Social media usage / participation guidelines

This seems to be something that plenty of people in local gov are trying to work on at the moment and it’s not always easy, so I thought I would just post up where I’m at with it in case it was useful to anyone else, and if you want to be useful to me, then I have no problem with that either 😉
So, not always easy. I’ve found getting the organisation to have a peek over the edge into online space has taken time and pursuasion in itself. Getting it to be brave enough to dip a toe in more of the same. Now we’re paddling in the shallow end I think we need the waterwings of documented policy and/or guidance so we can go further*.
One of the great things about working in the public sector is that we’re all so ready to share, and most of the time it isn’t just because we need to as resources / time / support are scant to go it alone. I throw my hands up in appreciation of those who are already splashing about (in a waving not drowning way) and have shared their progress. It got me started.
It started as a policy but soon became more of a guidance document. In my head I envisage it being accompanied by a less formal overview, probably the content of the intranet page which becomes it’s home.
I’ve tried to straddle the line between friendly advice in a conversational tone (if we’re talking social media surely most appropriate) and the established style of this sort of document. I’ve tried to include a bit of a summary of what each network or space is to make it more inclusive to ‘beginners’.
There is still some work to do…
Useful talks with Lee Jorgensen (Blackburn and Darwen) highlighted an area I had initially shyed away from; special guidance for purdah periods. I intend to revisit this. There is also some mopping up of duplication and conflicting advice.
I’m not sure whether I am almost ready to suggest this is moving closer to version 1.0 than draft…which is the main driver for this post!
And having written it I am now annoyingly aware that there is no facility to attach documents to this post. So I guess…if you want to see where I’m at DM me on Twitter with your email and we’ll take it from there. Hopefully there will be time to talk at localgovcamp too!

*I accept full responsiblity for the mixed metaphor and then pushing it too far. In defence, m’lud, I’ve not had resonable quota of coffee yet.