Council fun and empathy is content of the week
We admire cool stuff from brands of all sorts. We’ve noticed: local government has been nailing it lately! So content of the week goes to… Read More »Council fun and empathy is content of the week
social media
South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s Burger King spoof is content of the week
This week we’re celebrating a cheeky and fun Facebook post from South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR)! If it seems familiar, but you can’t put… Read More »South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue’s Burger King spoof is content of the week
Council’s social media illustration is content of the week
I want to talk about social media illustration and cartoons in your comms. It seems relatively rare! We see so many social media graphics that… Read More »Council’s social media illustration is content of the week
The ‘commsplanation’: duff advice from the non comms colleague
I made up a word: “commsplanation’. Have you ever been commsplained? It’s where someone who is less qualified than you, or less experienced, explains something… Read More »The ‘commsplanation’: duff advice from the non comms colleague
Cameo celebrities: endorsement not-for-profit brands can afford
Getting a celebrity to promote your brand has long been a desirable but costly way to get your audience’s attention. Some charities could rely on… Read More »Cameo celebrities: endorsement not-for-profit brands can afford
Creative thinking for comms pros: brand metaphors
Creative thinking is not just something we do at work when we’re designing campaigns. We can apply creative thinking to all parts of life and… Read More »Creative thinking for comms pros: brand metaphors
Ten phrases social media managers hate
You might imagine that the phrases social media managers hate to hear would be “we’re out of coffee”, or “there’s nowhere to charge your phone”.… Read More »Ten phrases social media managers hate
Creative social media during the coronavirus crisis – 5 tips
This is a practical guide to maintaining creative social media during the coronavirus crisis. Actually, all of the advice here is relevant at any time,… Read More »Creative social media during the coronavirus crisis – 5 tips
How to give your brand an engaging social media tone of voice
Developing an interesting and engaging social media tone of voice is a hot topic for lots of us who look after social media for brands.… Read More »How to give your brand an engaging social media tone of voice
Posting text and video bilingually to Facebook and YouTube
Posting text and video bilingually to social media sites is possible, but not simple! This is a practical post on posting to social media for audiences that… Read More »Posting text and video bilingually to Facebook and YouTube
Is your fear stopping your social media comms from saying anything?
Communicators often confide in me that they don’t really like using Facebook (and other social media) for their organisations because people will probably post snarky things… Read More »Is your fear stopping your social media comms from saying anything?
Let’s play comms bingo
Do you want to cry when someone asks if they can have an app? Do you shout for mercy when a colleague tells you to… Read More »Let’s play comms bingo
The most important social media measure? The ‘ex-haters’ number.
I’ve been developing a course on social media evaluation, and one metric stands out to me as most important. I call it the ‘ex-haters story’:… Read More »The most important social media measure? The ‘ex-haters’ number.
Standing up for the skills of the expert communicator
Have you ever wandered over to your head of finance and told them how they should interpret the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill of… Read More »Standing up for the skills of the expert communicator
Just how social is your social media?
Most are not serial killers – in fact psychopaths are more likely to find their way into politics, boardrooms or media organisations than be jailed… Read More »Just how social is your social media?
Best trait in a social media communicator? Bravery. No contest.
Which qualities are most desirable in a social media manager or communications employee? I think the most valuable trait is bravery.
The social media election in nine tweets
It’s getting a bit of a cliché to describe it as a ‘social media election’ but things have changed drastically since 2010. In 2010 adults spent 14.2 hours… Read More »The social media election in nine tweets
The public sector has no obligation to be boring: tweets that show the funny side of gov
I’ve been lucky enough to work with people doing some pretty important, serious stuff. Social work, policing, health, public finances, planning, housing, community safety: it’s all critical work.… Read More »The public sector has no obligation to be boring: tweets that show the funny side of gov
My five favourite 2014 tweets with pictures
My top two most read blog posts this year were: number 1: a ‘how to’ flow chart, and number 2. a look at how social… Read More »My five favourite 2014 tweets with pictures
Seven tips for using Facebook if you work in the public sector
Facebook can be a hard place for brands. It’s a lot like a wedding: friends and family gather to have fun, catch up and talk… Read More »Seven tips for using Facebook if you work in the public sector
Council social media: forget about the price tag
A great report from business advisory and accountancy firm BDO, Direct Message, has been released this week, showing results of councils reported use of social media. According to… Read More »Council social media: forget about the price tag
Public sector comms: how to not be evil
(Or, ‘How social media helped me get my heart back’) I’m going to keep this quite short considering this is post about obedience, public sector… Read More »Public sector comms: how to not be evil
Three ways leaders can get more from social media
If you’re a chief exec or a leader, you’ve probably given Twitter, blogging or even Facebook a go. Maybe you love it. But are you… Read More »Three ways leaders can get more from social media
Social media flow chart for comms pros
* 09/01/21 Social media flow chart – updated for 2021! When I first posted this chart 7 years ago (and more than 52,000 downloads ago!),… Read More »Social media flow chart for comms pros
IC Space: three social media ideas for internal communicators
Here’s an article I wrote for the IC Space, sharing three social media tips for internal communicator. You can read the original posting over on… Read More »IC Space: three social media ideas for internal communicators
Five lessons social media managers can learn from the police
As a bit of a public sector social media obsessive, I’ve picked up lots of examples of police use of social media from twitter and… Read More »Five lessons social media managers can learn from the police
Isn’t it time ALL employees were encouraged to use social media?
