Logging on to social media

Debate over the best use of Australia’s native forests is a hardy perennial of politics. Conservationists argue current practices are unsustainable. Timber industries argue the opposite view, pointing to a long heritage of environmentally sustainable forest practices, the many citizens employed and the value of export earnings.

Somewhere near the middle of the debate, at least in Western Australia, is the Forest Products Commission (FPC), a government trading enterprise established to develop and market Western Australia’s renewable timber resources. The Commission is obliged to find a market for all of the State’s timber output and does so through a range of marketing, scientific and research activities.

 Michael Harris - Western Australian Forest Products Commission’s Web Administrator[/caption]

“We stand in the middle of some polarising debates,” says Michael Harris, Web Administrator for FPC. “With any environmental issue you have people who are firmly on one side of the debate or the other.”

Harris works in the FPC’s three-strong communications team, where his role initially focussed on the content and operation of its web sites, while also working alongside colleagues who spent a lot of time liaising with the media and public.

“We try to get appropriate messages about forestry out there,” he explains. “It’s about making things more transparent.”

In 2008, Harris’ personal online activities suggested social media could have a role in helping the Commission with this mission. “I’ve been working in information technology since the days of dialup internet and have always taken an interest in new technologies,” he says. “When I first encountered Twitter about 15 months ago I asked myself if it could add value to what [the FPC] does.”

Logging on

The initial answer was a resounding yes, as Harris trialled Twitter and quickly identified “influential followers on Twitter who could spread our message.”

Encouraged, a Facebook presence was established and FPC ran “a few small, targeted Facebook ads to let people know we were there.” Responses from the public continued to be positive and “slowly, social media morphed from a trial to part of our day-to-day operations.”

Harris and the Communications team were able to do so without the need to involve or secure signoff from the rest of the business.

“As a team we are all about extolling the virtues of the organisation we work for. My role is, in part, about finding effective ways to do that,” which meant barriers to adopting social media were immediately lower. The fact that Harris’ technical skills were located in the Communications team was also important, as it meant the expertise to use social media were present, eager, and already involved in the creation of the organisation’s message. “Because my work is within the Communications group I am living that message already,” Harris says. The team also took the decision to use only material that had already reached the public domain, to ensure its online presence would be consistent with its communication in the real world.

Proactive communications

As the Communications team experimented more with social media, Harris realised its posture was changing.

“With traditional media outlets you are reacting to an inquiry or developing story. Social media, by contrast, means we can be putting messages out there first.” And given the vivid debate around forestry, that new ability to publish information is most welcome.

“Where do Generation Y and the Millennials go for information?” Harris asks. “They go online first. They will not go to a library: they will go to Google, another search engine, or a topic specific site, or even look within their own networks for what they need.”

To ensure search engines deliver, the Commission uses search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques to make its material more likely to appear in organic search engine results. “We want fair and accurate information out there,” Harris says. “I think it is important for anyone in communications to use the full suite of available tools and techniques to make sure their information rises to the top.”

While the Commission has not formally measured its communications outcomes, Harris says using social media has given the organisation the feeling that its material is more likely to be read and offer its version of events. “Outcomes-wise I see social media as a way to find the middle ground,” Harris says. “There is always going to be some people who do not trust what government says and there are others who will actively seek out information on these topics. The internet is such a diverse, information-laden resource and we want people to be able to read our information with the hope that it helps them to arrive at a viewpoint.”

Federal social media guidelines

The Federal Department of Finance and Deregulation has created a set of guidelines for any of its staff who wish to use social media. The Forest Product Commission’s Michael Harris cites the guidelines as suitable for agencies beyond the Department and, as the guide has been released under a Creative Commons license, it can be freely distributed and adapted.

The guide offers basic suggestions, such as ensuring that “Finance employees ... maintain the same high standards of conduct and behaviour online as would be expected elsewhere,” including:

• Being apolitical, impartial and professional;
• Behaving with respect and courtesy, and without harassment;
• Dealing appropriately with information, recognising that some information needs to remain confidential;
• Being sensitive to the diversity of the Australian public;
• Taking reasonable steps to avoid conflicts of interest;
• Making proper use of Commonwealth resources;
• Upholding the APS Values and the integrity and good reputation of the APS.

For the full guide: http://wpgblog.agimo.gov.au/2010/04/07/social-media-101/

Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube

The Commission now uses several social media outlets.

Its Twitter presence persists and draws content either from Harris and his colleagues or an automated feed he has created which posts new images the public upload to a group on the Flickr photo sharing service dedicated to the best images of Forestry in Western Australia. Automated feeds also post ministerial media releases related to FPC’s activities.

A Facebook presence carries information and is also used to promote events such as quarterly timber auctions, an event that targets craftspeople and woodworkers. The FPC LinkedIn presence seeks to connect forestry professionals, while participation in online forums for woodworkers connects with that community.

FPC has also recently launched a YouTube channel, which hosts videos of recent events.

“When we switched on the channel, we let it settle and did internal communications,” he says. “Staff were all very enthusiastic!”

Harris feels FPC’s new comfort with social media can be attributed to the decision to use pre-released material as this means consistency is built into its processes, and urges other government agencies to do likewise.

“I see a lot of hesitation to communicate with citizens and stakeholders using social media,” he says. “A lot of it comes down to control, but simple polices and lessons from others can show you how to do it safely: you just need to adapt material you already have into channel where the people you want to reach are already congregating!”

“We are doing it because we can,” he concludes.

“And even if it only adds small value, we’ll take that.”

Forest Products Commission WA’s social media presence

Twitter: http://twitter.com/fpcwa

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Rivervale/Forest-Products-Commission-Western-Australia/59426814793

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/fpcwa