Strategia di comunicazione

Gianni Florido e la Provincia di Taranto

From Facebook to government:How to switch online

The role of social media to improvedecision-making in public policy

Rome, February 7th, 2011Social media week Take Action! Online engagement and the power to change the world

Dino Amenduni, Italy

Who is the speaker?My name is Dino Amenduni

I am 27, I graduated in work, communication and organization psychology with a post-degree (master) in marketing

I am the new media team leader and advisor for political communication at Proforma (Proforma – website), an ad agency in Bari, a city in Southern Italy where I was born and where I live

Proforma designed the strategy and concept of Michele Emiliano, Mayor of Bari (2004 and 2009) and Nichi Vendola, Apulia Governor (2005 and 2010) electoral campaigns.

Who is the speaker?I have co-led EmiLab, a group of 150 volounteers under30 supporting Michele Emiliano, Mayor of Bari, (Partito Democratico, centre-left party) Michele Emiliano – fanpage on Facebook

I am the social media team leader of Nichi Vendola, Governor of Apulia and national spokesman of Sinistra e Libertà (Left-oriented party out of Italian Parliament) Nichi Vendola – fanpage on Facebook

I am a blogger on Fatto Quotidiano, a national daily newspaperDino Amenduni - blog on Fatto Quotidiano

What are we talking about?

Michele Emiliano – “the mayor of Facebook” and the “fannulloni (idlers) – operation”

Needs and conditions for using social media as a boost for better public policy

Perspectives for a “web 2.0” government

Keynotes

Why did (and how) Emiliano did become a national opinion leader?

Why did (and how) is Emiliano appreciated as an innovator for his use of social media?

Why does using social media in politics entail strategic advantages in any case?

Michele Emiliano

Taking care of a town via Facebook

Emiliano, the Mayor of Facebook

Michele Emiliano has been the Mayor of Bari, regional capital of Apulia (about 350k citizens) since 2004. He is the regional chairman of Partito Democratico, left-oriented italian national party

His re-election campaign in 2009 was handled by EmiLab, a 150-under30 group of volounteers

He won the local elections in June of 2009: at that time he was the Mayor in Italy with the highest number of Facebook supporters in Italy

Since September 2010 he has managed Facebook himself

Emiliano, the Mayor of FacebookHis way of leading his fanpage made him very

popular in town and in political web-sphere. Some strategical features of his work:

-He liveblogs town councils (answering comments of citizens in realtime);- He tells about his activities as chairman of PD;- He talks about national political themes, personal feelings, events in town;- He talks on his wall with all citizens;- He shares his daily agenda (public and private appointments);- He makes photos and videos by himself;- He shares contents recommended by his supporters

Emiliano, the Mayor of Facebook

His way of managing Facebook raises controversy in the public opinion (especially on press) because of:

- His way of speaking (very informal);

- His lack of diplomacy (he writes everything he thinks);

- His high ability to attract attention and provoke thoughts;

- His use of Facebook to communicate top stories, pre-empting them even before with press and TV;

- His use of Facebook to promote civic campaigns and to listen to social complaints

Emiliano, the Facebook dailyEmiliano appears himself in a picture with some schoolchildren:I can’t describe my emotion […] Teachers and school principals have been able to make two classrooms of pupils win the first prize of President of the Republic Giorgio Napolitano. I’m so proud of them!

Emiliano, the Facebook dailyEmiliano has shot a video with his mobile phoneI met two fellow citizens, like two fiancés […] they made a wish: to see the Petruzzelli theatre. No sooner said, than done.

Emiliano, the Facebook dailyEmiliano is jubilant: Bari (Italian serie A football team) scoredGOOOL Bari ties!

Emiliano, the Facebook dailyEmiliano looks for feedback after an interview on a national TV programme Here is the video of my interview at “Invasioni Barbariche”. Please make your suggestions as what i’didn’t say or said badly. If you want, share them with those who didn’t watch the programme and let me know tell their reactions. Otherwise, you can invite them to write them here. Thanks from the heart.

Emiliano and “fannulloni”A citizen shared this picture on Michele Emiliano’s FB fanpage (January 2011), asking why these workers from AMIU (Municipal Agency for Environmental Health and Waste Management) are not at work during their shift

Emiliano and “fannulloni”Emiliano re-posted the pic on his wall, commenting:

That picture portrays people chatting and the person who sent me the picture states that in the street where he lives street cleaners don’t clear the street well enough. If one of the workers recognizes himself in picture, he could explain to us why he was talking with colleagues during work hours instead of doing work […]. A little courage is necessary, otherwise we have to ask citizens to keep on taking photos and making videos.

