Issue/Topic:  Integrating Social Media into Mission and Operations

From the Open Government Directive Workshop, January 11, 2010 at the US Department of Transportation

Session Number – Space/Location Letter __1__ - __M__

Convener:   Karen Malkin

Notes-taker:   Karen Malkin

"Tags” for the session - Open Government Topics discussed:

Integrating Social Media into Mission and Operations

Discussion notes, key understandings, outstanding questions, observations, and, if appropriate to this discussion: action items, next steps:

Key is agency mission – why does this agency exist?  Social media provides tools to help further mission – need content tie in, more than technology

Direct specific social media application to specific target audience to serve Agency mission goal.

The tools will only work if both the agency employees and public use them.  Incentive to use when can demonstrate the tools support the work in the trenches – much more than just PR and Department-level, high-level work, need to use at program/field level

Use social media tool to design the program application online to meet customer specifications and then once tool is up, e.g., online transactional form, need chat function for customer to be able to ask questions – need continuous feedback loop on application process as well.

How to recreate “word of mouth” culture online using social media?  Needs cooperation/support of employees to use social media to enable agency modernization