ConnectingCouncillors

ASocialMediaHandbook

SocialMediaHandbookfor Councillors
April2012

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ASocialMediaHandbook

Contents:
Introduction WhatisSocialMedia? SocialMediaTools GettingStartedwithSocialMedia Top10ReasonstouseSocialMedia Stayingoutoftroubleonline Usefullinks Jargonbusting

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Acknowledgements

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itoughttobethe happinessandgloryofa representativetoliveinthe strictestunion,theclosest correspondence,andthe mostunreserved communicationwithhis constituents

EdmundBurke1774Speechtothe ElectorsatBristolattheConclusion ofthePoll

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Introduction
Peoplearenowturningfirsttothewebtofindeverythingfrominformationabout daysout,entertainment,shopping,tomakingconnectionswithfriendsand colleagues.Peopleexpecttobeabletocommentandcontributeoneverythingfrom onlineversionsofnewspaperstoitemstheypurchasefromonlineretailerslike Amazon.Residentswillincreasinglyexpectthatlocalgovernmentwillbeableto provideitsservicesonlinewiththesamelevelofinteractivitythattheyfind everywhereelse.Itwasntthatlongagothatemailwasanovelwaytocontactyour councillorandcouncil.AlreadymanyCouncillorsandCouncilsareinteractingwith thepeopletheyrepresentonlinethroughsocialmedia,anditwontbelongbefore thisiscommonexpectation,too.1 Certainlythereareobstaclestoengagingwithsocialmedia.Thesetoolspresentnew challengestothestructure,workingculture,staffmanagementandtechnical strategyforcouncils.Therearesignificantchallengestocontrollingmessagingand reputationtoo,anddifficultiesinmeasuringandguaranteeingsuccess.The technologyischangingallthetime,whichmeanseveryprojectinthisspace,is potentiallyanewinnovation,anewchallenge,anewrisk.Thisisparticularly challengingforlocalauthorities,whooftenfinditdifficulttomovequicklyandfluidly tochanginglandscapes. TheproblemforCouncilsthough,isthatnotengagingnowrepresentsafargreater riskthanengaging.Citizenswillstillusethesenetworkstotalkaboutus,whetherwe addourvoicetotheconversationornot.Thenationalinfrastructuresbeingbuiltto improvegovernmentandpublicserviceswillstillexist,andCouncilswillbeexpected toengagewiththem.Citizenswillexpecttheircounciltoengagewiththemontheir terms,viatheirchannels,andtobeopenlyavailableonline.Infact,itisbecoming increasinglyclearthatifcouncilsdontusethesetools,thecitizenswilldoitfor them,andbypassthecouncilentirely. 2 Asrepresentativesoftheirlocalareasandthedemocraticallyelectedleadersof theirorganisationsandpartnerships,Councillorsmusttaketheleadinusingthe socialweb.Indeed,asEdmundBurkeargueditoughttobethehappinessand gloryofarepresentativetoliveinthestrictestunion,theclosestcorrespondence, andthemostunreservedcommunicationwithhisconstituents ThishandbookismeantasabriefintroductiontosocialmediaforCouncillors, outlininghowsocialmediacanbeusedto:
Extracted from Connected Councillors A guide to using social media to support local leadership LGA 2 Extracted from Local by Social how Local Authorities can use social media to achieve more for less I&DeA
1

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! ! ! ! SupportCouncillorsleadershiproles Createaspaceforcommunityconversation Keepafingeronthepulseoflocalneeds Campaignforimportantlocalissues.

ItistargetedparticularlyatCouncillorswhohavesomeITskills,andwouldliketo knowmore.Maybeyourecomfortableusingemailandwordprocessing,or alreadyhaveaFacebookorothersocialnetworkingaccount.Thishandbookis designedtohelpyoufindoutmoreabouthowyoucanusesocialmediato supportyourroleasademocraticleaderinyourlocalarea.3

Extracted from Connected Councillors A guide to using social media to support local leadership LGA
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Nowanyonecanpublish andsharetheirviews,and moreimportantlycan engageinconversationwith othersaboutthoseviews, withjustafewclicksofa mouse.Itsthepolitical tractandthecoffeehouse allrolledintoone.

ConnectedCouncillorsAguideto usingsocialmediatosupportlocal leadershipLGA

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WhatisSocialMedia?4
SocialMediaHandbook

Socialmediaisacollectivetermusedtodescribeeasywaystocreateandpublish ontheinternet.Peoplegenerallyusethetermtodescribehoworganisationsand individualssharecontenttext,videoandpicturesandcreateconversationson theweb.Itistransformingthewaythatcompaniesdobusinessandindividuals interactwitheachother.Itisprovidingavoiceforthosewhowerentwellheard before.Socialmediawillchangethewaythatcouncillorsandcouncilsinteractwith localpeople. Unhelpfully,whenmanypeopletalkaboutsocialmedia,theytalkaboutthetools. Twitter.YouTube.Blogging.Thiscanseemlikeimpenetrablejargon.Theimportant thingtorememberaboutsocialmediaisthatitssocial.Itsaboutcommunication. Itsaboutputtingthetransformativepoweroftheprintingpressintothehandsof thepeople.Justastheabilitytopublishpoliticalpamphletsandtalkaboutthemin coffeehouseswasthefoundationofourdemocracy,socialmediawillhavejustas biganeffectonthewaywegovernanddobusiness.Nowanyonecanpublishand sharetheirviews,andmoreimportantlycanengageinconversationwithothers aboutthoseviews,withjustafewclicksofamouse.Itsthepoliticaltractandthe coffeehouseallrolledintoone.

Extracted from Connected Councillors A guide to using social media to support local leadership LGA
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SocialMediaTools:
Whenpeopletalkaboutsocialmedia,theyoftenmakereferencetosomewell knowntoolsorproducts.Althoughtherearemanymorethanwecanlisthere, wellhighlightafewofthegeneralapproachesandthemostwidelyusedproducts whicharecharacterisedbytheireaseofuseandarefreeorlowcost.

Blogs 5
Blogsaresimplyonlinejournalsbutthereareanumberofthingswhichmakethem significant.Firstlytheyarereallythefirsttimethatithasbeeneasytopublishintoa webenvironment.Untilnowyouhavehadtobegeekyenoughtowritecodeorpay fordedicatedapplications.Withablogyouuseyourwebbrowsertoassessfree,or cheap,bloggingtools,writeyourcontent,presssaveandyourcontentispublished ontheweb. Thesecondsignificantthingaboutblogswasthepermalink.Excusethejargonbut withnormalwebsites,pointingatinterestingcontentwasariskybusinessasre designsorchangesofcontentcouldbreakthoselinks.Withablogeachposthasa uniqueandpersistenturl6thatmakesthatcontentlinkabletoforthelifeoftheblog. Thissimplefactenablesrichlinesofthoughttobebuiltupbetweendifferentblogs orwithinthesameblog.Foralltheirsimplicityblogsare,inmanyways,stillthemost powerfulsocialmediatool. TherearemanyfreebloggingtoolssuchasBlogger.comorWordpress.comwhich makeiteasytosetupabloginafewminutes.However,gainingreadershipcantake longer. SomeexamplesofCouncillorswhoblog: ! DaisyBenson,LiberalDemocrat,Reading,contributestoagroupblogwith othercouncillorswhorepresentherward www.redlandslibdems.org.uk PeterBlack,LiberalDemocrat,SwanseaandWelshAssemblyMember www.peterblack.blogspot.com JamesCousins,ConservativeLondonBoroughofWandsworth www.jamescousins.com

! !

