Facebook reminds me to vote…

and then THE SUN finds hope (but no shame)

Let’s see. . . . → Read the rest of this entry...]]> A bit of a surreal UK election from my point of view.

Facebook reminds me to vote…

and then THE SUN finds hope (but no shame)

Let’s see.

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~ Paris ~ Gare du Nord le matin ~ Uploaded by Janey Kay on 27 Oct 09, 9.55PM BST.

Apart from everything else the eruption beneath Iceland’s Eyjafjallajoekull glacier and the ash cloud . . . → Read the rest of this entry...]]>

~ Paris ~ Gare du Nord le matin ~ Uploaded by Janey Kay on 27 Oct 09, 9.55PM BST.

Apart from everything else the eruption beneath Iceland’s Eyjafjallajoekull glacier and the ash cloud it created that forced airspace closures across northern Europe throws up in the air an unprecedented opportunity for transport policy makers and lobbyists – albeit perhaps not the ones from the airline industry.

Travelling overland – and especially by rail – has a number of advantages that are rarely presented in a convincing manner and I find it a bit disappointing. The volcano eruption and the travel chaos it left in its wake bring to sharp focus our reliance on air travel in a time when trains can be a lot more sustainable, safe and relaxed (considering the chaos of the security restrictions) to name just a few of the positives.

I’m not trying to say that air travel is bad. I think it has a purpose and it’s great. However, it seems to have taken over the world and the balance is gone in… (pun intended) in a cloud of smoke.

Lower costs in flights, constantly lower investments into rail networks and exorbitant train ticket prices (to name just a few) have left rail with an image of a dilapidated ancient system that has little to offer. Projects about high speed rail are announced again and again and then seem to go away quietly into the night. While on the other hand airport expansion plans abound and seem to progress quickly. What can the rail industry do better I wonder in terms of lobbying and engagement?

The profound disruption of these last few days is a marvellous opportunity for a media, policy and public affairs offensive from the rail industry which I don’t see happening (at least in the public domain). The situation is a perfect storm and a blessing in disguise for alternative means of travel and not just for the rail industry. Sustainability experts, green lobbyists, related trade associations, politicians with an alternative and sustainable travel agenda where are you?

I’m just wondering when we’re going to see them get out there and make their arguments.

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Jump on the social media bandwagon Uploaded by Matt Hamm on 15 Oct 08, 10.07PM GMT.

We had this discussion the other day with Stavros Kontaksis (blog in Greek) -  @stakon on Twitter – the fact that . . . → Read the rest of this entry...]]>

Jump on the social media bandwagon Uploaded by Matt Hamm on 15 Oct 08, 10.07PM GMT.

We had this discussion the other day with Stavros Kontaksis (blog in Greek) -  @stakon on Twitter – the fact that parties in government seem to be a lot less quick on the Social Media front.

I have blogged in the past about the differences between the two main parties in Greece. PASOK – then the Opposition, now the Government – is seen by some as gearing down its engagement, particularly compared to its professional and organised comms strategy before the election. Me, I kinda doubt it. At the very least they are the first government in Greece to open up consultation processes on-line - not in a very organised way but that’s a matter for another post. Secondly, they do still have an admirable history and policy of engagement online.

However, if speed is becoming a bit of an issue I can’t say that I don’t see why that might be the case.

Take the UK example.

Having worked in the UK Civil Service in the past I know first hand how many rules and regulations exist and some of them for very good reasons. Systems are vast, databases sometimes old, processes outdated. However you get exciting projects,  people who believe in what they do and a vast array of stakeholders who discuss things with Whitehall. And everyone increasingly wants to know NOW what government is thinking.

Having said that, what is frequently forgotten is that government has extreme responsibilities when it comes to creating policies and at the same time protecting commercial interests in a competitive market, ensuring data protection, being mindful of national security etc. For example, a government cannot communicate vague thoughts on a new policy as speculation might completely destroy a whole market. In other words – with great power comes great responsibility.

Government engagement is a different beast than political party engagement and the two need to be running concurrently. Government is an institution, with executive branches, it should be an authority that can ensure continuity irrespective of the political party in power (ah… dream on Sofia). A political party on the other hand has completely different needs.

Hence – Communications 101 – different needs and different audiences mandate different types, styles and content when it comes to communication.

I understand we are undergoing a paradigm shift. But I’m hopeful. I think governments are getting better at this and people are getting better at demanding what they need rather than everything in one big chaotic jumble.

