How Can Governments Use Social Media

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The February 11th topic for Social Media Club Phoenix is a look at Government Uses of Social Media, which was taken from our Uservoice forum.  .

BY THE PEOPLE, FOR THE PEOPLE: How Social Should Governments Be Online

On one hand, Governments exist to serve the people, so you might expect Social Media to be an easy engagement for them to make.  Unfortunately, things like open meeting laws, limited budgets, and stressed resources can make it a challenge.  We’re seeing unprecedented use of Social Media at the National level, both in the Presidential Campaigns and with a growing number of officials, but is it starting to trickle down to the local level?  YouTube has pulled together videos for the President to answer – could virtual town halls become the norm?  What about using Social Media for greater access to Government information and resources?

This is a huge topic, and I encourage everyone to come down and participate in this discussion. You do not need to be personally working with Government entities to have good ideas and input for the panel. This is an area of Social Media that does not get as much discussion as business applications, but is in some ways even more important to all of us.

If you have specific topics you would like to cover, leave a comment here.

Moderator:

Panelists:

• Charlie Meyer, City Manager – City of Tempe,  charlie_meyer@tempe.gov, Charlie Meyer City of Tempe
• Samuel Richard, Founder & Columnist – Downtown Phoenix Journal, Spirit of Service Coordinator – ASU, Board Member – YNPN,  sam@samuelrichard.org, @samuelisaac
• Onnie Shekurjian, City Councilwoman – City of Tempe,  onnie_shekerjian@tempe.gov Onnie Shekurjian City of Tempe
• Matt Wynn, Senior Data Reporter -The Arizona Republic, Matt.Wynn@arizonarepublic.com, @mattwynn

Social Media 101

Evo Terra will be hosting Social Media 101 at 5:30 — sharp! This month Evo will tie into the Government theme with Internet Privacy and Security. We all have an incredible amount of information available online, and protecting it is critically important.

Because he only has about 45 minutes for the class plus a Q & A session, please be on time. The class will end at 6:15, giving everyone plenty of time to make it to the main SMCPHX meeting that starts promptly at 6:30.

Feel free to come to either or both talks, at the Jobing.com offices!