The Australian Centre of Excellence for Local Government (ACELG), in partnership of the University of Canberra, has published a survey into the use of social media in local government in Australia.

 

The Using Social Media in Local Government survey explores the application, adoption and use of social media tools and techniques in the local government sector. It was designed to capture the views, experiences and perceptions of local government leaders about the contribution that social media is making - and has the potential to make -  in communicating with residents, ratepayers and other stakeholders, and in improving the planning, organisation, and delivery of services.

 

The survey also explores the benefits, risks and barriers to councils in using social media, and identifies those areas where social media might best serve the sector.

 

The ACELG found that the steady growth of social media, combined with its ever changing and expanding repertoire of tools, presents both opportunities and challenges for local government.

 

The main findings of the survey are:

  • There are clearly benefits for many councils in the use of social media, in particular, for engaging with hard to reach communities and fostering a more collaborative, transparent approach to community governance.
  • Councils are being encouraged to consider the use of social media as part of their emergency management strategy.
  • Social media use is not without its risks and can be resource intensive when developing strategies and establishing platforms.
  • The results of the survey clearly show that while some councils have forged ahead with a social lmedia strategy, and are beginning to reap the benefits, many more are waiting in the wings – looking for guidance and support from the sector.
  • In particular, councils are anxious about how social media fits in to their record keeping obligations, and the possibility of litigation should defamatory material be placed on their social media sites. Currently, authoritative information about these issues is difficult to source, and theadvice is not always clear, varying as it does from state to state.
  • The most significant barrier to participation in social media for most council is an overall lack of understanding of the various platforms and the way that they could be incorporated into councils existing communication platforms.
  • The provision of local government specific sector wide training and documentation, incorporating case studies and online tools would go a long way to assisting councils to benefit from a social media strategy.

 

ACELG’s full report can be found here (.pdf)