The powers that Bebo

The expansion of MI6’s latest recruitment drive into social media such as Facebook is part of a wider move by the public sector to find new ways of engaging with young people.

Last week, it was revealed that both Labour and the Tories are frantically developing blog strategies aimed at getting a positive party message out online.

David Cameron’s Webcameron project gives people a glimpse into the daily life of the Conservative leader, providing the most intimate public view of a politician ever seen in the UK.

And the potential may be even more than anticipated. According to analyst Gartner, by 2011 more than 70 per cent of social computing deployments in government will deliver unplanned or unexpected benefits – such is the evolving nature of the technology.

The government realised some time ago that it needed to harness the power of the internet, particularly Web 2.0 and social networking, to get its message out.

Earlier this year the Cabinet Office launched a task force spearheaded by minister Tom Watson – ­ one of the few active blogging MPs ­ – to help refocus its communications strategy around social media. “There are new opportunities for government to engage with people in the online world. Every day, hundreds and thousands of people come together online to solve problems and exchange ideas on public policy issues ­ – whether raising kids, tackling debt or seeking health advice,” he said at the launch.

The task force will measure the government’s progress against the recommendations of last year’s independent Power of Information Review, which concluded that Whitehall has a long way to go in its use of social media. An update on progress is due in December.

The strategy had two aims in the field of social media ­ – establishing guidance for civil servants and exploring ways in which they can use online forums to advise citizens.

The first part of the strategy has been completed ­ – a guide to disseminating information online was published in June.

Blogs such as “Civil Serf”­ – which was shut down in March after the author negatively portrayed stifling Whitehall bureaucracy ­ – have raised government concerns over its increasing lack of control of material on the internet.

But there seems to be a consensus that government must relinquish central control of communications. According to the last Cabinet Office update report, the use of social media is now being actively encouraged.

The way to retain some central control of message is to link back to solid and reliable banks of information, said Sarah Burnett, public sector analyst at Butler Group.

“They must spread out snippets of information and engage young people on forums, while always directing people back to a central, more static, bank of information,” she said.

Progress against the second part of the strategy has presented the government with a dilemma. Does it attempt to set up its own social networking forums ­ – as has proved successful with sites such as Netmums and NHS Choices? Or does it attempt to engage with existing platforms such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace?

The former risks alienating young people who are unlikely to use them, the latter risks losing control of any coherent message to an unacceptable extent.

The government needs to do a mix of both, according to Nick Kalisperas, director of public sector at IT trade body Intellect. “We urge them to engage with the likes of Facebook and Bebo,” he said. “Experience has shown with these initiatives that if you don’t vary your message according to the environment they never work ­ – you can’t treat people as a homogenous entity.”

Power of Information Review goals – is Whitehall on target?

Recommendation: The development of experimental partnerships between major departments and user-generated sites.
Progress: The Central Office of Information has approached four departments with a view to launching pilot projects. The relative progress and success of pilots will be reported in the December progress report.

Recommendation: Examine the introduction of non-commercial re-use licences for public information, along the lines of those pioneered by Google Maps.
Progress: The Office of Public Sector Information suggests that so-called trading fund organisations such as the Met Office and Ordnance Survey consider the introduction of a free or low-cost share-alike licence to encourage innovation without destabilising existing commercial models. The outcomes of these discussions will be reported in December.

Recommendation: Ordnance Survey should, by the end of December 2007, launch its Open Space project.
Progress: In January Ordnance Survey made data publicly available for mashups.

Recommendation: Maximise the potential value of civil servants’ input into online forums.
Progress: Ethics code published and awareness-raising campaign across all government communication departments begun. Forums set up to evaluate progress.