Virtual Public Works - 2009 Update

Virtual Public Works

Is this how we’ll be doing business in the future?

This is how we are doing business NOW!

Speaker

Pamela Broviak, PE

26 years of working in the public works sectorformer City Engineer/Director of Public Works,

LaSalle, Ill.

2 ½ years of integrating social media into the engineering/public works/government sectors

Public Works Group, Grid Works, MuniGov

History of Online Tools

Web 1.0?

TODAY: WEB 2.0but what is Web 2.0 & why do I care?

Blog

a Web site that contains an online personal journal with reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer

Source: Merriam-Webster Online

= Web + Log

Summary of Blog Stats - 2008

• 73% surveyed have read a blog• 184 million blogs worldwide• China has the largest blogging community in the world

with 42m bloggers - more than the US and Western Europe combined

• Social media impacts your brand’s reputationAbout 1/3 post opinions about brands & think

more positively about companies with blogs

From Universal McCann – Wave 3

Examples & Comparisons from our Industry

Find one you like & grab a feed!

Look for the RSS Feed symbol or text

Example: The Portland Water Bureau Blog

Use iGoogle to organize your feeds

Here’s where you get iGoogle

Blog Benefits• Increase Communication• Access up-to-date news• Enhance Public Relations• Control the message• Expand your network• Create & develop leads• Gain recognition as an industry leader

Blog Concerns

• Takes time to write/read

• Web security

• Negative or inappropriate postings

WikiA wiki is a Web site that allows users to

add and update content on the site using their own Web browser.

Source: TechTerms.com

http://waterwiki.net

http://www.pavementinteractive.org

Creating a simple wiki with Google Sites

Social Networking One out of every four people online visits social networks, according to the Consumer Internet Barometer

(2008)

Source: http://pewinternet.org (2009)

Social NetworkRatings

by Nielson Online

Dec 2008

•

1. MySpace 2. Facebook3. Classmates4. Linkedin 5. Reunion 6. Windows Live Home 7. Club Penguin8. AOL Community 9. Tagged.com 10. Flixster 11. Ning12. Twitter.com 13. Imeem14. Last.fm15. MyYearbook

•

1. MySpace 2. Facebook3. Classmates4. Linkedin 5. Reunion 6. Windows Live Home 7. Club Penguin8. AOL Community 9. Tagged.com 10. Flixster 11. Ning12. Twitter.com 13. Imeem14. Last.fm15. MyYearbook

Number of Unique VisitorsJune 2008

Why joining

Facebook is worth

your while

Benefits of Networks

• Easy way to connect with other professionals• Multimedia opportunities• Targeted participation• Increased communication• Sharing of resource information

Microblogging

• a form of blogging that allows users to write brief text updates (usually 140 characters) and publish them, either to be viewed by anyone or by a restricted group which can be chosen by the user..

http://www.twitter.com

Unique visitors to Twitter increased 1,382 percent year-over-year, from 475,000 unique visitors in February 2008 to 7 million in February 2009

Source: Nielsen Online

Sample Tweets:

Quick Ideas for Twitter

• Use as a mini-diary just for you or a select few• Use as a tracking/logging tool for a specific

crew• Use it for project notifications to the public• Use it to keep up to date on industry

information• Use it to create/develop project leads

Benefits of Twitter

• Easy – can be done through a computer or mobile phone

• Fast – short messages can be typed or spoken• Accessible – anyone can follow you if a public

feed is created• Exclusive – private feeds are available

Voice Over IP (VOIP)

http://www.skype.com

Skype - Advantages & Benefits

• Free Skype to Skype voice calling• Free chat/IM/texting• Free Skype to Skype video• Conference calling• Includes long distance and overseas

Skype for Public Works

Photo & Video Sites

From Esprit de sel’s photostream

Flickr

Icons from iconspedia.com

YouTube

Virtual Worlds• A Virtual World is a computer-based simulated

environment intended for its users to inhabit and interact via avatars.

• An avatar … is a computer user's representation of himself or herself, whether in the form of a three-dimensional model used in computer games, a two-dimensional icon (picture) used on Internet forums and other communities…

Source: Wikipedia

Number of Virtual Worlds

• The Association of Virtual Worlds listed over 250 virtual worlds in its Blue Book: A Consumer Guide to Virtual Worlds

• Over 300 millions registered users in non-game virtual worlds.

Virtual Worlds – Second Life

• Launched 2003• ~124 million hours spent in SL during Q1 2009• Residents logged in during last 30 days:

1,002,831 • Total number of islands owned: 25,531• Total money spent in Q1 2009: $120M USD

spent in user to user transactions

Source: http://www.secondlife.com (April 16, 2009)

Word on the Street

“Virtual worlds such as Second Life will become an indispensible business tool and vital to the strategy of any company intent on reaching out to the video-game generation, one of the world's leading consultancies has said. “

- Times Online, April 23, 2008

How People are using Virtual Worlds

• Meetings• Training• Networking• Planning• Design• Visualization• Monitoring

Networking . Brainstorming . Collaborating

Planning

Planning

DesignVisualization

Construction & Code Compliance

Monitoring

Purchasing

Trade Shows & Conferences

Where to go from here?

Where to go from here?

Resources

http://www.publicworksgroup.com/node/12

Pam Broviak, [email protected]

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/pbroviakSecond Life: Pam Renoir, CivilE Writer, Pam OckSkype: pam.renoirBlog: http://www.publicworksgroup.com/blogLinkedIn & other networks: Pam BroviakSlides at: http://www.slideshare.net/publicworksgroup