—
Stavros blogged about similar stuff following our chat in Greek: Εγκαταλείποντας τα Social Media

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I cannot find it in my heart to truly sympathise with Members of the UK Parliament (MPs) who might now hit a spot of bother with their twitter account – but . . . → Read the rest of this entry...]]>
Westminster at Sunset
Uploaded by DMoutray on 29 Dec 08, 2.34PM GMT.

I cannot find it in my heart to truly sympathise with Members of the UK Parliament (MPs) who might now hit a spot of bother with their twitter account – but I do understand how this might have happened.

You see we are about to go onto a general election and the rules state that MPs become Prospective Parliamentary Candidates and are not allowed to refer to themselves as MPs at all. Apart from new stationary this could very well mean a problem with twitter accounts of the @(name)MP format. If clarification is sought and the House decides this goes for Twitter as well I wonder if all of their names are still available without the MP suffix.

I would expect the House to be sensible about this and ask them to by-pass or re-direct to a campaigning account e.g. @(party)in(constituency) for the duration of the general election process. There certainly are ways around the issue.

However I can’t really make my mind up on whether this is a technology or a communications problem.

First of all Twitter services are admittedly quite abysmal. Being a verified user has been a long time coming and it’s still not widely available. I assume most MPs thought that the best way to communicate it’s really them would be to append MP after their name (there are actually quite strict rules about this so people – in the UK – do not misuse it generally).

On the other hand MPs don’t remain MPs for ever. I would normally do a boring list of how they should have done it here but really I think it might have happened kinda naturally. I might not sympathise but I understand it. This sort of problem usually comes up due to lack of initial planning. The ease with which one can open a social media platform account (and the fact that they are free) may some time lead to not thinking things through and not checking the rules. However we’ve all seen it before (usually when a website is delivered and it’s well and truly wrong just because the company never gave a proper requirements document).

This is a learning process for all existing and new candidates and I’m eager to see what lessons they will take (and hopefully share) out of this general election and their digital communications processes.

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Read On:
MPs Could Be Forced To Change Twitter Usernames Before Election by David Singleton, PR Week UK, 25 November 2009

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It’s time for the Greek elections (again – they seem to happen more and more often) and I am watching with more interest than it . . . → Read the rest of this entry...]]>
Kostas Karamanlis – current Greek Prime Minister
Uploaded by Νέα Δημοκρατία on 26 Sep 09, 10.19AM GMT.

It’s time for the Greek elections (again – they seem to happen more and more often) and I am watching with more interest than it can possibly be good for me.

As always my interest revolves around political communications (public affairs will do that to you) and I have been watching digital communications attempts by the Greek political parties especially closely. Not to mention that I can’t vote (you can’t vote for Greek national election from abroad).

I will leave PASOK (Greek Socialist Party, currently the opposition) aside for now, I’ve mentioned before that in terms of online engagement and digital communications they have a well thought out strategy and seem to be innovating every day.

The current government party, ND (Nea Dimokratia/ New Democracy) has been lagging behind for quite some time in terms of online communications and engagement for quite some time with the possible exception of some of their most prominent members like the current Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dora Bakoyanni.

It seems that the upcoming election has nudged ND out of its traditional comms position and onto some engagement projects. The most talked about in the Greek blogsphere these days is what the party calls LIVE with the President, which quickly became known as #askND, due to the Twitter hashtag they have asked people to use when they are submitting questions to their Party Leader (usually called President in Greece) and current Prime Minister, Kostas Karamanlis (pictured).

The process is quite clear. Users can submit any number of questions they like via Twitter using the relevant hashtag. These questions will then go on to the ND blog and a voting process will begin. Kostas Karamanlis will answer the 10 most popular ones via “LIVE streaming video” (capitalisation theirs – as if answering live to a set of pre-set questions is some sort of an achievement which – duh – it’s not!).

As you can imagine all hell broke loose. Sure there were a lot of questions but let’s look into some worrying trends for a bit.

• Some questions were serious and legitimate
• More questions were a bit on the humorous side (well, quite a lot)
• Some questions (and here is the fun part) came from Twitter users with 0 friends and 0 followers

And here lies the problem. By seeing quite a large number of questions submitted by newbies on Twitter the Greek Twitter community started asking uncomfortable questions. Who are these people? Are the questions planted? How can we trust the process? How can we know for sure that the voting will be honest? (nikan visualised some of these – blog post in Greek)

New users posing questions is obviously quite legitimate. They might have seen the project on ND’s website and decided to start a Twitter account in order to participate – nothing wrong with that.

