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Implementing a social media campaign for delivery of recovery project related information is a good way for local government to test the use of social media. The demand for this information is there, and the tools are available at little to no cost.

So how would a local government accomplish this goal? First, the agency needs to assemble the staff that would be required to set up the social media tools and deliver the content. Mostly likely this would involve members of the IT department and the public works and engineering staff. If the staff is not already familiar with social media, the agency needs to arrange for a social media 101 session to introduce the tools and how they are used. Then the team should lay out the steps of the project delivery and decide where social media best fits into the picture.

This process creates a type of roadmap to implementation. From here, the IT department can set up the accounts and download any necessary software. Then the engineering and public works departments can begin creating content. Sometimes it helps to keep these efforts in house, if possible, while the team practices with the new tools and creates a few test posts. This helps everyone become more comfortable with the tools and techniques before going “live.” And it gives everyone a chance to comment and offer suggestions for improvements.

I set up a mock demo of a simple implementation of this plan for a typical engineering project – Recovery Project Example. In doing so, I chose to use the following social media tools for the purpose indicated:

Microblog (used Twitter, free): use to deliver short announcements of project milestones such as advertisement for bids, opening of bids, award of bid, pay estimates, etc.

Blog (used Blogger, free from Google): use as a type of project diary, indicating major milestones but also daily activities. Allows for comments by local citizens which increases understanding of the project and allows for input and suggestions for project improvement.

Photosharing (used Flickr, free or paid pro account): use for posting photos of the project site. Could create a group for the project and allow others to post related photos.

Widgets (used a weather widget available on Google, free): every resident needs to keep up with the weather – what better way than to post a weather widget.

Timeline: (used timeline tool from Dipity, free): a project timeline offers a quick, visual glance at the project execution.

There are probably more tools out there that could be used to enhance the delivery of information for a project. But I wanted to create a quick, easy example to show others how simple it really would be to set up something like this. If anyone decides to implement a social media program for a public works project and has any questions, feel free to send me an e-mail at pwg@publicworksgroup.com.

Yesterday the MuniGov group held the first virtual conference for government in Second Life. This event was the result of about five months of planning and hours of volunteer work by members of the group. Registrations for the event totaled 166 people representing all levels of government from the U.S., Canada, and other countries along with some vendors. In the end, the number of people who actually attended and stayed throughout the day averaged about 77.

Panelists also represented local, state, and federal levels. Their presentations covered government use of wikis, virtual worlds, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media tools. Discussion and questions touched on implementation, policy, and legal challenges. One of the MuniGov members taped the conference so the entire video will eventually be online for anyone interested in viewing the event.

Because people will be able to view the conference for themselves, I wanted to highlight some of the observations and issues not covered by the actual presentations. By doing so, I hope to give people a better idea of what to expect from a virtual conference along with hopefully encouraging others to try attending one in the future.

One exciting aspect of this event was the fact that the majority of the people attending were either learning to use Second Life for the first time or had only visited this virtual space a limited number of times. Because of this, several MuniGov members dedicated time to offer orientations for newer members during the months leading up to the conference. These orientations focused on the initial skills needed to move and communicate in a virtual world. Topics covered walking, flying, teleporting, talking, chatting, using IM, and altering their avatarâ€™s appearance.

Another decision that had to be made early on was where to hold the actual conference. Our normal meeting area can only comfortably accommodate about 60 people or so. Fortunately Paulette Robinson with the National Defense University offered us the use of her agencyâ€™s island in Second Life. This center could hold about 200 avatars.

Because everyone was so new, there were some issues at the beginning with making sure everyone could hear and that their own speakers were muted or turned off during presentations. This took some time and for future events, someone advised setting aside time prior to the event for troubleshooting communication issues.

After the conference, people were encouraged to visit the MuniGov area where we regularly meet on Wednesday nights. There we had vendors exhibiting in virtual booths representing the first virtual trade show for government. We had also set up typical Second Life type amenities such as water slides and games to showcase how avatars can interact with virtual objects and how these objects can emulate real life. People could also visit the â€œgovpodsâ€ or virtual offices members have set up to represent their agencies.

Overall, everyone seemed pleased with the conference. The cost savings to offer this event virtually rather than in a more traditional venue was about $1500 per person. People could attend from their offices or homes, and many had others in the room with them so actual attendance was probably more than the average 77 avatars in the Second Life space. And most importantly everyone attending had the opportunity to interact with other government professionals from all levels of government. They could also meet with representatives from companies serving government. CDWG, Microsoft, ActiveGovernment, Municibid and Earth911, all had virtual booths at the MuniGov Center.

Of course, because the event was held in Second Life, there were the typical amusing extras that you just donâ€™t get at a regular conference. From Alan parachuting into the MuniGov area at the end to his sitting on the rotating trade show sign while we all networked. And I donâ€™t think I will ever forget one presenter who paused during her presentation to â€œput us on holdâ€ to take a call from her boss. That could only have been done within this type of venue.

Thanks to everyone â€“ it truly was a monumental and memorable experience that I hope is just the beginning. Below is a scrapbook I made of the event:

MuniGovCon09 Scrapbook

View more presentations from Pam Broviak.

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