It's not the (social networking) technology - it's the people that matter

This is getting to sound a bit like my hobby-horse. In response to a query from someone working in local government who wanted to know how they could use social networking sites to engage with their citizens,  I felt compelled once again to remind them that technology by itself was not the answer.

I know this is a very contentious thing to say, but you don't need online social networking tools to engage with citizens.  You could  - for example -  talk and listen to them (an ancient craft, dating back several millennia, but rapidly falling into disrepute).  I don't want to knock the advantages now available through social networking, which provides enormous opportunities for connecting people we wouldn't otherwise know existed, but let's not lose sight of the fact that technology is an enabler and not in itself a solution. It doesn't necessarily follow that building the best website with all the latest social media widgets will deliver better/more effective engagement with citizens.

The blinding light of Web 2.0 hype seems to be obscuring the fact that the most important aspect in building any community (of interest or practice or whatever) is the people and NOT the technology. Though I do appear to be an increasingly isolated voice on this point. And just in case I'm accused of having Luddite tendencies, I did design and develop the (very successful) Web 2.0 community platform being used across local government (almost 9000 registered users and growing). There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that it's continued success is very much a factor of the considerable investment in the people that support and facilitate the communities within it and not the fact that they have access to the latest social media tools. Surely I can't be the only one who thinks this way? I'm deeply troubled if I am :(

Comments

[Nick Booth]

You are not alone. In my mind it is the culture which makes people think they are not supposed to talk to the public. Face to face maybe - online no! Why, because online leaves evidence of what was said - face to face it comes down to a legal his word against mine. A form of risk aversion which ties tongues.

[Steve Dale]

Nick,

thanks for the comments. I'm not alone then!

[Matthew Rees]

Strongly agree too! I use social networking tools a lot but that is mostly to keep up with people that I do not normally meet. Local Government is, obviously, physically close to its citizens so the traditional means of communication work very well. In the past I have run meetings on subjects like housing transfers and can attest to their effectiveness!

[Tim Davies]

You're definitely not alone.

The technology adds something (accountability, wider reach, ability to join up conversations, transparency, opportunities for innovation and collaboration etc.) but to do all that it demands a really strong engagement skill set - and to do that well in local contexts it requires really good 'bridging' facilitation that connects the online and offline worlds.

I'm writing some training materials for youth workers at the moment on engaging young people in decision making. 90% of that is all about developing a core skill set that should be applied throughout their work - but I'm trying to weave in a 10% about using technology to engage. If we accept that having the basic engagement skills and being able to use them offline should always be the starting point in thinking about engaging with citizens - the 'technology' question I guess needs to be:

* In this /particular case/ (given where we want to get to, /and/ given the constraints of where we are starting from) is the use of technology *integral* to meeting our objectives, or is it an *added value* element that we should think about second?

Just to play that out: In the IDeA CoP platform case, technology seems integral to connecting people from /different/ local authorities on issues that they would not otherwise pick up the phone or go to a conference to talk about (as these mechanisms were already there). In the case of local engagement - it /could/ be integral to engaging with, for example, commuters who are around at the time when public meetings are held and who are happier interacting on the Blackberry rather than in the town hall - but it might be only added value for engaging with the majority of the population who will be better reached through a series of roadshows and local neighbourhood events (reported on YouTube and in an e-mail bulletin of course to offer info to the commuters...)

(Ok - not sure about that example... still thinking this one through...)

[Dissident]

Matt and Tim - thanks for the comments.

Tim - sounds like you're doing some great stuff with the youth workers, and so glad to see you've apportioned the majority of your effort into 'people and process' skills. I think I've been attending too many vendor-inspired conferencs just lately where the main (only) topic is the technology. It can skew one's perspective. Frustrating too when some of these events field 'Web 2.0 experts', who have never actually ever built a community or social network!

[Cliff Figallo]

Rich online communities have thrived on the crudest of interfaces. It's not the tech, it's the relationships, the leadership, the fascination with the core interests. Which is not to say the tools don't have their place - they do, and some push things forward. But for most important community purposes, keep it simple and try to connect through voice or f2f whenever possible.

[Steve Dale]

Cliff,

Absolutely agree! Using another analogy, having the best mobile phone with lots of clever features does not improve the conversation!

Steve

[Social Network Web Design]

I strongly agree with you on this. Most social networking sites did not become popular because of the features they offer but because lots of people, in one way or anoter, found other people in those social networking sites with the same interests as theirs. And before they knew it, they already have a huge community of people sharing common ideas, interests and opinions.

[DumDualoBrorm]

Great news., brother

[Android Application Development]

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