How cities are assessing and generating new social media ideas: jurisdictions are carefully evaluating new social media applications before integrating them into their work process, and best-in-class cities have a number of tips and tricks for assessing new social media applications.

• Position: Solutions - Report

This article is adapted from The Rise of Social Government: An Advanced Guide and Review of Social Media's Role in Local Government Operations, a new report by The Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania.

Given the evolving environment of social media and the strapped resources of government offices, the cities the Fels Institute interviewed express a desire to carefully evaluate new social media applications before integrating them into their work process. Several interviewees note that the "so-called social media experts" often neglect to recognize how social media is handled on the ground level in government organizations and instead try to peddle new technologies and techniques that may not be well-suited for certain audiences. To combat this pitfall, cities engage in a strategic assessment of resources and time needed to launch and maintain new social media technologies.

Specifically, the majority of cities consider:

* The objectives and strategies of the government department.

* The strength of the constituent conversation on the potential social media application.

* The resources and time available to successfully maintain the application.

ASSESSING SOCIAL MEDIA

Best-in-class cities have a number of tips and tricks for evaluating new social media applications. An important first step cities mention is to stop any urge to jump right onto a new application before doing a strategic evaluation. The following five steps can help to serve as a guide.

1. Clearly Identify Your City's Objectives. Cities report that social media is just one tactic toward achieving the city's goals. As such, it is important to develop a clear sense of the city's overall objectives. For example: Are you trying to increase attendance to an event, improve transparency, solicit more community engagement, increase economic development, or improve daily operations?

2. Determine a Strategy. After gaining a clear understanding of the city's objectives, use them as a matrix for determining whether social media can help. Brainstorm with people in the department who are responsible for meeting the city's objectives. Topics to explore include: What are the key challenges to meeting this objective? How can social media help provide a new solution? Will this allow us to reach a new audience or provide a new service? Keep an open mind in the brainstorming phase.

3. Listen to the Social Media Conversation. Chances are that there are already discussions related to the city. It is worth determining the key participants in these conversations and the social media platforms where these conversations are taking place. This involves "listening in" to the conversations before joining in order to determine what is of interest to participants and how the city can be helpful and involved in the conversation.

4. Carefully Assess You r Resources. Be upfront and honest during a resource assessment. The majority of city managers interviewed for this report have no social media budget and report that social media activities are just one of their many other job duties. The...