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Adapted from Euansemple.com A URL (Uniform Resource Locator, previously Universal Resource Locator) is the unique address for a file that is accessible on the Internet.

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SocialMediaHandbook ! AnthonyMcKeown,Labour,HighPeakBoroughCouncil www.anthonymckeown.info ! BobPiper,Labour,Sandwellwww.bobpiper.co.uk

SocialNetworkingTools
Withinthelastfewyearstherehasbeenaspateoftoolsbuildingontheideaof yellowpageswhereusersuploadinformationaboutthemselvesandtheirinterests andcanthenformgroupsandassociationswithotherusers.Thepopularityof FacebookandLinkedinparticularlyhasbeenphenomenalbutattheirmostbasic theyaddcolouranddepthtosomeonesonlinepresenceandmakeiteasytosurface informalassociationsandconnections.7

Usingsocialnetworksasacouncillorrequiresadifferentapproachtousingitasan ordinarycitizen.ManycouncillorsuseFacebookinapersonalcapacityinthesame wayasanyoneelsewouldtosharepersonalnews,informationandholidaysnaps withpeopletheyalreadyknow.OthercouncillorsusetheirFacebookaccounts moreopenly,friending(thatis,byallowingthemtoviewtheiraccounts,sharing informationwith)peopletheydontknowpersonally.Facebookallowspoliticians tocreatepageswhichisawayofkeepingpersonaluseandprofessionaluse separate. ApageissimilartoaregularFacebookaccountinstyle,butitisopenforanyone registeredonFacebooktosee.Facebookmemberscanlikethepagetoreceive updatesanddemonstratetheirinterestorsupport.Onapageyoucanprovidea politicalprofileandcanshareinformationwithsupporterswithoutdisclosing personalnetworksorworryingthatthewrongpeoplewillseethefunnypicturesof youasachildthatyourfriendsareshowingeachother.8

Twitter
Twitterisamicrobloggingservicethatcanbeaccessedviatext,theweborSMS.It allowsnetworksofuserstostayconnectedandupdateeachotherontheiractivities wherevertheyare.MostpeoplesinitialreactiontoTwitterisoneofunleashed inanitybutonceyouhaveinvestedthetimeinbuildinginterestinganduseful networksitisarealaidtoproductivityandknowledgesharing.9
Extracted from Euansemple.com Extracted from Connected Councillors A guide to using social media to support local leadership LGA 9 Extracted from Euansemple.com
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SocialMediaHandbook ManycouncillorsarealreadyusingTwitter.Youcanseeagrowinglistat www.tweetyhall.com,awebsitethatfeaturescouncillorsuseofsocialmediato supportlocalengagement. OnTwitter,peopleareallidentifiedinthesameway,byan@signandtheir username.Forexample,someonecouldberegisteredas@joebloggs,or @cllrjohnsmith.YoucanfindtheirTwitteraddressbyusingtheirfullusername withoutthe@sign. TwitteraccountsrelatingtotheCouncilcanbefoundhere: http://centranet.ourcheshire.cccusers.com/socialmedia/Pages/default.aspx

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Twitter helps me keep in touch with what others locally are thinking and seeing. Broadcasting is one thing, but listening is more useful!
Councillor Tim Prater, Folkestone Town Council

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VideosandPictures 10
ServiceslikeYouTubeandVimeoallowanyonetouploadandsharevideoswith theworld.ImagesharingserviceslikeFlickr,PicasaorSmugMugallowpeopleto sharephotos.ManyCouncilsandCouncillorsareusingtheseservicestoshare videodiariesorimagesoftheirlocalareas. Localpeopletooareusingtheseservicestosharecontentabouttheareayou serve.TherewillalmostcertainlybeagrouponFlickrsharingpositiveandnegative imagesofyourarea.Someonemaybecomplainingaboutyourcouncilserviceson YouTube. MonmouthshireCountyCouncilhasbeensharinginformationwithlocalpeople throughaYouTubechannel:www.youtube.com/user/Monmouthshirecc.This includesvideoofbudgetsettingandcouncillorsexplainingchangestopolicy. StratfordonAvoncouncilhasbeenaleaderinusingFlickrphotostopromoteits area.AnotherexampleisCouncillorDaisyBensonoftheRedlandsareaofReading whowithherCouncillorcolleagueGlenGoodallhasbeenusingaFlickrgroupcalled Taggingisntart,itscriminaldamagetohighlightexamplesofgraffitiinherarea. Sheencouragesresidentstouploadandsharetheirphotosaswellwiththeaimof gettingitremoved.

ListeningTools11
Perhapsthemostvaluableuseofsocialmediaisusingittolisten(andperhaps engage)withconversationsthatarealreadyhappening.Yourarea,yourcounciland maybeevenyouyourselfarebeingtalkedaboutonline,butdoyouknowwhenand howthatshappening? Googleallowsyoutosetupsomethingcalledanalert.Insteadofyouhavingtotype aspecificwordorphraseintoGoogleeachdaytocheckifanythingnewhasbeen writtenaboutit,thewebsitesendsyouanemaildetailingallthenewinstancesof thatwordonline.Alertscanprovidedailyorinstantnewsaboutlocalissuesstraight

Extracted from Connected Councillors A guide to using social media to support local leadership LGA 11 Extracted from Connected Councillors A guide to using social media to support local leadership LGA

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SocialMediaHandbook toyouremailinbox.Youcansetupalertsforthenameofyourcouncil,yourward, hotlocalissuesorevenyourownname. ThosemoretechnicallymindedwillbeinterestedinusingRSSwell.Mostinteractive websiteshavesomethingcalledRSS(ReallySimpleSyndication)feeds.Thisisaway thatwebsitescanautomaticallypushoutnewmaterialassoonasitspublished. Thismeansyoudonthavetoactuallygotoawebsitetofindoutifthereisnew informationonthere;instead,thewebsitestellyouwithRSS.Freetoolscalledfeed readers(GoogleReaderandBloglinesareexamples)canhelpyoucollectand subscribetofeedsinasingleaccessibleplace.Mostmainstreammediaoutletshave RSSfeeds.Blogsandsocialnetworkingsitesalmostalwayshavethem,too.Youcan evengenerateanRSSfeedfromaninternetsearch.YourcouncilmayhaveRSSfeeds foritswebsite(andifitdoesnt,itshould). Listeningtothesocialwebwillgiveyouamoredetailedpictureofwhatpeopleare concernedabout.Asacouncillor,youwillhavetomakeadecisionabouthowyou actonthatinformation.

