Social Media - NALHFA conference May 2011

Social Media: Social Media:

Staying in Touch with Staying in Touch with Today’s Online CommunityToday’s Online Community

Jeremy Lasich, Deputy DirectorFairfax County (VA) Office of Public Affairs

jeremy.lasich@fairfaxcounty.gov

DisclaimerDisclaimer The following guidance is subject The following guidance is subject

to change due to the ever to change due to the ever evolving nature of social media. evolving nature of social media.

What Is Social Media?What Is Social Media? Traditional media (newspapers, television, radio,

books, CDs) can’t be changed.

Social media is interactive.

Social media allows for real-time feedback.

Anybody can publish social media.

Social media is infinite with no limitations on length or quantity.

Social media is linkable and easily reused.

What Is Social Media?What Is Social Media? Social media is one aspect of a wider Social media is one aspect of a wider

Government 2.0 movement that engages Government 2.0 movement that engages people, fosters collaboration and provides even people, fosters collaboration and provides even more transparency.more transparency.

Social media is just another set of tools; we Social media is just another set of tools; we already use: already use: – Web sites Web sites – News releases News releases – Hotlines/Phone NumbersHotlines/Phone Numbers– News conferences News conferences – BrochuresBrochures

Social Media ToolsSocial Media Tools FacebookFacebook TwitterTwitter YouTubeYouTube WikipediaWikipedia FlickrFlickr BlogsBlogs And many more examples …And many more examples …

StatsStats The Washington PostThe Washington Post

– 665,000 print circulation665,000 print circulation washingtonpost.comwashingtonpost.com

– 14 million monthly unique visitors 14 million monthly unique visitors worldwideworldwide

FacebookFacebook– 300 million active users worldwide300 million active users worldwide

YouTubeYouTube– 100 million daily views worldwide100 million daily views worldwide

Why Use Social Media?Why Use Social Media? Traditional media on the decline with Traditional media on the decline with

layoffs, budget cuts, fewer printed pages layoffs, budget cuts, fewer printed pages and minutes of coverage.and minutes of coverage.

Who fills the void? How do messages and Who fills the void? How do messages and information spread? How do information spread? How do we tellwe tell people people directlydirectly what’s going on at the what’s going on at the local level?local level?

Important to get content where the Important to get content where the eyeballs are.eyeballs are.

Why Use Social Media?Why Use Social Media? We, the government, are only one content We, the government, are only one content provider; we’re not the sole source of info. provider; we’re not the sole source of info. We We need to be part of the conversation.need to be part of the conversation.

Help others become our information Help others become our information ambassadors.ambassadors.

Answer questions and provide quality Answer questions and provide quality customer service.customer service.

Changing TimesChanging Times

Anyone with a cell phone or a computer can be a reporter and share pics, tweets and more; rapidly changing world

Or…Or… ..You can sometimes live tweet ..You can sometimes live tweet

news before it becomes news!news before it becomes news!

Fairfax County Social Fairfax County Social MediaMedia

What Have We Done?What Have We Done? Podcasts: 2007 Podcasts: 2007 YouTube: February 2008YouTube: February 2008 Facebook: March 2008Facebook: March 2008 Twitter: January 2009Twitter: January 2009 SlideShare: March 2010SlideShare: March 2010 Flickr: May 2010Flickr: May 2010

What Have We Done?What Have We Done? E-government Steering CommitteeE-government Steering Committee

Social Media PolicySocial Media Policy

Office of Public Affairs and PIOs: Office of Public Affairs and PIOs: lead staff for all social media effortslead staff for all social media efforts

Training WorkshopsTraining Workshops

FacebookFacebook

Facebook Users in U.S.Facebook Users in U.S. 2008: 2008:

– 8 percent8 percent

2011: 2011: – 51 percent51 percent

County Facebook County Facebook AccountsAccounts GovernmentGovernment PolicePolice Park AuthorityPark Authority LibraryLibrary Office for ChildrenOffice for Children Fairfax ConnectorFairfax Connector SheriffSheriff Volunteer SolutionsVolunteer Solutions EnvironmentEnvironment DisabilitiesDisabilities

