Given the government’s reputation in some quarters as a stodgy, slow-to-adopt monolith in matters of online communication, some might expect Web 2.0 social media tools, spreading so infectiously in the private sector, to have little appeal among the feds (at least during this decade).

Federal Computer Week gives the lie to this cliché in two articles published earlier last month. FCW ranks the federal agencies most successful in using Twitter and Facebook, respectively, to engage the public. The reach and social media savvy of these early adopters might surprise you.

The agencies on either or both lists are not—primarily—reaching out with a human capital and recruiting agenda top-of-mind.  Even so, if you’re inclined to regard these social media programs merely as plain old information dissemination, you’re understating their influence on their audiences. That’s like calling a popular music concert just an exercise in listening enjoyment. Yes, the description may be accurate at its core, but—especially if it’s a rock, R&B, or hip-hop event—it doesn’t quite capture the full experience of being in the auditorium.

For many in these agencies’ social media audiences, that “experience” is charged with high value, and often as much as the information content itself. The truly committed among them gain what brand adherents thrive on—the felt sense that they are insiders and sharers. To me this seems like a pretty cost-effective way to tap the collective enthusiasm and energy of appreciative individuals, in effect, kick starting the social motor of brand contagion. In their efforts to cultivate attentive communities for the agency and the medium—not merely to distribute information—these leading agencies are showing that they “get” social marketing and Web 2.0.

Will the sponsoring agencies also reap recruiting benefits from these Gov 2.0 initiatives? Do you really need me to state this obvious benefit outright? As you build a compelling brand and a community of admirers, you will attract more and more qualified and enthusiastic individuals to your workforce. It's as simple as that.

Text in graphic on right:

Government Twitter leaders (FCW, September 10) 

• The White House: 1,071,927 followers
• CDC Emergency: 808,979 folowers
• NASA: 125.901 followers
• U.S. Army: 14,263 followers
• Smithsonian: 12711 followers

Government Facebook leaders (FCW, September 14)

• The White House: 327,592 fans
• Marine Corps: 83,144 fans
• U.S. Army: 49,416 fans
• CDC: 21,257 fans
• State Department: 16,386 fans

A recently released report published by Ipsos Reid Canada on Twitter showed that only 26% of Canadians who are online are aware of Twitter (or roughly 6 million Canadians). What’s even more interesting is that only 6% of those, or 360,000, are actually using Twitter. While this number is small, it is important to note that Twitter is a recent Web 2.0 media, and is working through the latter part of the early adopter stage of its lifecycle.

Twitter awareness is highest between the ages of 18-34, making it a prime medium for connecting with millennials and Generation Y. Through communication, open dialogue, and HR-related conversations, Twitter can be a prime medium which you can use to communicate with a notoriously difficult-to-reach community. The study outlines that Twitter “can be used to create brand interest, inform customers…and lastly, to create a community.” Through building a community and dialogue around your brand’s Employee Value Proposition (EVP) your organization can effectively target early adopters and your future brand ambassadors.

While this data may tell you that Twitter is not a media for the masses it is key to point out that Twitter is merely one piece in your overall social media strategy. Simply posting jobs to a Twitter account is not a method for pushing open positions, but rather a vehicle for communicating with potential employees. TMP works with many of our clients to develop an overarching social media strategy that incorporates Blogs, Videos, Twitter, Facebook, and overall education on social media strategies to allow you and your teams to better understand the media which you can turn to into recruitment channels.

Twitter use hits a sweet spot with Canadian digitally-savvy internet users, as we begin to define how we use the service for recruitment, marketing, and fundraising events like HOHOTO.

As we are all more than aware, there is great upheaval taking place in Iran. Twitter, Facebook, and other social media tools (collectively the "new" new media) have provided a conduit for real-time news and information that organizations like CNN (the old media - even when considering CNN.com) have not been able to match. The twitterverse has been filled with tweets about the Iranian situation and CNN's coverage thereof followed by the hashtag "#FAIL" since CNN has not kept pace with the story.

Clay Shirky delivered a TED Talk at the U.S. State Department this month (June 2009) about the impact of social media on the dissemination of information. He discusses how "Facebook, Twitter and TXTs help citizens in repressive regimes to report on real news, bypassing censors (however briefly). The end of top-down control of news is changing the nature of politics."This video showcases how these tools are fundamentally changing the way we communicate as a society. It is absolutely worth watching.

As you watch Clay discuss the impact of these tools on the global stage, think about these open questions on a more local HR level: How do we share information about employers? How do we engage with employer brands? How do we leverage these tools not only for attraction, but also for retention? How do we identify and empower our internal and external brand evangelists?

In NO WAY do I wish to diminish the severity of the events in Iran. The questions I raise above are about the impact of social media and the fundamental shift in the way we communicate on every level.

Let me know what you think.

Want to know more? Reach out to me with a comment here and join the conversation.

SZE

Twitter JobSearch has quitely launched in beta.

According to the site, Twitter JobSearch utilizes semantic tools to look at context, not just words and examines:

• What was said
• What they've said before
• And who's saying it

What say you?

KL

My friend Sarah Vroman shared this link with me and I found it to be a perfect explanation for the current social media boom. People ask me all the time "Why would anyone want to Twitter or Facebook?" and I never have the perfect answer. The article by Joshua-Michele Ross is a worthwhile read.

Let me know what you think.

Want to know more? Reach out to me with a comment here and join the conversation.

SZE

I am always asked about the best ways to use Twitter for recruiting and my answer is always the same: "It is different for every company." It is about finding the right path for your needs, not about following the masses. Some use Twitter to share insight into the company and to provide transparency while others use it to communicate about events, hiring freezes or opportunities, etc. No matter how it is used, it must be used as a tactical component of an overarching strategy.

As a helpful guide, I thought it would be good to share a post from my friend Susan's blog regarding those companies that are actively using Twitter to recruit.

Want to know more? Reach out to me with a comment here and join the conversation.

SZE

My colleague Matt was sharing this new twitterjobsearch site with me yesterday. The site says "coming soon ...", the Twitter account is teasing ... So i decided i should do some investigation Here is what i found out.

Obviously, the service comes from an english company (salaries in pounds), if you look at the whois, you'll see the domain owner has a workdigital.co.uk email (domain is redirected to workhound.co.uk). Would anyone dare say this initiative is simply some kind of marketing ment to take advantage of all the hype around Twitter those days ?