’s “do you know how to put social media to work for an organization and its stakeholders?”
Again, nice work!
at
Absolutely Scott – while there are plenty of similarities between public sector, private sector and personal uses of social media, there are some very critical differences that can’t be ignored. When I’m hiring people for my team, I value government experience more than startup experience for that very reason.
at
Very insightful post. I will be sharing it with lots of clients. I want to piggy back on Gwynne’s comment about age because I think she hits the nail on the head about the kind of experience that is really helpful in government. The question is not, “do you use social media?” it’s “do you know how to put social media to work for an organization and its stakeholders?”
Again, nice work!
at
Absolutely Scott – while there are plenty of similarities between public sector, private sector and personal uses of social media, there are some very critical differences that can’t be ignored. When I’m hiring people for my team, I value government experience more than startup experience for that very reason.
at
Good post:
My addition – #21 – Gov 2.0 is still being defined. Join the conversation. Help define it. Help provide the solutions.
Steve Ressler (govloop.com)
at
Great add Steve – I would definitely agree with that!
at
Good post:
My addition – #21 – Gov 2.0 is still being defined. Join the conversation. Help define it. Help provide the solutions.
Steve Ressler (govloop.com)
at
Great add Steve – I would definitely agree with that!
at
Thanks for a stimulating article. In relation to your #1 – what kinds of risk are you talking about in relation to not doing social media ?
at
Thanks for a stimulating article. In relation to your #1 – what kinds of risk are you talking about in relation to not doing social media ?
at
Alex, the risks to NOT doing social media are many. Here are a few that I typically tell my clients:
1. The conversations about you and your organization are going to happen with or without you. If you refuse to get involved with social media, these conversations don’t stop. If there was a roomful of people talking about your organization, wouldn’t you at least be interested in hearing what they have to say, even if you don’t necessarily speak up?
2. If you’re “out there” in the social media community, you make it a lot harder for people to mis-appropriate you or your organization. For example, it’d be difficult for someone to get on Twitter and pretend to me because I’ve already been out there. It’s not like someone could just start a Twitter account and say that they’re Steve Radick. If your organization isn’t out there, all it takes is for one opponent of yours to start tweeting, blogging, uploading videos, etc. claiming to be you – how would anyone know if it’s truly you or not?
3. Employee retention – today’s employees are expecting to be able to get on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, etc. The organizations that are embracing the use of social media either internally or externally are giving their employees a voice and supporting an environment where open collaboration is valued. There’s a sense of trust involved that’s difficult to replace. When an employee is blocked from using any of these tools, there’s an implicit understanding that management thinks I’m idiot so they prevent me from doing ANYTHING that would allow me to be an idiot in public – not really the best working environment for someone to be innovative and valuable.
Those are just a few of the reasons – I might do a future post all about this topic!
at
Steve,
good job, I’ll refer to it.
But let me add two more theses, which I think are relevant:
1. The gov20 instruments and possibilies doesn’t relieve administrations from it’s resposibilities and duties. They are still in charge, they have to take leadership and stay responsible for the success and abuse of social media in government and administration.
2. The use of social media in the political arena isn’t a substitue for political leadership. Politicians and political parties still need an eloborated program, for which they should search the majorities, even if they have to do some work to explain and convince at first. Just to derive political programs and agendas from mainstream analysis via social media leads to pure populism with all it’s dangers.
So, again, thanks for the good job.
Regards
Thomas
at
Two good additions Thomas – I’d rephrase your first one as “Government 2.0, for all its publicity and buzz right now, is still just a piece, a small piece at that, of good government. Government still has to remember all of the other pieces of government.”
Your second point points to the fact that the very vocal minority can often “game the system” by being louder and more active than the silent majority. Government has to be careful not to forget that a majority of America is NOT on Twitter, and that social media is but another vehicle.
at
Steve,
good job, I’ll refer to it.
But let me add two more theses, which I think are relevant:
1. The gov20 instruments and possibilies doesn’t relieve administrations from it’s resposibilities and duties. They are still in charge, they have to take leadership and stay responsible for the success and abuse of social media in government and administration.
2. The use of social media in the political arena isn’t a substitue for political leadership. Politicians and political parties still need an eloborated program, for which they should search the majorities, even if they have to do some work to explain and convince at first. Just to derive political programs and agendas from mainstream analysis via social media leads to pure populism with all it’s dangers.
So, again, thanks for the good job.
Regards
Thomas
at
Two good additions Thomas – I’d rephrase your first one as “Government 2.0, for all its publicity and buzz right now, is still just a piece, a small piece at that, of good government. Government still has to remember all of the other pieces of government.”
Your second point points to the fact that the very vocal minority can often “game the system” by being louder and more active than the silent majority. Government has to be careful not to forget that a majority of America is NOT on Twitter, and that social media is but another vehicle.
at
Really, really nice. I’m definitely bookmarking this one. These are things I say all the time, but have never bothered to write down, so thanks for doing so!
You might like my keynote from the GOVIS conference in NZ last week – http://www.acidlabs.org/2009/05/21/public-engagement-public-empowerment/
at
I felt the same way! I was saying this stuff in presentations, speeches, conversations, etc., but had never written it down anywhere. I’m glad I finally did though, as I’ve found that these simple theses have really helped people see and understand what Government 2.0 is all about. Thanks for passing along the link to your preso Stephen – looks like it made for a great discussion!
at
Really, really nice. I’m definitely bookmarking this one. These are things I say all the time, but have never bothered to write down, so thanks for doing so!