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SocialMediaHandbook

Councillors usually have just the right qualities to make them natural users of social media. Theyre dedicated individuals with a strong sense of local place. Theyre good connectors, motivated to help and to share information. Theyre used to holding their own in the hustle and bustle of multiple voices and strong opinions, and the best of them develop the ability to cut through the chatter, deflecting and reflecting on negative feedback.

ConnectedCouncillorsAguidetousing socialmediatosupportlocalleadership LGA

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GettingStartedwithSocialMedia 12:

SocialMediaHandbook

Councillorsusuallyhavejusttherightqualitiestomakethemnaturalusersofsocial media.Theyrededicatedindividualswithastrongsenseoflocalplace.Theyregood connectors,motivatedtohelpandtoshareinformation.Theyreusedtoholding theirowninthehustleandbustleofmultiplevoicesandstrongopinions,andthe bestofthemdeveloptheabilitytocutthroughthechatter,deflectingandreflecting onnegativefeedback. Havingsaidthis,theremightbeanumberofreasonswhyyoumayfeelit unlikelythatyoullbesigningupforTwitterorstartingyourownbloganytime soon.Forinstance,aslocalMembersyouareinsanelybusyjugglingwork, family,communityandpoliticalresponsibilities.Socialmediacanbetimesaving inthelongrun,butitdoestakealittleefforttogetsetupandgainconfidence. Belowareexamplesofwhatyoucandotoquicklygetstartedwithsocial media: ! Listen,beforeyouspeakSetasidehalfanhourtodoafewinternetsearches onlocalissuesorjusttypethenameofyourareaintoGoogle.Lookfor discussionforumsorsocialnetworks.IfyoureamemberofFacebook,search onthenameofyourarea.Googlehasaspecificblogsearchthatcanhelpyou identifylocalbloggers.Itisalsoworthnotingthatyoucanuse search.twitter.comasawayoflookingthroughtwitterwithouthavinga twitteraccount. ! AskaroundOthercouncillorsmayalreadybeusingsocialmedia.Findout whattheyredoingandhowtheygotstarted. LooktoyourpartyTheLiberalDemocrats,forexample,haveaspecific bloggingplatformforcouncillorsandofferhelptogetyoustartedthrough theAssociationofLiberalDemocratCouncillors.Youcanalsomake connectionsthroughdedicatedpoliticalnetworkssuchas http://act.libdems.org.uk/orConservativeHomeorLabourList.Thesewill putyouintouchwithotherpeopleinyourpartywhoareactiveonlineand oftenprovideusefulresourcesandlinkstolocalwebactivity.

Extracted from Connected Councillors A guide to using social media to support local leadership LGA

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SocialMediaHandbook ! Giveitagoandcontribute Itcanfeelquiteunnervingputtingforwardyourideasandcontributions onlineatfirst,especiallyifyourenotusedtoworkinginsuchways.But havingagocangetyouusedtothetechnology,andbuildyourconfidence. JustsigninguptoFacebookorTwitterisagoodstart.Youprobablyalready knowquiteafewpeopleonline,andboththesetoolswillimmediatelyshow youhowtofindoutwhichofyourfriendsandcolleaguesarealreadysigned up.Watchwhatothersaredoing.Makesomesmalltestercontributions.

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Top10ReasonsforusingSocialMedia13:
Innoparticularorder,hereareourtoptenreasonsforCouncillorstousesocial media. SocialMediaHandbook

1.Itbooststhenumberofpeopleyoucanreachwhentalkingaboutthegoodwork youhavedoneforyourarea.Thisincludesthelocalpresswhocanpickuponyour storieswithoutyouhavingtopressreleasethem. Socialmediaisagoodwaytotellpeoplewhatyouactuallydoasacouncillor. NickBason,LiberalDemocrat,WalthamForrest 2.Unliketraditionalmedia/leafletdropping,itallowsfortwowaycommunication soyougetimmediatefeedbackonkeyissuesinyourwardandcanreactaccordingly. (Socialmediais)animmediate,unmediatedandtwowaychannelof communicationwithpeoplewerepresentandneedtoengagewith.Steven Adams,Conservative,Buckinghamshire 3.Itallowsyoutoconnectwithadifferenttypeofresidentwhoperhapscant giveuptimetocometocouncilmeetingsorsurgeries.[My]websitehad1000visits infirst9weeks[afteritwasrelaunched].Iknowthatresidentsarebeing informed.KenHawkins,Conservative,Solihull 4.WithTwitteryoucanfolloworcreateconversationsonmanydifferentinterest levels,soyoumightfollowsomepeoplebecausetheytweetaboutyourpartyand othersbecausetheyareinvolvedinlocalissues.Somemaytalkabouttheissues facedbycouncillorsgenerally,whileanothergroupmightbebasedaroundyour favouritefootballteam.SodependingonwhoyoufollowTwittercanbecomeaone stopshopforthenewsandviewsyouareinterestedin. Itsthewideningofthelocalgovernmentnetwork.Councillorstendtobeisolated intosmallgroups,[but]socialmediacancreatelargergroups.TimCheetham, Labour,Barnsley 5.Campaignscangoviralwithsocialmedia.Ifyouaretryingtosavealocal amenityfromclosureorhopingtopreventanunpopularplanningapplicationfrom beingapproved,thesecampaignscangrowexponentiallyiftheyarepickedup online.AblogcanhelpexplainthecauseandTwitterandfacebookwillhelpyou spreadtheword.Itworthnotingherethatyouwouldhavetoclearthatyouwere actingasanindividualCouncillorandnotastheofficialvoiceoftheCouncil.
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Taken from http://socialmedia.21st.cc/2010/03/top-ten-reasons-to-use-social-media/

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SocialMediaHandbook 6.Helpbringyourcommunitytogetherandcombatextremism.Itisimportantthat respectablepoliticiansstandupagainstextremisminallareasofpublicdebate includingthesocialweb Communicationisntjustaboutbroadcastinginformation;itsanexchangeof information.Ournewwebsiteisavitaltoolforustobetterengagewithall sectionsofthecommunity.CouncillorAntonyBull,Chairman,SouthwaterParish Council 7.Theconversationsarealreadyhappeningwithoutyou.Manycitizensarealready usingsocialmediatotalkaboutlocalissuesandtheyareoftenbemoaningthelack ofaresponsefromtheircouncilorcouncillors.Thisisanopportunitytobecome involved.Evenifyoucantsolvetheproblemstraightaway,youcanacknowledgeit andoffertolookintoit. Insuchafastmovingworld,councilsneedtokeepuporgetleftbehind.Smart councilsandcouncillorsarenowtakingadvantageoftechnologyandsocialmedia todrivecommunications,innovationandimprovement.CouncillorMichael Chater,Chairman,NationalAssociationofLocalCouncils 8.Itssimpleandcheaptodo.Usingsocialmediacostsnothingmorethantime,there arenoprintingcostsandyoucandoitfromthecomfortofyourhomeoroffice,rather thanoutintheelements. Idpossiblysuggesttwitterasbeingagoodplacetostart,asessentiallyitsasking youwhatyouaredoingwhichisaquestionmostpeopleshouldbeabletoanswer. CouncillorAnthonyMcKeown,Labour,HighPeakBoroughCouncil 9.Itsoneofthebestwaystoengagewithyoungpeople.Youngpeopleare increasinglyusingsocialmediaasameansofcommunicationandentertainmentand ifwehopetogettheminvolvedinlocaldemocracyitisimportanttousethetools theyusetospeaktothem. Byusingthemodesofcommunicationyoungpeopleareusingthenhopefullywe cangettheminvolvedincampaigningandevenbecomingcouncillorsthemselves. AndrewPalfreeman,Conservative,KirkleesCouncil

