CllrSocMed

Blogs – Content, Length and Time

gr8governance — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 16:56:59 +0000

In the spirit of updating content ready for LocalGovCamp North West this short video finds Cllr Simon Cooke explaining some of the nuts and bolts of blogging for councillors. The footage was shot at our CllrSocMed session in Leeds earlier this year. Simon explains that blogs are dependent on personal style and reassures councillors that it doesn’t have to be time consuming to be effective. Simon’s style is quick and short, whilst Cllr Andrew Cooper (referred to in the video) takes a different approach.

top 11 dos and don’ts

Steven Tuck — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 11:44:48 +0000

Updating some of our content for LocalGovCamp North West – Feb 2012 I keep coming across some useful info. The latest is this really handy guide about online reputation management produced my reputation.com

Blending On Line with Off Line

gr8governance — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 18:16:06 +0000

Another recurring theme at our Cllrsocmed sessions was the whole on line / off line discussion. At our Barnsley session Cllr Simon Cooke sets the record straight in this video and provides some tips on how councillors can integrate the two to good effect.

A Blog Won’t Do Everything

gr8governance — Wed, 25 May 2011 18:25:23 +0000

At our cllrsocmed session in Leeds we got onto discussing the merits of blogs and the on-line / off-line conundrum. In this brief video Cllr Cooke summarises the key points and gives some helpful tips on how councillors can use blogs effectively.

Newly Elected Councillor? …then this is for you!

Spencer Wilson — Thu, 12 May 2011 20:35:41 +0000

Are you a newly elected cllr? Well congratulations! Please accept these links from the CllrSocMed Team as a welcome gift.

Over the last few months the team have been running cllr lead social media sessions across the Yorkshire & Humber region. Along the way we have had some great fun, worked hard, and gathered together a wide range of resources, all freely available to you, the elected.

There’s a mixture of advice and guidance from short instructional videos, to real insights directly from some of your cllr peers who use social media on a daily basis.

It can all be found on the CllrSocMed site, but below are links to give you an idea of what the social media world could mean to you.

Councillors and social media …why bother?

Steven Tuck explains …the internet and social media (in 2 minutes)

Some Tips on Twitter: Twitter in Plain English

Cllrs and Twitter: some alternative case studies

Steven Tuck explains …what is a blog? (in 2 minutes)

Blogger.com: How to set up a blog

Blogger.com: Add a new post and insert an image

Cllr Simon Cooke …talks Cllrsocmed

Cllr Tim Cheetham …talks Cllrsocmed

Cllr Mike Jordan …talks Cllrsocmed

That should be plenty for now. We would advise listening to your fellow councillors, it really is about you and them, rather than us!

Oh, and if you feel the urge, please feel free to add yourself to our councillor social media map.

Best of luck to all of you. Here’s to the future!!

Cllrsocmed Tour of Yorkshire & Humber: Reflection and Evaluation (cllrsocmed.wordpress.com)

Cllrsocmed Tour of Yorkshire & Humber: Reflection and Evaluation

Spencer Wilson — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:13:25 +0000

With all current sessions of the Cllrsocmed Yorkshire & Humber now completed, it’s time to provide a round up of where things are, what distance we’ve travelled and what additional resources we’ve generated for Cllrs at their request, so we can continue to support their social media education.

In addition to our inaugural Cllrsocmed session in York, at the Local Gov Camp Y&H, four further sessions have taken place across the region, taking in Scunthorpe, Scarborough, Barnsley and Leeds. Over 50 local councillors attended these sessions, representing 15 different local authorities.

The approach of the Cllrsocmed team during the sessions has not been to run them in a traditional training approach. Indeed, it has been very much the opposite. Councillors are a massively diverse group of people, whose experiences and knowledge are shaped by personal and public views, politics and the culture within the local authority they represent. Therefore, to provide a blanket, one size fits all approach on social media, would have been a grave error. Rather, it is an exploratory approach (to the ‘what is social media question’) that provides a more effective education. The expectation that just showing somebody how to set up a Twitter account and that is it, would be a seriously flawed point of view.

