Local Government and Social Media – Use me. Please.

by hanspetermeyer

There is a movement inside government at all levels in Canada to become more transparent – and cost-effective. It's called GOV2.0, and developments are very uneven. In spite of the unevenness, however, the implications are
generally positive for community sustainability.

A lot of people, especially of my generation and older, are suspicious of things like Twitter and Facebook. If you are reading this you are, nevertheless, using one of the various social media tools. Either you're reading it via a "traditional" social medium – the printed page – or you're reading it via one of the "new" social media: one of several blogs, circulated via email, Facebook, or Twitter (or perhaps tagged on bookmarking sites like Delicious). Or you may be holding an in-office "small press" version (ie. photocopy).

There is nothing special about this column; it's just an example of how one writer reaches an audience via a continuum of media, all of which are "social" - that is, shared by people. We are, at least as far back as the days of cave paintings and drums, a "sharing" species. What has changed is our ability to do more than consume. We are now sharing and shaping the stories and information flows – and the actions that emerge.

What does this have to do with land use and community sustainability, local government and NGOs? A lot.

Working Hard in the Hell's Kitchen of Sustainability

For a number of reasons both local governments and local NGOs get no respect. Ironically so, because they represent our most direct contact with agencies of change, regulation, and action. Local government has been called "the hell's kitchen of sustainability" exactly because it is the agency closest to on-the-ground community land use decisions. Our local NGOs are in a similar kitchen as the deliverers of a range of social and environmental services that local government is not well-equiped to deal with. But for these two channels of action to be most effective, they need to be well-connected to the passions and energies of us as citizens of our community, our place.

In some jurisdictions – the cities of Victoria, Kelowna, Guelph, and Edmonton are some examples – elected officials and staff are actively opening up channels of communications with citizens. The topics being covered are varied, as are the means used (online radio, video, blogs, Twitter, etc). They include explaining street closures, tax increases, providing transit updates, and street snow removal scheduling. In some cases the online presence doesn't make two-way communications easy – but it's always easier than writing a letter to City Hall. People see the posts, and they comment on them.

"To be an effective CEO you've got to be the Chief Listening Officer" (from this morning's Twitter feed). Consistently, corporate "best practices" have to do with willingness to listen to what people are saying and responding quickly before problems escalate. This gives those "listening" an opportunity to build relationships to make exciting things happen – drawing on the energies and resources in the community at large, not just those of civic staff and officials. Another of this morning's posts talks about how social media is helping a municipality deal with its debt. As a taxpayer, very cool news.

PnPP – A (neglected) History of Building Community

Local NGOs are, despite their sometimes testy relations, local governments' greatest resources. With their street cred and volunteer base, who better to manage or oversee projects related to affordable housing, stream stewardship, land trusts, community foundations, social services? We hear a lot about PPP (Public Private Partnerships), and very little about PnPP (Public non-Profit Partnerships). Most of our communities were built on PnPP, which were typically informal arrangements. That's why today they're under the radar and largely under-valued.

Local governments and local NGOs face chronic underfunding (and downloading from senior levels of government) and few have good communications channels. These are among the reasons that both are sometimes publicly perceived as being removed from the democratic process ("you can't fight City Hall" or "it's all an old boys' club" syndrome).

Even good local NGOs doing excellent work have the appearance of being outside an accountability structure. Which is why they are sometimes dismissed as "special interest groups." A big loss – for all of us.

Yes, the local land trust is a "special interest group." But their special interest – identifying and holding land in trust for non-market uses, ie. sensitive habitat, water quality, etc – has huge positive benefits for all who live in a region. Similarly the local family services organizations' special interests – a focus on the well-being of vulnerable families – benefits the community at large. Without a way to interact with these organizations, however, I don't know their story, I can't voice my appreciations or grievances. Importantly for them, they can't tap into my knowledge or passion on a particular issue.

The social media opportunity for both local government and local NGOs? Creating a social media presence may help you be more effective and efficient in what you want to achieve – without burning out volunteers and/or staff. It may help you positively engage your constituents, members, voting citizens. It may give you the support you need to do critical – and amazing – things.

2-way Tools

They're just tools – with a difference, because they work two-ways. The conversation that can ensue when organizations commit to using social media creates the opportunity for positive change to happen, quickly. The evidence is everywhere today. Literally. Rescue efforts in Haiti are moving more quickly via citizen-directed social media information than via official aid and government channels. Some municipalities are finding Twitter a faster emergency response channel than 911.

There is a body of social media best practices emerging. It's mostly about being patient, courteous, generous, setting clear expectations – and trusting folks to respond in kind. The evidence to date indicates that most of us do respond in kind. At a time when we face significant challenges in our local organizations – governmental and NGO – we do well to engage the growing number of us who are going online. We are a significant, if latent, force for creating better communities and neighbourhoods. Use us. Please.

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