10.Peoplewillconnectwithyouonapersonallevel.Whenhandledproperly,social mediaaccountsaregreatatlettingpeoplegettoknowyoualittlebetter,allowing themtowarmtoyouratherthanjustseeingyouasanextensionofthecouncil. WhenIstartedwithmyblogitwasalittlelikefiringanarrowintothesky.Iwas neversurewhetheranyonewouldactuallynotice.Thenthelocalnewspaper startedtofollowupsomeofmyblogentries.Storiesbothpersonalandinmy capacityasacouncillorstartedtoappearinprint.Mybowlingclubcolleagues startedtocommentonthefrequencyIwasbeingfeatured! Allinall,inmyview,socialmediainlocalgovernmenthaveaclearfutureahead. 18 | P a g e

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SocialMediaHandbook Myadviceispickupyourbowandstartfiringtheoddarrowortwo!.SeanBrady, IndependentParishCouncillor,FormbyParishCouncil

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Stayingoutoftroubleonline14
SocialMediaHandbook

Anyformofcommunicationisrifewiththepossibilityofmisunderstandings.Social mediaisperhapsnomoreornolessvulnerabletothis,buttherearesomenewways tomisfirewithyourmessage. Althoughthebestuseofsocialmediaisconversationalintone,publishingtothe webisstillpublishing.Whatyouvesaidonthewebiswrittendownandits permanent. Asyougetstartedinsocialmediaandbuildyouronlineprofile,thereareafew thingstobearinmind.Whiletheresnoadditionallegalorethicalburdenaround usingsocialmedia,theusualrulesstillapplyandyouneedtothinkaboutthemin thisnewcontext.Thefollowinglegalandethicalguidanceappliestocouncillorsin England. Legalconsiderations VictoriaMcNeill,headoflegalatNorfolkCountyCouncil,providedhercouncillors15 somepointersonavoidingpossiblelegalpitfalls.Thefollowingisbasedonher advice,andwhilethislistdoesnotpurporttobeexhaustiveitdoeshighlightsomeof themoreobviousissues.Ifyouareinanydoubt,speaktothecouncilsmonitoring officerorlegalservices.Almostallofthesepitfallscanbeavoidedifyouronline contentisobjective,balanced,informativeandaccurate. Inthemain,councillorshavethesamelegaldutiesonlineasanyoneelse,butfailures tocomplywiththelawmayhavemoreseriousconsequences.Therearesome additionaldutiesaroundusingtheirwebsitesforelectoralcampaigningandextra careneedstobetakenwhenwritingonplanningmatters. 1. Libel Ifyoupublishanuntruestatementaboutapersonwhichisdamagingtotheir reputationtheymaytakealibelactionagainstyou.Thiswillalsoapplyifyouallow someoneelsetopublishsomethinglibellousonyourwebsiteifyouknowaboutit anddonttakepromptactiontoremoveit.Asuccessfullibelclaimagainstyouwill resultinanawardofdamagesagainstyou.

14

Adapted from Connected Councillors A guide to using social media to support local leadership LGA 15 ThissectionisadaptedfromCivicSurfsLegalGuidanceforcouncillorblogs.Includedhereunder CreativeCommonsattribution,noncommerciallicense

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SocialMediaHandbook 2. Copyright Placingimagesortextonyoursitefromacopyrightedsource(forexampleextracts frompublicationsorphotos)withoutpermissionislikelytobreachcopyright.Avoid publishinganythingyouareunsureabout,orseekpermissioninadvance.Breachof copyrightmayresultinanawardofdamagesagainstyou. 3. DataProtection Avoidpublishingthepersonaldataofindividualsunlessyouhavetheirexpress writtenpermission. 4. Biasandpredetermination Ifyouareinvolvedindeterminingplanningorlicensingapplicationsorother quasijudicialdecisions,avoidpublishinganythingonyourblogthatmight suggestyoudonthaveanopenmindaboutamatteryoumaybeinvolvedin determining.Ifnot,thedecisionrunstheriskofbeinginvalidated. 5. Obscenematerial Itgoeswithoutsayingthatyoushouldavoidpublishinganythinginyourblog thatpeoplewouldconsiderobscene.Publicationofobscenematerialisa criminaloffence. 6. Electoralperiods TheElectoralCommissionrequiresthatcandidatesprovideareturnof expenditureonanyformofadvertisingorcampaignliteratureandthatincludes webadvertising.Andthereareadditionalrequirements,suchasimprint standardsformaterialswhichcanbedownloadedfromawebsite.Fullguidance forcandidatescanbefoundatwww.electoralcommission.org.uk 16 7. Thecouncilslegalposition Materialpublishedbyalocalauthorityasanorganisationis,forobviousreasons, restrictedintermsofcontent.Itmustnotcontainpartypoliticalmaterialand,in relationtoothermaterial,shouldnotpersuadethepublictoaparticularview, promotethepersonalimageofaparticularcouncillor,promoteanindividual councillorsproposals,decisionsorrecommendations,orpersonaliseissues.Nor
16