What it has been necessary for councillors to explore is what social media means to them, in real terms. Topics raised by them during the sessions, have included: how can I use it for campaigning; what if I say something wrong; case studies; political awareness; it’s just more time I don’t have; how can it be better than email; if the council provided me with the right equipment; the organisation don’t have those websites open to us; blurring of personal/councillor boundaries; we need the right support to develop our skills. Valid topics, all covered through discussion and debate, which is why how the sessions are delivered is very important.

Therefore, a key feature of the sessions’ success has been that the Cllrsocmed team includes a cross party representation of councillors who already use social media; Cllr Tim Cheetham, Labour; Cllr Simon Cooke, Conservative; Cllr David Woodhead, Liberal Democrat; Cllr Andrew Cooper, Green Party. While it has been the officers who have facilitated the organising and running of the sessions, it has not been ‘officers telling councillors what to do’. That role has gone to the councillors in the team, peer to peer exploration; it has a far more meaningful and inherent value. The importance of this should never be ignored.

As the sessions were about exploration and knowledge development, rather than specific mechanics, the most valuable way to evaluate the learning was capturing narrative comments. We recorded how councillors felt at the start of the day, midday and at the close of the session. Here is an indication of councillor progression:

Start: “I wonder how much it costs and how much time it takes”…”a bit nervous as there seems a lot to learn”…”apprehensive”.

Midday: “It is less about the technology, than the political perspective”…”for the first time I have been interested in the blog”…”able to ask questions without feeling ridiculous”…”I was dubious at first, but it’s not that scary really”…”knowledgeable presenters making you feel keen to get started”.

Close: “as an adjunct to more traditional channels of political communication, yes please”…”huge potential for the future”…”increased confidence in this new media stuff”…”has given me ideas about how to use it more effectively”…”definitely worth my while”.

Through listening to the councillors and reflecting on the live blogs, we have taken on board the varying needs of participants. This has resulted in development of numerous tools or insights of the sessions, all of which can be found on the Cllsocmed: Social Media for Councillors blog.

Cllr Mike Jordan Talks Cllrsocmed (cllrsocmed.wordpress.com)
So what is a blog? (Steve Tuck explains in two minutes) (cllrsocmed.wordpress.com)
Cllrs and Twitter (Some Alternative Case Studies) (cllrsocmed.wordpress.com)

Cllrs – Why Small Talk is Important

gr8governance — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:15:50 +0000

Another regular theme that cropped up at our sessions with councillors involved discussing why social media users felt the need to share “trivial information”. Why would anyone care what they were having to eat, where they were going, what music they are listening to. ”Why do people feel the need to share this stuff?” In essence it’s the “social” part of social media, the part that forms the basis of the connections we make. In this clip @steventuck puts the case succinctly.

Cllrs and Twitter (Some Alternative Case Studies)

gr8governance — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 21:23:23 +0000

Cllrsocmed is all about encouraging councillors to use social media and see the benefits. This has been the main objective of our sessions and the purpose of this site. Nevertheless, the sessions we have run have always featured a discussion about responsible use, standards, the law and public perception. We try to find and use positive case studies, but sometimes the “alternative” case studies that emerge demonstrate the point. There have been two examples recently that serve as pointers for councillors in terms of what can go wrong and how the immediacy of Twitter can have repercussions. The headlines tell the story:

For every story like these it’s important to remember that councillors up and down the country are using Twitter to great effect as part of their many roles and are not getting positive headlines for it, which is a shame. If proof is needed go check out TweetyHall. Related posts include:

So what is a blog? (Steve Tuck explains in two minutes)

gr8governance — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:20:21 +0000

As part of the #cllrsocmed plain language and myth busting theme @steventuck explains a blog in two minutes. This video clip was pulled together at our session in Barnsley.

- How to set up a blog

- Add a new post and insert an image

- Tips for councillors blogging and using Facebook

- Connected Councillors

- Blogging Quick Guide

- 10 Reasons Why Cllrs Should Use Social Media

- 1 Page Guide to Blogging with WordPress

The Internet and Social Media Explained (in 2 minutes)

gr8governance — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:53:55 +0000

I’ve blogged previously about the lack of structure to our cllrsocmed sessions – it really is a case of go with the flow and see where councillors take the discussion in order to get the most out of it. That said every session needed some brief background that explained this whole social media thing in the context of the internet. @steventuck is great at making the complex totally straightforward – check out this video clip of him in action at our session in Barnsley.