Emiliano and “fannulloni” – reactions on media and public

opinionThis story was reported by main national broadcasting media

Emiliano was interviewed by the press, radio and tv

Bloggers and columnists talked about “fannulloni-operation” for days

Trade unions, public workers and a part of the public opinion complained about these methods

CGIL, the most important Italian Trade Union (left-oriented) asked Emiliano to “close down his Facebook page”

Emiliano and “fannulloni” – local reactions

Citizens keep on posting photos and videos about public workers’ slackness and report malfunction and decays in many districts of Bari

Citizens also report good behaviors of public workers

AMIU started to communicate with citizens on Facebook

Emiliano continues to confront himself with citizens, stakeholders, journalists about his way of using Facebook and keeps on using social media to promote campaigns and opinions

Emiliano and “fannulloni” – some reactions

Emiliano vs. CGIL (Trade Union): They accused me of wanting to start a campaing against them on the media. It’s not true. I just shared a picture of a citizen who was asking me for an explanation […] I won’t allow conspiracy of silence […] you should confront Italian people.

Emiliano and “fannulloni” – some reactions

Emiliano reported a positive feedback about AMIU workers:A citizen posted this on my wall: “I want to inform you that the street cleaners in Piazza Mercantile do their job properly , in spite of the incivilty of citizens […]” GOOD JOB, GUYS!

Emiliano and “fannulloni” – some reactions

Emiliano posted a note to reply two local policemen:The people i represent ask you, as well as i do, that police makes do their duty properly and tactfully. […] You shouldn’t be afraid if some citizens post photos of misconducts on my wall. They’re more than willing to support you, to resepct you and be on your side […]

Emiliano and “fannulloni” – some reactions

Emiliano posted a video sent by a citizen, reporting an abuse of authority by policeI haven’t authorized anyone to reserve 30 parking places […] which turned out to be for the guests of a policeman wedding […]. This is unacceptable and shameful […] That will never happen again and i will immediately start investigations in order to find out how that could happen.

Emiliano and “fannulloni” – some reactions

Emiliano posted a photo sent by a citizen showing a police car parked in double line These people should be aware that they work for the benefit of citizens who pay for their salary. […] In this way they fuel the false idea that all public workers are the same. And it’s not true.

Fannulloni-operation: strong points

Huge boost to his Facebook fanpage (and to Emiliano’s national popularity);

Genuine interaction with his fellow citizens;

Citizens feel more represented by public authorities

Fannulloni-operation: weaknesses

This is not a scientific method. It depends on citizens’effort and not on a public control system;

This method encourages the use of a public Facebook fanpage (of a Mayor of a big town) to inform on others;

Emiliano is the Mayor, so he is mainly responsible for the lack of lawfulness, most of all in public companies (handled using political power to appoint managers)

Fannulloni-operations: opportunities

This method could prevent wrong or illegal behaviors by public workers and citizens in general;

With time, this method could avoid waste of money, time and energy now spent to control public workers; Emiliano stimulates a greater sense of responsability in public workers (who are exposed to public criticism);

This method could be scientific if managed by town municipality, by public warning of inefficency (and not just by suspecting people of be slack at their job) via social media and internal check for charges

Fannulloni-operations: threats

This could make public workers and people on constant fear of being exposed on Facebook without a real reason;

Nobody could prevent the improper use of Facebook to attack someone or put him in a bad light in the Mayor’s eyes and in those of citizens and the public opinion;

His Political opponents could use the contents posted on Emiliano’s Facebook page to attack him or to prove citizens he is not able to maintain lawfulness in his town

Emiliano and “fannulloni” – what happened on Facebook

Facebook pages increased rate on January 2011 in Italy in Politics (source: Baroncelli.eu - Baroncelli.eu – website)

Emiliano, although he is only the Mayor of a city, he scored was the third highest number of new supporters on a fanpage in January 2011. Only Vendola and Berlusconi are ahead of him

Emiliano and “fannulloni” – what is happening in town

Emiliano is number 7 in ranking among most beloved Mayors in Italy of 2010. In 2009 he was 23°.

This proves key-role on social media in gaining and keeping consensus and shows a positive way of using the social network pages

Emiliano and “fannulloni” – what mayor thinks about

I know that the picture itself doesn’t prove anything, but too many people everywhere don’t do their duty and citizens are tired of putting up with it.

(interview, La Repubblica, 11 January, 2011)

Grazie!Un grande abbraccio

Dino AmenduniFacebook: http://www.facebook.com/dinoamenduni

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/doonie

LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/dinoamenduni

Slideshare: http://www.slideshare.net/doonie (here you can find this

slideshow)

ProformaSite: http://www.proformaweb.it

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/proformaweb

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/proformaweb

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/proformaweb