www.electoralcommission.org.uk/guidance/those-we-regulate/candidates-and-agents

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SocialMediaHandbook shouldthecouncilassistinthepublicationofanymaterialthatdoesanyofthe above. SomeCouncilstakeastrictlineonthisanddonotprovidelinkstocouncillorblogsor socialmediaaccountsfromcouncillorprofilepages.Butmanypeople(especially youngpeople)prefertocommunicateviasocialnetworksandsothisisasvalida methodofcommunicationasanemailaddress.Thiscanhavesignificantadvantages intermsoftransparencyandtheabilitytoanswerfrequentlyaskedquestionsmore efficientlythroughanopenformat.Bearinginmind,ofcourse,thedataprotection requirements. 8. TheMembersCodeofConduct ItsworthpointingoutthatCouncillorscanhaveblurredidentities.Thismeans youhaveasocialmediaaccountwhereyoucommentbothasaCouncillorandas anindividual.ForexampleaFacebookaccountwhereyouvepostedabouta greatnightout(personal)andanothertimeexplainedtheCouncilpositionon potholerepair(Councillor).Itmaybeclearinyourmindwhenyouarepostingin aprivatecapacityorasaCouncillor,butitcouldbelesscleartoothers. Asapointofadvice,whilstthereareanumberoffactorswhichwillcomeintoplay whicharemoreaquestionofjudgmentthanahardandfastline,itisworth assumingthatanyonlineactivitycanbelinkedtoyourofficialrole.Thisisbecause thejudgmentofwhetheryouareperceivedtobeactingasaCouncillorwillmost likelybetakenbysomeoneelse.Unlessyouvegonetosignificantefforttokeepan onlinepersonacompletelyseparatefromyourCouncilloridentity,youareunlikelyto beabletoclaimthatyouwereactinginacompletelyprivatecapacity. Suchblurredidentitiesmightalsohaveimplicationswhereyourviewsaretakenas thoseofyourorganisationorpoliticalparty,ratherthanyourpersonalopinion. Thereisaneedthereforetogetyourpositiononsocialmediaaccounts/profilesclear sothatitcannotbemisinterpretedthatyouareactingasthecorporatevoiceforthe Council.Indeed,thereisanimportantdifferencebetweencommunicatingonbehalf oftheCouncil,forexamplebloggingasanunelectedMayor,orasaCouncillororas aprivatecitizenandtheformerwillbeheldtoahigherstandardthanthelatter. Withthislatterpointinmind,youneedtobeawarethathowyouuseyouronline identitywillalsodeterminehowonlinecontentwillbetreatedinrespectofthe MembersCodeofConduct.Councillorsareexpectedtocommunicatepolitically. Thekey,however,towhetheryouronlineactivityissubjecttotheCodeofConduct iswhetheryouaregivingtheimpressionthatyouareactingasaCouncillor.Andthat

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SocialMediaHandbook standswhetheryouareinfactactinginanofficialcapacityorsimplygivingthe impressionthatyouaredoingso. AspectsoftheMembersCodeofConductwillapplytoyouronlineactivityinthe samewayitdoestootherwrittenorverbalcommunicationyouundertake. MembersshouldcomplywiththegeneralprinciplesoftheCodeinwhattheypublish andwhattheyallowotherstopublish. YouwillneedtobeparticularlyawareofthefollowingsectionsoftheCode: ! ! ! ! Treatotherswithrespect.Avoidpersonalattacksanddisrespectful,rudeor offensivecomments. Complywithequalitylaws.Takecareinpublishinganythingthatmightbe consideredsexist,racist,ageist,homophobicorantifaith. Refrainfrompublishinganythingyouhavereceivedinconfidence. Ensureyoudontbringthecouncil,oryourcouncillorrole,intodisrepute.

StandardsforEngland,whilstnolongerinexistence,haspreparedaveryuseful specificguidancetocoverbloggingandsocialnetworkingandhasalreadyprovideda quickguidetobloggingatwww.tinyurl.com/blogstandards 23 | P a g e

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SocialMediaHandbook

Althoughthesewarningsmay seemstark,theyshouldntputyou offengagingonline.Useyour commonsense.Thethingsthatcan getyouinhotwateranywhereelse arethesamethingstoavoidin socialmedia.Mostcouncillorswho areusingsocialmediaengagewith citizensinentirelyconstructiveand oftencolourfulfashionswithout everengagingtheCodeofConduct orrunningfoulofthelaw
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SocialMediaHandbook Justusinggoodsense Althoughthesewarningsmayseemstark,theyshouldntputyouoffengaging online.Useyourcommonsense.Thethingsthatcangetyouinhotwateranywhere elsearethesamethingstoavoidinsocialmedia.Mostcouncillorswhoareusing socialmediaengagewithcitizensinentirelyconstructiveandoftencolourful fashionswithouteverengagingtheCodeofConductorrunningfoulofthelaw. Councillors,justlikeanyone,shouldalsotakedueregardofinternetsecurity. Usesecurepasswords(generallyovereightcharacterslongandusingamixof lettersandnumbers)andnevershareyourpasswordwithanyone.Ifyouare usingsharedITequipment,dontstoreyourpasswordonthecomputer. Therearefewadditionalthingstobeawaretoensureyouarewellrespected online.Forthosenewtotheonlineworlditcantakeashorttimetogetusedto thecultureoftheweb.

Avoidinggaffesandmaintaininggoodnetiquette MakeyourcommentingpolicyclearYouwillneedtotakenoteofthe commentsthatotherpeoplemakeonyoursite.Itmaybeafinelinetotread, butifyouallowoffensiveordisrespectfulcommentstostandonyoursitethen itcanputoffothermembersofyourcommunityandyoumayevenbecalledto accountundertheCodeofConduct.Forblogs,theeasiestwaytohandlethisis tomoderatecommentsandtostateclearlyonyoursitethatyouredoingso andreasonswhycommentsmayberejected.ForFacebookorothersocial networks,includingmultimediasiteslikeYouTubeandFlickrwherepeoplecan postpublicorsemipublicmessagestoyourprofile,youwillneedtoregularly checkonmessages(youcanbenotifiedbyemail)or,farlesspreferably,disable messageposting.Itisworthnotingthatyoucannotmoderatetwitterassuch butyoucanblockpeoplewhoarepostinginappropriatecomments. AllowdisagreementSomecommentsmaybeoutofline,butontheotherhand deletingthecommentsofpeoplewhodisagreewithyouwillbackfire.Youcant stopthemfrompostingthesamecommentelsewhere,thenlinkingbacktoyour siteandsayingyouaregaggingthosewhodisagreewithyou. ThinkbeforeyoupublishYoucantunringthatbell.Wordscantbeunspoken andevenifyoudeleteahastilyfiredoffblogpostortweetitwillprobablyhave

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SocialMediaHandbook alreadybeenreadandwillbeindexedorduplicatedinplacesontheweb beyondyourreach. BewaretheironyFewwritersareabletocommunicatesarcasmorirony throughshortonlinemessages.Itsprobablybesttoassumethatyoureoneof thosethatcant. DontbecreepySomeoftheterminologyinsocialmedia,likefollowingor friendingcanimplyanintimacythatsnotreallythere.Bothtermsjustmean youhavelinkedyouraccounttosomeoneelsesoyoucanshareinformation. Savvyinternetusersareusedtothis,butsomepeoplecanfeelafrissonof uneasewhentheircouncil,localpoliceserviceorcouncillorbeginsfollowing themonTwitterbeforeestablishingsomesortofonlinerelationship.Some councillorswaittobefollowedthemselvesfirst.Domakeuseofother communicationfunctionsthatsocialmediaallowsyou.Twitterslistfunction, forexample,canhelpyoutofollowlocalpeopleinalessdirectway.And bloggersarealmostinvariablyhappyforyoutolinktothem,soyoudontneed toaskfirstinthisinstance. Ownup:SocialmediaistransparentThebestbloggersadmitmistakesrather thantrytocoverthemup(whichisntpossibleonline).Amendingyourtextand acknowledgingyourmistakeperhapsbyputtingalinethroughtheoffending wordsandinsertingacorrectionorprovidinganupdatesectionatthebottom ofablogpostshowsyouarenotpretendingitneverhappened,andismuch betterthanjustdeletingitwhendealingwithonlinemisfires.

