When 59% of Australians access social media daily, we’d be mad to think that Town Hall meetings are the only way to engage.
Where I live, the state government has set up an online platform–Engage Victoria–to give Victorians a voice. There are currently more than 20 consultations open on the site.
Yesterday The New York Times described how some US government bodies are engaging on social media. There’s a surprising level of irreverent humour and a healthy dollop of humanity. It’s a heck of a long way from simply uploading a dry annual report.
I particularly like the Texan water board tweeting about Baby Yoda struggling to flush the toilet and the CIA’s first ever post on Twitter; “We can neither confirm nor deny this is our first tweet”.
Online engagement can shift public perceptions of law enforcement. Quirky memes are often sandwiched in with the staple, more serious messaging from emergency services. Police around the world took up the Running Man video challenge in 2016. A 2013 report found that 73% of US police departments surveyed said social media has improved police-community relations in their jurisdiction.
What’s the best online engagement you’ve seen from government?
#government #communications #engagement