You might like my keynote from the GOVIS conference in NZ last week – http://www.acidlabs.org/2009/05/21/public-engagement-public-empowerment/
at
I felt the same way! I was saying this stuff in presentations, speeches, conversations, etc., but had never written it down anywhere. I’m glad I finally did though, as I’ve found that these simple theses have really helped people see and understand what Government 2.0 is all about. Thanks for passing along the link to your preso Stephen – looks like it made for a great discussion!
at
Steve and other,
I found this piece interesting and was inspired to start a Google Group to expand on the list of theses. Please check it out, http://groups.google.com/group/gov20theses.
Thanks,
Brian
at
Steve and other,
I found this piece interesting and was inspired to start a Google Group to expand on the list of theses. Please check it out, http://groups.google.com/group/gov20theses.
Thanks,
Brian
at
Steve, very interesting theses. I translated them into German and linked to your blog entry. http://www.pisola.net/blg/2009/07/22/20-thesen-fur-government-2-0/
Thanks
Jens
at
Steve, very interesting theses. I translated them into German and linked to your blog entry. http://www.pisola.net/blg/2009/07/22/20-thesen-fur-government-2-0/
Thanks
Jens
at
Twitter Comment
RT @sradick 20 Theses for Government 2.0, Cluetrain Style | Social Media Strategy [link to post] – Posted using Chat Catcher
at
Twitter Comment
RT @sradick 20 Theses for Government 2.0, Cluetrain Style | Social Media Strategy [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
at
Twitter Comment
RT @sradick Twenty Theses for Government 2.0, Cluetrain Style | Social Media Strategery [link to post] – Posted using Chat Catcher
at
Twitter Comment
RT @sradick Twenty Theses for Government 2.0, Cluetrain Style | Social Media Strategery [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
at
Twitter Comment
RT @Microsoft_GOV_W: RT @sradick Twenty Theses for Government 2.0, Cluetrain Style | Social Media Strategery [link to post] – Posted using Chat Catcher
at
Twitter Comment
RT @Microsoft_GOV_W: RT @sradick Twenty Theses for Government 2.0, Cluetrain Style | Social Media Strategery [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
at
Twitter Comment
Reading: 20 Theses for Government 2.0, Cluetrain Style – Steve Radick, Social Media Strategery: The risk.. [link to post] – Posted using Chat Catcher
at
Twitter Comment
Reading: 20 Theses for Government 2.0, Cluetrain Style – Steve Radick, Social Media Strategery: The risk.. [link to post]
– Posted using Chat Catcher
at
I pretty much agree with everything you say. And someday most of it will come to past.
However, my experience is that change comes slow and hard to government and its employees. Yes, policies can be changed; I've made it happen, but it takes years and more battles than I care to remember. I've set up a number of S.N. sites only to be thwarted by deeply engrained cultural habits. Let's write this together! Oh no – you write it and we'll review and comment on it. Of course, there's always “but you don't have permission to do that!” Then, there's IT shops that view their function as one of command and control and that tolerate no divergence from their rules. I've had a Director General criticize me to my supervisor because they didn't like someone disagreeing with their blog post (they weren't used to being corrected).
Yes, change will gradually come to government and bureaucracy. As Tom Peters put it so well in his first book. The pioneers will be easy to spot. They'll be the ones lying face doen in the path in front of you with the arrows in their back:-)
at
Albert – I think that's more than just your experience – I think that's the experience of anyone working in a large organization! You brought up some great points though. I think that's why one of the more common things I'm hearing when discussing social media initiatives is to “manage expectations.” Change is going to take time and it's our job, as the champions, as the evangelists, to make sure that people have realistic expectations for that.
at
The Government 2.0 is a good idea. People can sharing and feedback to government directly.
at
Well , the view of the passage is totally correct ,your details is really reasonable and you guy give us valuable informative post, I totally agree the standpoint of upstairs. I often surfing on this forum when I m free and I find there are so much good information we can learn in this forum!
Against-Myself
at
Hhe article's content rich variety which make us move for our mood after reading this article. surprise, here you will find what you want! Recently, I found some wedsites which commodity is colorful of fashion.
http://www.inin-from.com
at
Bentley GT operate in the parameters of -4/+6 seconds each day. If you posses Breitling Avenger that has super quartz movement, then it is guaranteed not to lose or gain 10 seconds within a year's time. Different Chrono Superocean will move differently and have different features. Newer models will have the quickest and most accurate movement. This is because research is always being done to create better Superocean with faster movement.
Now, if you happen to be a woman who wants a Coach Outlet and can not afford to pay for Coach Hamptons , you will feel like a kid in a candy store when you view Coach Madison the available selection. In my opinion, you can find Coach Luggage Handbags on website.
The Lowrise from ED Hardy is more of a “cute” look than the Highrise, at least in my opinion. However, ED Hardy Shoes does not detract from the looks whatsoever! In terms of the hardy shirt version, this shoe can be found in the original laceless style as well as in a number of eye-catching and colorful hardy shirt designs.