Leaving the Greek love of conspiracy theories aside, the problem is with how ND is actually running the process.

There is nobody to answer concerns
See, if PASOK had done the same and the same questions were raised they have a team of quite recognisable people (let’s call them Community Engagement Managers even though it’s an inaccurate term for what they do) who would step in and answer any concerns. The PASOK people would have been largely believed because they have been present for years and they have built up their credibility. There is nobody from ND doing the same and even if they did they are an unknown quantity – why should the community believe them?

Last minute engagement counts for very little
It’s a bit worrying that ND jumped onto the online engagement bandwagon so late in the day. It looks as if an election simply forced them to talk to people. Not cool with hardcore Twitter users and bloggers (and in Greece the majority is hardcore)

Discuss the process – be there
It’s a lovely idea and hats off to them for organising it but they are underselling it massively by not actually being there to fight for it. It’s too late for them to build credibility now but something could have been done if they nominated one of their comms people to handle this campaign and defend it to the online world.

If you’re doing it for traditional media exposure you’ve won
It all depends of course. This kind of project can be marvellous for getting you some exposure into traditional Greek media who might not understand the subtleties of online engagement. A tv news report into the wonderful project by ND will actually communicate an air of ‘we are here for the voter – we are listening to your problems’ instantly. So from that perspective I would count this as a short – term win.

The point of course is there is nobody to ask about all this.

Such a shame.

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Following a database meltdown (long live the server move processes) this post and the comments were uploaded again manually.

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The UK Conservatives are gearing up for the elections and here is an appointment that should please their supporters.Sam Coates is moving over to Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) to take on a new media role. Sam will be working with . . . → Read the rest of this entry...]]>
The Three
Originally uploaded by Rebecca Mckevitt

The UK Conservatives are gearing up for the elections and here is an appointment that should please their supporters.Sam Coates is moving over to Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) to take on a new media role. Sam will be working with Rishi Saha, Head of New Media.

Here is a lovely quote I found on Sam’s blog post announcing the move.

The power of web 2.0 has not been in the top-down broadcasting of information, but in collaboration and the building of communities.
(source)

I wish him luck and I really want to see what new appointments Labour will make – I already noticed they have plans for getting their MPs onto various social networking sites.

I have noticed for some time that the Conservative, Labour and the Liberal Democrats are incorporating digital comms to their wider communications strategy and there is talk of more online engagement on the way for the coming election.

Where I see a disconnect is between Headquarters’ attitudes and the attitudes of MPs (Members of Parliament). The recent study by the Hansard Society which suggested that MPs are primarily using the web to disseminate information rather than engage may suggest a risk aversion that is only natural but quite unsastainable in the current era I think.

MPs are using the internet primarily to inform their constituents rather than engage with them. The most widely used digital media are those which are mainly passive in nature, such as websites. Interactive forms of media which could be used by MPs to develop a two-way dialogue with their constituents, such as blogs and social networking, are used less commonly.
(source)

The major issue with this situation is that I seriously doubt there is enough time – well, depending on when the election will be called – for MPs to turn that around and actually engage online as part of their campaign. Voters are already dissilusioned enough as it is without having an MP getting on the online bandwagon just for their election campaign.

There is another thing as well. Just as there is no ‘one and true’ solution in communications equally there is no panacea in online communications. Each MP will have to find their own way of doing things, which tools work best for what they want to do and build their own network. All these things take time – and the less time you have the more mistakes you will probably make.

I can’t wait to see how the parties will run this election…

Read On:
Samuel Coates joins CCHQ’s new media team on Conservative Home
Tories Beef Up Their Web Presence on Iain Dale’s Diary
Labour links MPs’ websites to Twitter and Facebook on Brand Republic
MPs Online: Connecting with Constituents report by the Hansard Society

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Following a database meltdown (long live the server move processes) this post and any comments were uploaded again manually.

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Dora Bakoyannis is the Greek Foreign Minister – serving under the current Conservative government – and I would really like to see her do better with online presence . . . → Read the rest of this entry...]]>
Foreign Minister, David Miliband with Greek Foreign Minister, Dora Bakoyanni
Originally uploaded by UK in Greece (British Embassy, Athens)

Dora Bakoyannis is the Greek Foreign Minister – serving under the current Conservative government – and I would really like to see her do better with online presence and engagement. So here goes my intro and wish list.

