British Government Goes Social Media Crazy
I think the statement from 10 Downing Street says it all:
“…Gordon Brown will visit the US next week, his second trip to the country as Prime Minister.
The Downing Street website will run a live microsite including images, rolling updates and a Twitter feed throughout the PM’s stay from 16 - 19 April. Log on from Wednesday to follow the PM’s activities.
Mr Brown is expected to visit Boston, the United Nations in New York and meet President Bush at the White House in Washington. His meetings will focus on the global economy and other areas of mutual bilateral interest.
Gordon Brown’s first trip to the US as PM saw him travel to Camp David in July last year.
If I was a real social media nerd, or a real politics nerd, I would ask:
- does this mean there’s a communications assistant responsible for the twitter feed?
- what sort of vetting process is there for twitter messages? On the fly?
- is the content going to concentrate on policy announcements? Any chance of side remarks about the entrees at the state dinner? Snide remarks about the little kids handing over flowers at events?
- what sort of twitter app are they going to use? Is it on a BlackBerry, Treo or other PDA?
h/t to Simon Dickson
Technorati Tags: government communications, United Kingdom, Gordon Brown, twitter, public diplomacy
© 2008 Colin McKay
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Jennifer wrote:
if you ever find out the answers to your questions about the PM’s twitterfeed, please share–I’m dying to know too!
Posted on 11-Apr-08 at 12:20 pm | Permalink
Simon Dickson wrote:
A few quick answers…
There’s one guy on the trip, who’s taking care of all the social media aspects. The vetting process is fairly loose; it kinda has to be. I can’t imagine a formal workflow working on something like Twitter. But the Twittering is done by veterans who know well enough what is or isn’t appropriate.
Policy announcements or colour commentary? Personally I’ve recommended a blend of both; although being realistic, it’s the first time we’ve done this, so you have to expect it to be ‘played safe’.
What tool for Twittering? Just the normal web interface, although the mobile phone is always there as a backup if needed. (Worst case - a quick phonecall back to Downing Street, and someone transcribes!)
Posted on 16-Apr-08 at 4:03 am | Permalink
Colin wrote:
Thanks for the additional information, Simon!
Posted on 16-Apr-08 at 4:07 am | Permalink