1. Communicating in the Digital Age The Internet, Government 2.0 and the future March 18, 2010 Presented at: The Ministry of Home Affairs Singapore Shubhodeep Pal Singapore Management University (SMU) http://twitter.com/shubhodeep_pal
2. Agenda The New Landscape Government 2.0 – sowing the seeds An analysis of some social media tools Gearing up for the future Communicating in the Digital Age 2
3. The three key words of communication Traditionally, the medium has been chosen depending on the message. What How & Where Now… all three words can be answered by one word… Communicating in the Digital Age 3
4. Medium? What medium? The Internet has put everything at one place… TV, Radio, Newspapers, Telephony, Books, Music… Communicating in the Digital Age 4
6. What has changed? Now the three words have to be answered in a different context. The Internet is in itself a culture. Establishing what, how and where now happens within the Internet. Communicating in the Digital Age 6
7. Convergence What can you communicate on the Internet? Now… Turn this question on its head. Communicating in the Digital Age 7
8. What can you not do on the Internet? Communicating in the Digital Age 8
9. Where are we spending time these days? Communicating in the Digital Age 9
11. “Digital Natives” “…thanks to the internet, digital natives will grow up to be more responsible citizens, using their technological expertise to campaign on social issues and exercise closer scrutiny over their governments… Examples abound, from Barack Obama’s online campaign to activism on Twitter… ” Communicating in the Digital Age 11
14. The future is online A three-year study by the MacArthur Foundation found that spending time online is “essential for young people to pick up the social and technical skills they need to be competent citizens in the digital age”. Communicating in the Digital Age 14
16. What does this shift imply for governments? Internet User Statistics (3Q 2009, InternetWorldStats) - Total Internet Users in Singapore: 3,370,000 - Internet Penetration Rate in Singapore: 72.4% Increasing use of social media by netizens The Internet can tell governments what its citizens are thinking and saying Also, it can let citizens talk to the Government Communicating in the Digital Age 16
17. How governments can help themselves Social technologies make connecting to the public simple and powerful Mechanisms for combating negative publicity Gauging public sentiment to help inform public policy Advertising job vacancies/ agency needs Live broadcast coverage of niche events Saving money – social software can replace phone calls, focus groups, and airline tickets Communicating in the Digital Age 17 Source: MediaShift
18. ThreeChallenges The Problem of Scale The Problem of Controls and Privacy The Problem of No Choice Cultural Issues (an added consideration) Communicating in the Digital Age 18
19. Do not be overwhelmed! Communicating in the Digital Age 19
20. Simplifying slightly… Syndicated Web Feeds (RSS) Blogs Wikis Multimedia: Video , Photo Sharing, Podcasting Social Networking Sites Mashups Widgets Virtual Worlds Communicating in the Digital Age 20 Source: USA.gov
22. Should governments use blogs? Attracts new audiences for government information and services Allows a wider dissemination of government-related information (esp. targeting youth) Puts a human face on government Communicating in the Digital Age 22 Source: USA.gov
24. Getting ready to blog? Issues to Consider –Who can write/represent the agency? –Enough content of interest? –Long-term commitment? –What content? Who reviews? –Comments? Either way, communicate with bloggers Communicating in the Digital Age 24 Source: USA.gov
31. What do we know now? Rich content like videos and photographs are appealing Messages can be delivered quickly and with high impact Preferably, encourage the use of tools attract the largest audience. Eg. YouTube Communicating in the Digital Age 31
32. Do you recognise this symbol? Communicating in the Digital Age 32
34. Using RSS feeds productively Use RSS reader e.gGoogle Reader Promote use of RSS feeds in organization Use feeds to get e-mail alerts Publish feeds for government websites Communicating in the Digital Age 34 Source: USA.gov
37. Making a difference… Incredibly useful in spreading information with speed Genuine causes can go viral overnight and gain immense support Managing crises (Spreading the word/preventing inflammation) Communicating in the Digital Age 37
38. How to makethe most impact? Communicating in the Digital Age 38
39. Channel Selection All channels do not merit selection Look for maximum impact channels Multiple channels might make the message incoherent Never give a tool more importance than your message Communicating in the Digital Age 39
42. Scaling the barriers Listen Accept change Collaborate across organisations to establish protocols and best practices Be ready to change and adapt on the run Communicating in the Digital Age 42
43. Acknowledgements Professor Michael Netzley for his guidance. The wonderful support system that is the Internet. Communicating in the Digital Age 43
Editor's Notes
Message, tools, audience
The tools you use on the Internet depend on your message and audience
Scale – the internet is huge – effficient means to listen and talk – conversations will be happening everywhere, which place do you choose to talk Controls and privacy – in an open economy, there is the problem of how and you control what someone is saying (good and bad) Also governments have their own sensitive data and information that might be inadvertently revealed online if it opens itself upUnavoidability – cant stay away from the internet- sooner or later you have to succumb to it and abide by the rules that are created on the internetCultural issues havent become very important because the internet effectively removes all categorisations – but might affect the way people interpret information and in a multi cultural land like Singapore – sensitivity to such differences might pay rich dividends
Clarify that you will speak only about a few toolsRemoves a feeling of disconnect