14,746 fans across all county pages

Facebook StatsFacebook Stats

April 2009: 683April 2010: 4222April 2011: 6000+

Facebook MetricsFacebook Metrics April 2009-April 2011April 2009-April 2011

– 1.6 million 1.6 million post viewspost views– Nearly Nearly 5,0005,000 interactions interactions– Only Only 1212 deletions deletions

The Short Happy Life of The Short Happy Life of Facebook PostsFacebook Posts Posts are part of a constant stream of info Posts are part of a constant stream of info

people see along with friends and other people see along with friends and other organizations, -- your messages will not organizations, -- your messages will not be viewed by everyonebe viewed by everyone

Users are unlikely to visit your actual Users are unlikely to visit your actual pagepage

Because of short life span, need to Because of short life span, need to optimize!optimize!

Preferred Types of InfoPreferred Types of Info

RelevantRelevant

TimelyTimely

ActionableActionable

Preferred Types of InfoPreferred Types of Info

Relevant:Relevant: Pertains to people’s daily Pertains to people’s daily liveslives

Preferred Types of InfoPreferred Types of Info

Timely:Timely: Deadlines, events, related Deadlines, events, related to current eventsto current events

Preferred Types of InfoPreferred Types of Info

Actionable:Actionable: Register, attend, etc. Register, attend, etc.

What Not to PostWhat Not to Post OpinionsOpinions PDFsPDFs Commercial/private sector information (i.e., Commercial/private sector information (i.e.,

endorsements)endorsements) Internal content such as awards or employee Internal content such as awards or employee

infoinfo Do not try to control the conversation; be a Do not try to control the conversation; be a

participant with factsparticipant with facts

Twitter MetricsTwitter Metrics

April 2009: 532April 2010: 2608April 2011: 4200+

Facebook& TwitterFacebook& Twitter Facebook and Twitter are NOT the Facebook and Twitter are NOT the

same tools; while they share same tools; while they share similarities, each have their own similarities, each have their own best practices, features and best practices, features and culturescultures

YouTube MetricsYouTube Metrics 191 191 videos uploadedvideos uploaded 101,372101,372 views of those videos views of those videos

Flickr MetricsFlickr Metrics 257 257 photos uploadedphotos uploaded 177,073177,073 views of those photos views of those photos

FlickrFlickr

SlideShareSlideShare

SlideShare is another tool we’re using as the “YouTube for PowerPoints.” This allows us to publish presentations in a central location and to embed them within a webpage

Integrating ToolsIntegrating Tools We combine all of these tools to We combine all of these tools to

share our messages across many share our messages across many platforms.platforms.

Research shows people Research shows people share/consume different types of share/consume different types of information…information…

H1N1 and Social MediaH1N1 and Social Media H1N1 Vaccine Clinics: We relied H1N1 Vaccine Clinics: We relied

on our .gov site, Facebook and on our .gov site, Facebook and Twitter to provide real-time Twitter to provide real-time updates about mass H1N1 updates about mass H1N1 vaccination clinic; updated from vaccination clinic; updated from EOC/JICEOC/JIC

Snowmaggedon 2010 Snowmaggedon 2010

# of Facebook “Fans”# of Facebook “Fans”– Feb. 3: Feb. 3: 2,9922,992– Feb. 16: Feb. 16: 3,9113,911

# of Facebook Interactions# of Facebook Interactions– Feb. 3-16: Feb. 3-16: 585585

Facebook Messages

Facebook Q&A with Residents

Future Trends: MobileFuture Trends: Mobile Information will spread even Information will spread even

faster on mobile devices such as faster on mobile devices such as the iPhone.the iPhone.

MobileMobile Americans who own a Americans who own a

smartphone:smartphone:– 2011: 1 in 2 2011: 1 in 2 – 2008: 1 in 102008: 1 in 10

In the 4Q on 2010, smartphones In the 4Q on 2010, smartphones outsold computers for the first outsold computers for the first timetime

Open Wall – Questions?Open Wall – Questions?

Jeremy Lasich, Deputy DirectorOffice of Public Affairs

jeremy.lasich@fairfaxcounty.gov