Being a political animal - Public Affairs was my primary function for years – and a communications animal - it’s like joining the Secret Service, once you’ve done comms you never stop thinking along those lines - I have been charting her progress through the world of engagement with interest.

Dora comes from a strong political family and has an impressive resume – getting the Foreign Ministry in Greece is usually one step before getting the party leadership and thus becoming Prime Minister at the next (won) election. She is an impressive woman and tends to be extremely engaging in interviews and speeches.

She  is operating in a political scene that is still in its infancy in terms of digital engagement & presence – even though the Greek socialist party PASOK - currently the opposition party – has been innovating every single day and has been an example (even though not really followed or imitated) by other political entities in Greece. Dora started off in social media and seems to ‘be‘ everywhere – name a platform and she usually has it. Or rather her webteam – which brings me to my first wish.

5. Take the risk – name your webteam

Hearing from Dora’s webteam and not from Dora is bad enough – however I do get the point of a Foreign Minister not having the time to update on twitter. Nonetheless hearing from ‘DoraBakoyannis’ – even though it’s clear it’s coming for her webteam creates a feeling of disassociation and estrangement. Who are those people? What are their names and faces? When I reply to a Dora twit does she ever get to hear about it? Why would I engage with a faceless team? In a time of personal and approachable engagement this faceless approach only shouts out at me – whereas I want to chat with a person. If I wanted someone to simply broadcast to me I would switch on my television.

Let’s see who believes in Dora and who works for Dora. Who believes in her vision badly enough to put their name and face out there. Who is willing to engage with citizens and have a meaningful discussion. In other words – I wish Dora would finally take the risk.

4. Combine your tools and use ALL of them

I always get the feeling that Dora simply is on most platforms without actually doing anything. I don’t want to see all the – admittedly lovely – pictures on flickr, give me some links underneath EACH ONE that take me to a relevant blog post. I want that blog post to have links to newspaper articles and other newsources. I want to hear about what Dora does and how she is rocking the world – not just see glimpses that newspapers can show me either way.

While we are on the subject – it’s better to use tools if you understand exactly how you can take advantage of their full potential. Even though on Dora’s website I read that I can use any of her flickr pictures simply by mentioning the source I did not do it because the function “blog this picture”  on flickr is not activated. Why would I copy code? I found one of her pictures from the UK Embassy in Greece, clicked on “Blog this” and hey presto! I use the tool the way I wanted to use it instead of trying to figure out a different way.

How will I blog this? (Dora’s photostream)

This is how I’ll blog this (UK Embassy in Greece photostream)

3. Be credible – build trust

The biggest faux – pas is any communication is to announce something that does not exist. This is exactly what happened with Dora’s latest website – dorawebU (not to mention that for USA audiences it’s like seeing a link for dorawebUniversity). The website was announced via video – broadcast on friendfeed and twitter while the website itself was down for maintenance.

Enough said methinks.

2. Design Design Design

First of all. Don’t make fundamental design mistakes that just disorient the user. I have no idea where to look on Dora’s websites. An experienced designer will have a view that counts must more than mine but some fundamental weird characteristics just plain tell me that this was a hasty job. It doesn’t matter if it was or not. Appearances count.

Just a few hasty notes on the design

Secondly any web presence online needs to have a design identity. You are a brand. Get a brand advisor in and decide on what your colours, fonts, alignment and graphics say about that brand.

1. Content & engagement

I could probably write thousands of words on this one and it is my top wish for Dora’s content. All I’m reading now is Dora Dora Dora. Where she went, what she said, who she saw.  Huge mistake on social media. I want to read about what Dora finds interesting, which blogs she reads, which newspaper articles made sense. (I know, I know I’ve said it all before).

Secondly I rarely – if ever – see Dora or her webteam to actually respond to any comments. Sure – I have exchanged e-mails with them about some of my views and they approached me but why not go to blogs and discuss there? Openly share your views – openly stand up for her, her views and the work you guys/gals do with her. Credibility in social media and comms is built by being out there.

In other words, I want to see a Dora which looks outwards instead of inwards.

Is that too much to ask?

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Links to Dora Bakoyannis

Official Website (Greek)
facebook page
Twitter page
friendfeed account
flickr album
WebTV

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