AvoidargumentswithvexatiousandextraneouscommentatorsYouknowthat personwhoalwaysshowsuptoareaforumsandasksthetrickybutentirely irrelevantquestions?Thatpersonhasanequallydifficultcousinwholikestogo online.Asyoubegintousesocialmedia,youllfindsomeargumentativecharacters outthere.Dontgetboggeddown.Youdonthavetorespondtoeverything.Ignoreif necessary.Alsoworthbearinginmindthatpeoplewillhavealotmoreconfidenceto saythingsbehindtheprotectionoftheirkeyboardthantheywouldinafacetoface conversation. 26 | P a g e

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UsefulLinks: http://socialmedia.21st.cc/
The21stCenturyCouncillorsocialmediasite.Willprovideyouwithallyouneedto getmoreinvolvedinsocialmedia.

www.tweetyhall.co.uk
Websitewhichallowsyoutotracklocalpoliticsinrealtime,astheytrackpopular stories,localcouncilsandofcourselocalcouncillorsthemselves,helpingtoconnect themwiththepeopletheyrepresent.TweetyHallalsorunsablog,whichsharesthe mostinterestingandinnovativelocalgovernmentwebpractice.

http://cllrsocmed.wordpress.com/
ThisspacehasbeencreatedforCouncillors(andofficerswhoworkwiththem).

http://localopolis.blogspot.com/
Theaimofthisblogistoshare101differentwaysofdoinglocaldemocracy.Thislink isparticularlyusefulhttp://localopolis.blogspot.com/p/socialmediaforlocal government.html

http://davepress.net/2008/02/15/8tipsforbeginnerbloggers/
8tipsforbeginnerbloggers

http://davepress.net/
DavePressisablogabouttheimpactthatsocialtechnologyhasonorganisations, withaparticularslantonthepublicsector. http://ingridkoehler.com/ Expertblogonnetworkingandtransparencyforbettergovernance.

http://gr8governance.blogspot.com/2011/01/governanceand councillorssomesocial.html
BlogfromaDemocraticServicesOfficer

http://blog.localdemocracy.org.uk/
Ablogaboutrepresentativedemocracy,socialmediaandaconversationalpolitics.

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SocialMediaHandbook KnowledgeHub https://knowledgehub.local.gov.uk KnowledgeHubistheLocalGovernmentAssociations(LGA)onlineplatformfor buildingprofessionalnetworksinthelocalgovernmentsector. TheKnowledgeHubusesthelatesttechnologyandsocialnetworkingmodelsto enablecouncillorsto: ! createconnectionstopeersandexpertsintheirfieldsofinterest ! helpthemsharelearning,experiencesandideas ! drivesectorselfregulationandimprovement KnowledgeHubofferstheopportunity: ! tocollaborateingroupsonparticularthemes ! toconnectwithcolleaguesacrosslocalgovernmentandfollowtheiractivity ! toshareyourthoughtsandideaswithothersthroughyourblog KnowledgeHubcanhelpyouenhanceyourexpertise,discovermoreefficient workingpracticesandbeinspiredtodevelopnewandinnovativewaysofleading andsupportingyourlocalcommunity. Itincludesacleversearchfunctionthatwillnotonlyhelpyoufindthingsmoreeasily, butsuggestinformation,groupsandconnectionstoyoubasedonyourprofileand activity.Informationflowsfreelyaroundthesystem,encouragingopen conversationsandmeaningyoudon'tmissoutonvaluablelearningandexperience, evenifit'shappeninginagroupyou'renotamemberof. Connect,shareandlearngetstartedonKnowledgeHubtoday. https://knowledgehub.local.gov.uk

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JargonBusting17:

http://www.geek.com/articles/geekcetera/socialmediaexplainedwithdonuts20120210/

A
Anarchivemayrefertotopicsfromanonlinediscussionthathasbeenclosedbut savedforlaterreference.Onblogs,archivesarecollectionsofearlieritemsusually organisedbyweekormonth.Youmaystillbeabletocommentonarchiveditems.

17

Adapted from http://socialmedia.wikispaces.com/A-Z+of+social+media

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SocialMediaHandbook AppPopularizedinthegenerallexiconbytheiPhone,anappissimplyanapplication thatperformsaspecificfunctiononyourcomputerorhandhelddevice.Appsrunthe gamutfromWebbrowsersandgamestospecializedprogramslikedigitalrecorders, onlinechatormusicplayers.

Alertstooltogetasearchenginetotellyouwheneveranewpageispublishedon thewebwhichincludesyourspecifickeyword

B
Blogeditorlesswebpublishingtool.Eg.WordPress,Blogger,MovableType Blogospheregeneraltermforalltheblogsontheinternet Blogrolllistofrecommendedblogs Bookmarkingissavingtheaddressofawebsiteoritemofcontentinyourbrowser.If youaddtags,otherscaneasilyuseyourresearchtoo,andthesocialbookmarking sitebecomesanenormouspubliclibrary.Ifgroupsagreethetagsthey'lluse,it makescollaborativeresearchmucheasier. Abrowseristhetoolusedtoviewwebsites,andaccessallthecontentavailable thereonscreenorbydownloading.Browsersmayalsohavefeaturesincludingthe abilitytoreadfeeds,writeblogitems,viewanduploadphotostophotosharingsites. Browsershavebecomethecentraltoolforusingsocialmediaasmoreandmore toolspreviouslyusedonourdesktopsarebecomingfreeonline.

C
Cloudcomputing:Internetbasedcomputingwherebysharedresources,software andinformationareprovidedtocomputersandotherdevicesondemand,likethe electricitygrid.Crucially,privatefilesarestoredofftheownersterminalsothey canbeaccessedanywhereintheworld. Comments:blogsmayallowreaderstoaddcommentsunderitems,andmayalso provideafeedforcommentsaswellasformainitems.Thatmeansyoucankeepup withconversationswithouthavingtorevisitthesitetocheckwhetheranythinghas beenadded. Crowdsourcingreferstoharnessingtheskillsandenthusiasmofthoseoutsidean organisationwhoarepreparedtovolunteertheirtimecontributingcontentand solvingproblems. 30 | P a g e

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SocialMediaHandbook CyberspacehasbeenwidelyusedasageneraltermfortheInternetorWorldWide Web.Morerecentlyblogospherehasemergedasatermforinterconnectedblogs.

E
Email:ElectronicmailismessagestransmittedovertheInternet.Thesemaybe simplytext,oracompaniedbyattachmentslikedocuments,imagesorothercontent. Emaillists,orgroups,areimportantnetworkingtoolsofferingthefacilityto starburstamessagefromacentralpostboxtoanynumberofsubscribers,andfor themtorespond.Listsusuallyofferafacilityforreadingandreplyingthroughaweb pagesotheycanalsooperatelikeforums.ThiswebpagemayofferanRSSfeedso joiningupoldandnewtools.However,thereissomethingofadividebetweenblog basedconversationsandthoseonlistsandforumsbecausetheformeraredispersed acrossanetwork,andthelatterdon'tuuallyallowtaggingorsucheasylinking.

