Social Media in the Public Sector Field Guide : Designing and Implementing Strategies and Policies

by Mergel, Ines; Greeves, Bill

• ISBN13: 9781118109939
• ISBN10: 1118109937
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-11-13
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass

Summary

This hands-on practical guide (and companion to the Social Media in the Public Sector) offers a ready-to-use reference to help readers move smoothly through the development and deployment of effective new media strategies and policies within their own organizations. The book is filled with illustrative examples, screenshots, diagrams and graphics. Written to be engaging and accessible, the guide has minimal technical jargon, acronyms or "govspeak". The guidebook includes case studies in the words of those who have implemented new media strategies and an accompanying community-driven website with links to the authors blogs and practitioner social networks.

Author Biography

Ines Mergel is assistant professor of public administration at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and the School of Information Studies (iSchool) at Syracuse University.

Bill Greeves is the chief information officer for Wake County, North Carolina and has over 12 years of experience in government technology leadership.

Table of Contents

Figures and Tables xi

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xvii

The Authors xix

PART ONE How Did We Get Here? 1

ONE What Are Social Media, and Why Should Government Pay Attention to Them? 3

TWO Social Media Versus Traditional Media 7

THREE Transformative Properties 13

FOUR The Social Media Ecosystem in the Public Sector 17

FIVE Social Media in Action 23

SIX What’s Driving Social Media Adoption—and Why Is All This Happening Now? 31

PART TWO The Tools: Where Do I Start? 35

SEVEN Social Networking Services 37

EIGHT Blogs 49

NINE Microblogging 59

TEN Wikis 71

ELEVEN Choosing the Tool That’s Right for You 83

PART THREE Policy and Implementation 93

TWELVE Social Media Strategy 95

THIRTEEN Social Media Tactics 103

FOURTEEN Key Elements of a Social Media Policy 109

FIFTEEN Employee Social Media Use: Personal Versus Professional 129

SIXTEEN Implementation 141

PART FOUR Where Do We Go from Here? 147

SEVENTEEN The Future of Social Media in the Public Sector 149

Conclusion 165

Glossary 169

Additional Resources 175

Notes 179

Index 191