Social Networking Services – Is DHS IN or OUT?
In today’s world of social media madness, 50+ usernames and passwords are needed to keep up with Twitter, Facebook, Blogger, Instagram, etc (okay, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration). But you get my point. Regardless of how hip social networking is with today’s youth, many professionals are resistant to using these types of services. After recently attending a Public Management luncheon I realized how important it is to use social networking services to promote good in our professions.
Aaron Sherinian, VP of Communications and Relations at the UN Foundation, recently presented this diagram, posing the question: “how many of these sites do you recognize? And how many do you actually use?”
I quickly realized that I didn’t recognize many of them and used only a few on a regular basis. This made me curious to know what social networking sites and tools that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies use. On the DHS website, you can connect with DHS through Facebook, Twitter, and You Tube. Are there more that DHS could do to promote social networking internally and externally in order to better achieve their mission?
When using social media/networking to promote social good, Aaron Sherinian suggests to consider these four ideas:
- Use social media to listen. Acknowledging your followers’ perspective is a first step in engagement
- Experiment. Your social media strategy is only as effective as you are to adapting new tools
- Treat the members of the community as co-creators
- Don’t silo social media organizationally. It should play a cross-functional strategic role. “It's not about being hip, it’s about being relevant,” he said. “Hip helps, but relevant matters.”
Although DHS has incorporated some good social networking tools, they should continue to strategize and seek out ways to effectively engage their followers. This is how DHS can really be “IN and not OUT”.