F
Folksonomy:Taxonomiesarecentralisedwaysofclassifyinginformationasin libraries.Folksonomiesarethewayfolkcreatelessstructuredwaysofclassifyingby addingtags. Forumsarediscussionareasonwebsites,wherepeoplecanpostmessagesor commentonexistingmessagesasynchronouslythatis,independentlyoftimeor place.Chatisthesynchronousequivalent.Beforeblogsdeveloped,emaillistsand forumswerethemainmeansofconversingonline.Forumdiscussionshappeninone place,andsocanbemanagedandfacilitatedinwaysthatblogconversationscan't becausethesearehappeninginmanydifferentplacescontrolledbytheirauthors. Friend(noun)apersonwithwhomyouhaveamutuallyagreedconnection Friend(verb)theactofaddingapersontoyoursocialgraphonaparticularsocial network.Eg.friendmeonFacebook FriendListauserspersonalsubcategorisationoffriendsonasocialnetworkeg. Coworkers,CurrentFriends,Clients,OldFriends 31 | P a g e

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SocialMediaHandbook FollowerAuserwhohaschosentosubscribetoyourcontent,e.g.onTwitter.

G
Groupsarecollectionsofindividualswithsomesenseofunitythroughtheir activities,interestsorvalues.Theyarebounded:youareinagroup,ornot.They differinthisfromnetworks,whicharedispersed,anddefinedbynodesand connections.Emaillistsandforumssiteasilywithboundedgroups,blogswith networksalthoughthematchwithtoolsisnotentirelyclearcut.Agroupmayusea blog,andanemaillistmayserveanetwork.

H
Hashtag:InventedbyHubTagandpopularisedbyTwitter,ahashtagenablesusers tofindallthetweetslinkedtoatopicwhentheyuseaTwittersearchenginesuchas TwitterSearch.Forexample,thehashtag:#leadersdebatewasusedtoseewhat peopleweresayingonTwitterabouttheGeneralElection2010. Host(asinwebhost)

I
Instantmessaging:(IM)ischatwithoneotherperson.UsinganIMtoollikeAOL InstantMessenger,MicrosoftLiveMessengerorYahooMessenger.Thetoolsallow youtoindicatewhetherornotyouareavailableforachat,andifsocanbeagood alternativetoemailsforarapidexchange.Problemsarisewhenpeopleinagroup areusingdifferentIMtoolsthatdon'tconnect.Onewayaroundthisistouseatool likeSkypethatalsoprovidesIM

J K L
"Like"isawaytogivepositivefeedbackortoconnectwiththingsyoucareabouton Facebook.Youcanlikecontentthatyourfriendsposttogivethemfeedbackorlikea PagethatyouwanttoconnectwithonFacebook.Youcanalsoconnecttocontent andPagesthroughsocialpluginsoradvertisementsonandoffFacebook. 32 | P a g e

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SocialMediaHandbook Linksarethehighlightedtextorimagesthat,whenclicked,jumpyoufromoneweb pageoritemofcontenttoanother.Bloggersuselinksalotwhenwriting,to referencetheirownorothercontent.Linkingisanotheraspectofsharing,bywhich youoffercontentthatmaybelinked,andacknowledgethevalueofother'speople's contributionsbylinkingtothem.Itispartofbeingopenandgenerous. Listeningintheblogosphereistheartofskimmingfeedstoseewhattopicsare bubblingup,andalsosettingupsearchesthatmonitorwhenyouoryour organisationismentioned. Location:thenatureoflocationandpresenceischangedbytheInternetandsocial media,becauseyoucanbeactiveonlineinmanydifferentplaces,includinginvirtual worlds. Logginginistheprocesstogainingaccesstoawebsitethatrestrictsaccessto content,andrequiresregistration.Thisusuallyinvolvestypinginausernameand password.Theusernamemaybeyour"real"name,oracombinationofletters and/ornumberschosenforthepurpose. Lurkersarepeoplewhoreadbutdon'tcontributeoraddcommentstoforums.The onepercentruleofthumbsuggestsaboutonepercentofpeoplecontributenew contenttoanonlinecommunity,anotherninepercentcomment,andtherestlurk. However,thismaynotbeapassiverolebecausecontentreadonforumsmayspark interactionelsewhere.

Meetingsareimportantinsocialnetworkinginatleasttwoways.First,they acceleratetheprocessofpeoplegettingtoknoweachother.SeeFacetoface. Second,theopenandfluidstyleofsocialmediaismakingthoseusingitimpatient withcommitteestylemeetingsandconferencesdominatedbyplatformspeakers. Withalittlecommitmentitispossibletoagreesomemeetingtopicsbeforehand, circulatematerial,capturediscussionatthetime,carryondiscussionsafterwards... ormaybenothavethemeetingatall.UseVoiceoverIP,chat,instantmessaging... orevenagettogetherinavirtualworld.

N
Networksarestructuresdefinedbynodesandtheconnectionsbetweenthem.In socialnetworksthenodesarepeople,andtheconnectionsaretherelationshipsthat theyhave.Networkingistheprocessbywhichyoudevelopandstrengthenthose relationships. 33 | P a g e

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SocialMediaHandbook Anewsreaderisawebsiteordesktoptoolthatactsasanaggregator,gathering contentfromblogsandsimilarsitesusingRSSfeedssoyoucanreadthecontentin oneplace,insteadofhavingtovisitdifferentsites.

O
OnlinemeansbeingconnectedtotheInternet,andalsobeingthereinthesenseof readingorproducingcontent. Offlinemeansnotonline,thatis,notconnectedtotheInternet.Itmayrefertoan unconnectedcomputer,oractivitiestakingplacewithoutthebenefit(orperhaps distraction)ofaconnection.

P
Page(akaBrandPage,FanPage)theanthropomorphicrepresentationofabrand withinasocialnetwork.Eg.NutellaFanPage.Thisworksbothwaysandcanbethe brandrepresentationofapersonwithinasocialnetworkeg.MichaelPhelpsfan page,BritishCycling(www.becomeafan.com/cycling) Peertopeerreferstodirectinteractionbetweentwopeopleinanetwork.Inthat network,eachpeerwillbeconnectedtootherpeers,openingtheopportunityfor furthersharingandlearning. Permalinkistheaddress(URL)ofanitemofcontent,forexampleablogpost,rather thantheaddressofawebpagewithlotsofdifferentitems.Youwilloftenfinditat theendofablogpost. PhotosharingisuploadingyourimagestoawebsitelikeFlickr.Youcanaddtagsand offerpeopletheopportunitytocommentorevenreuseyourphotosifyouaddan appropriatecopyrightlicense. Aplatformistheframeworkorsystemwithinwhichtoolswork.Thatplatformmay beasbroadasmobiletelephony,orasnarrowasapieceofsoftwarethathas differentmoduleslikeblogs,forums,andwikisinasuiteoftools.Asmoreandmore toolsoperate"outthere"ontheweb,ratherthanonyourdesktop,peoplereferto "theInternetastheplatform".Thathasadvantages,butpresentschallengesin learninglotsofdifferenttools,andgettingthemtojoinup. Apodcastisaudioorvideocontentthatcanbedownloadedautomaticallythrougha subscriptiontoawebsitesoyoucanvieworlistenoffline. Apostisanitemonablogorforum. 34 | P a g e

