On line engagement: gathering feedback, successes and learning

Siu-Ming TamFirst Assistant StatisticianAustralian Bureau of StatisticsJuly, 2011

Outline• Background operating

environment• Gov2.0 in Australia

• ABS experience in using social media to engage with citizens• Successes• Challenges• Learning

Growing movement for open Govt and access

Key Themes

Liberate public sector information for open access

Public agencies and servants engage using Web 2.0 tools

Change command and control culture by encouraging and rewarding engagement.

ABS Online Engagement

• Government direction/aspiration• Connecting People, Problems and

Solutions• User case types

• Promote of key work programs or events• Consult/collaborate on statistical program

or product• Crowd sourcing for ABS website

Engagement level – Information sharing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g85RNPPm8cM&feature=relmfu

Info and promotion (1/1)

Census Lowedown on FAQs

Census Song

Two Camels and a Census

Information and promotion (2/2)

Census Lowedown on FAQs

Census Song

Two Camels and a Census

Be aware of mis-information

ABC Satirical Program on Population Census

Anti-Census campaigns

Engagement Level - Consultation

Engagement level – Participation and Collaboration

http://betaworks.abs.gov.au/betaworks/betaworks.nsf

Quotes (1/3)

Quotes (2/3)

Quotes (3/3)

Some successes

• Audience/non-audience participation in conferences• Tweets during conferences

• Successfully filling a need• Graduate Recruitment on ABS Facebook• One hour half line• 80% discussions not on your media

• Improvement of ABS outcomes• Betaworks

Learning

• Learning how to engage and collaborate• Information slides = 10• Consultation slides = 2• Collaboration slides = 1

• Overarching strategy for Web2.0 strategies and single point of accountability• Confusion about tools and level of engagement

• eReputation Management • Branding• Responding to issues

Learning (cont’d)

• Is the community ready to engage online?• Online channels not to replace traditional channels• Integration with other channels

• Are we ready to communicate online• Don’t bury our heads in the sand

• Online channels are not cost free• Cost effectiveness is yet to be assessed

• Moderation or no moderation• Respond or not to respond to negative comments?• How to extract key messages• How to manage the life cycle• Bang for the buck?

Questions?