I’ve been banging this drum for years now – organisations should be encouraging all employees to use social media. At a conference I spoke at… Read More »Isn’t it time ALL employees were encouraged to use social media?
Three ways to get cool stuff done quickly at work
Paul Taylor was kind enough to let me blog on his great site last week – he’s been a real inspiration so I’m chuffed he… Read More »Three ways to get cool stuff done quickly at work
Your organisation doesn’t need a social media expert, it needs its experts on social media
[Photo by Pete Prodoehl] I learned the other day that Homebase don’t refer to their employees as ‘staff members’ or ‘colleagues’. They call them experts.… Read More »Your organisation doesn’t need a social media expert, it needs its experts on social media
Police in Granada have Twitter handles on their uniforms – three reasons why it’s a great idea
I noticed on Twitter last week that in Granada* the police officers have the force Twitter handle sewn into their uniforms and it’s also on… Read More »Police in Granada have Twitter handles on their uniforms – three reasons why it’s a great idea
Google Glass could make the world better – is social care going to be revolutionised?
This post will look at five ways Google Glass (and the inevitable other brands’ wearable devices) may change our understanding of how to protect vulnerable… Read More »Google Glass could make the world better – is social care going to be revolutionised?
Unrestricted staff access to social media – case studies from a local authority
Free use of social media across a whole company – it’s not a concept everybody agrees is productive. But where I work, it’s helping us… Read More »Unrestricted staff access to social media – case studies from a local authority
Seven Twitter mistakes we all have to make
The brilliant Comms2point0 guys let me post on their site earlier this week about messing up on Twitter. I’ve republished here but if you get… Read More »Seven Twitter mistakes we all have to make
Five reasons to like LinkedIn endorsements – why it’s good to endorse your colleagues
I was surprised by how little people think of the fairly new feature in LinkedIn – the ‘endorsement’ – when I tweeted about liking the… Read More »Five reasons to like LinkedIn endorsements – why it’s good to endorse your colleagues
Interview: six social media ‘dos and don’ts’ and the role of the social media manager
Digital agency Coup Media asked to interview me this month for their blog – they’re doing very cool things so I was honoured to chat… Read More »Interview: six social media ‘dos and don’ts’ and the role of the social media manager
Twitter and Facebook to the rescue during heavy snow
Lots of councils experience just how important social media is when the weather gets extreme. A week or so ago, Monmouthshire people received and shared… Read More »Twitter and Facebook to the rescue during heavy snow
A message to the secret council officer
I just came across a great piece in the Guardian from an anonymous council officer who talks about how overly cautious social media policies do… Read More »A message to the secret council officer
Seven social media headlines of 2012 and what they teach us
Last week when the awesome Nick Atkin of Halton Housing and I talked to some clued-up housing sector professionals* we looked at social media in… Read More »Seven social media headlines of 2012 and what they teach us
All Wales public services internet and social media survey 2012
ParticipationCymru do great work to achieve better public engagement in Wales and I was fascinated to read the latest results on how public sector organisations… Read More »All Wales public services internet and social media survey 2012
Five things that good bloggers do
Blogging can sometimes be a bit of a daunting task. Sometimes it’s helpful to think of some the things good bloggers do so our posts… Read More »Five things that good bloggers do
Organisations need to learn how to party: why digital engagement needs to be more social
I work in digital communications. In the public sector. If there’s one obsession both disciplines share, it’s the quest for ‘engagement’. It’s often said about… Read More »Organisations need to learn how to party: why digital engagement needs to be more social
How to do Facebook REALLY well in local government (part two)
A year ago in 2011, I blogged about an inspiring guy I work with, 20 year-old youth worker Dan Davies, and how he uses Facebook for… Read More »How to do Facebook REALLY well in local government (part two)
The future of Klout: how can we use online influence scorers like Klout and Kred?
I’m just going to come straight out with it: I’m pretty interested in online influence scoring tools like Klout and Peerindex. I think they might… Read More »The future of Klout: how can we use online influence scorers like Klout and Kred?
Influence, not ROI, matters for local government social media
On the whole, UK councils are doing a nice job of using social media – possibly we caught on early because we’re used to making… Read More »Influence, not ROI, matters for local government social media
Making mistakes and giving staff access to social media
Some very clever people I’ve learned lots from over the past few years have let me publish guest posts on their blogs. They are all… Read More »Making mistakes and giving staff access to social media
Beginners’ tips for the new public sector tweeter
For public sector types starting to tweet, it can be a bit daunting making a start. So here are some basic tips for getting started… Read More »Beginners’ tips for the new public sector tweeter
ROI of social media in public service
I’ve noticed a bit of Twitter debate on what the return on investment (ROI) is for social media in the public sector. Unfortunately this isn’t… Read More »ROI of social media in public service
How to do Facebook REALLY well in local government (part one)
[Photo by Andalib.] Here’s a case study from 2011 about how Monmouthshire County Council‘s youth service has used Facebook to revitalise the way it communicates with kids and… Read More »How to do Facebook REALLY well in local government (part one)
Sometimes we fluff up
Today one of our council twitter accounts made the news for tweeting an inappropriate comment on a serious incident in one of our Monmouthshire towns.… Read More »Sometimes we fluff up
Social media for social care: Monmouthshire foster carers support each other with Yammer
Our foster care team is always looking at ways to give foster carers information to support them and here’s summary of what we’ve done to… Read More »Social media for social care: Monmouthshire foster carers support each other with Yammer