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SocialMediaHandbook Presenceonlinehas(atleast)twoaspects.Oneiswhetheryoushowupwhen someonedoesasearchonyourname.Ifnot,nogoodpretendingtobeanonline guru.Thesecondiswhetheryouusetoolsthatshowyouareavailableforcontactby instantmessaging,voiceoverIP,orothersynchronousmethodsofcommunication. Profilesaretheinformationthatyouprovideaboutyourselfwhensigningupfora socialnetworkingsite.Aswellasapictureandbasicinformation,thismayinclude yourpersonalandbusinessinterests,a"blurb"aboutyourself,andtagstohelp peoplesearchforlikemindedpeople.

Q R
Registrationistheprocessofprovidingausername,passwordandotherdetails whenseekingtoaccessawebsitethathasrestrictedaccess.Seeloggingin. RetweetingisanintegralpartoftheTwitterexperience.Theretweet(orRT) allowsTwitteruserstosharethebestlinks,tweets,andgemstheyfindfromothers usingtheservice. RSSisshortforReallySimpleSyndication.Thisallowsyoutosubscribetocontenton blogsandothersocialmediaandhaveitdeliveredtoyouthroughafeed.

S
SearchingforinformationontheNetisdoneusingasearchengine,ofwhichGoogle isthebestknown.SpecialistsearchengineslikeTechnoraticoncentrateonblogs.As wellassearchingbywordorphraseyoucansearchontags,andsofindcontent othershavekeyworded. Sharingisofferingotherpeopletheuseofyourtext,images,video,bookmarksor othercontentbyaddingtags,andapplyingcopyrightlicensesthatencourageuseof content. SubscribingistheprocessofaddinganRSSfeedtoyouraggregatorornewsreader. It'stheonlineequivalentofsigningupforamagazine,butusuallyfree. Statusisadescriptionofwhatauserisdoingrightnow.E.g.Markiswritinga glossaryofSocialMediaterms

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T
Tagsarekeywordsattachedtoablogpost,bookmark,photoorotheritemof contentsoyouandotherscanfindthemeasilythroughsearchesandaggregation. Tagscanusuallybefreelychosenandsoformpartofafolksonomywhile categoriesarepredeterminedandarepartofataxonomy. Teleconferencingisholdingameetingwithoutbeinginthesameplace,usinga networkconnectionandtoolslikeVoiceoverIP,InstantMessaging,Video,and Whiteboards. Threadsarestrandsofconversation.Onanemaillistorwebforumtheywillbe definedbymessagesthatusetheusethesamesubject.Onblogstheyarelessclearly defined,butemergethroughcommentsandtrackbacks. Toolisusedhereasshorthandforasoftwareapplicationsonyourcomputer,and alsoforapplicationsthatareWebbased. Atopicinanonlinediscussionisanidea,issuetalkingpointinaconversationthat ismadeupofthreads.

U
TouploadistotransferafileorothercontentfromyourcomputertoanInternet site. URL:UniqueResourceLocatoristhetechnicaltermforawebaddresslike http://www.bbc.co.uk Usergeneratedcontentistext,photosandothermaterialproducedbypeoplewho previouslyjustconsumed

V
VoiceoverInternetProtocol(VOIP)enablesyoutouseacomputerorotherInternet deviceforphonecallswithoutadditionalcharge,includingconferencecalls.Byusing headphonesandamicrophoneyoucanalsofreeyourhandstouseinstant messagingtokeepasharednoteofconversations,oruseothervirtualpresence tools.YoucanuseVoiceoverIPtodointerviewsforPodcasts.ThebestknownVOIP toolisSkype.

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W
Wallshareddiscussionboardspecificallyaboutanindividualanddisplayedonthe individualprofile. Web2.0isatermcoinedbyO'ReillyMediain2004todescribeblogs,wikis,social networkingsitesandotherInternetbasedservicesthatemphasizecollaborationand sharing,ratherthanlessinteractivepublishing(Web1.0).Itisassociatedwiththe ideaoftheInternetasplatform. Webbasedtools:Google,Yahooandahostofothercommercialorganisations provideanincreasingrangeoffreeorlowcosttoolsincludingemail,calendars,word processing,andspreadsheetsthatcanbeusedonthewebratherthanyourdesktop. Providedyouarehappytoentrustyourdatatotheseorganisationsandarealways onlinewhenworkingyoucanreduceyoursoftwarecostssignificantlyandforget aboutupgrades. Widgetsareastandaloneapplicationsyoucanembedinotherapplications,likea websiteoradesktop,orviewonitsownonaPDA.Thesemayhelpyoutodothings likesubscribetoafeed,doaspecialistsearch,orevenmakeadonation. Whiteboardsonlinearetheequivalentofglossysurfaceswhereyoucanwritewith anappropriatemarkerpenandwipeofflater.Theyaretoolsthatenableyouto writeorsketchonawebpage,andassuchareusefulincollaborationonline. Awikiisawebpageorsetofpagesthatcanbeeditedcollaboratively.Thebest knownexampleiswikipedia,anencyclopediacreatedbythousandsofcontributors acrosstheworld.Oncepeoplehaveappropriatepermissionssetbythewikiowner theycancreatepagesand/oraddtoandalterexistingpages.Wikisareagoodway forpeopletowriteadocumenttogether,insteadofemailingfilestoandfro.You don'thavetousewikisforcollaborativeworkingtheycanjustbeaquickandeasy wayofcreatingawebsite.Althoughwikisareeasytouse,thatdoesn'tmean everyoneinagroupwillcommittotheirusewithsimilarenthusiasm.See commitment,readiness.

X Y
Yammer,Inc.isanenterprisesocialnetworkservicethatwaslaunchedinSeptember 2008.[1]UnlikeTwitter,whichisusedforbroadcastingmessagestothepublic, 37 | P a g e

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SocialMediaHandbook Yammerisusedforprivatecommunicationwithinorganizationsorbetween organizationalmembersandpredesignatedgroups.

Z

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Acknowledgments
Thisguideisheavilyindebtedtothefollowingsourcesandtheyhavebeen referencedwhereappropriate: ! ConnectedCouncillorsAguidetousingsocialmediatosupportlocal leadershipwww.tinyurl.com/connectedcouncillors ! LocalbySocialhowLocalAuthoritiescanusesocialmediatoachievemore forlesswww.tinyurl.com/locbysoc ! www.euansemple.com ! http://socialmedia.21st.cc/2010/03/toptenreasonstousesocialmedia/

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