In this blog I will summarize for me the most important principles from Groundswell. which I will apply in my final paper to the world of policymaking:
Groundswell focuses on how you can use the explosion in new media principles and social technologies to support a business. A number of concepts were useful for their thinking structures and important to bear in mind. Firstly and fundamentally the ability to listen in and listen well to what people are talking about. These technologies have the power to create dialogue and conversation. Relationships are everything and it’s important to think how you can create a space that encourages interaction. Can you create fans and help them connect with you. There are five key steps: Listening, Talking, Energizing, Support, and Embracing (using them to co-design)
What problems are you hoping to answer using Groundswell principles: is it awareness (people don’t know about you), word of mouth (you need people to talk to you), complexity (you have complicated messages to communicate), or an accessibility problem (you cant reach them at all).
POST is a framework for thinking about the issue: people, objectives, strategy and technology.
People: what are your customers (citizens) ready for; what is their biggest issue; what do they need from each other? In the book they offer a Social Technographics Profile tool for helping to understand them: http://www.forrester.com/Groundswell/profile_tool.html
Objectives: is it listening, talking, energizing, supporting and embracing.. What’s fascinating is that this model or framework also works when you apply it to my world of change management. I have been using story and narrative in my work and these steps apply here.
Strategy: how do we want relationships to change: get citizens to become more engaged, carry messages to others etc. Creating a space that encourages interaction
Technologies: which to use blogs, viral videos, wikis, social networks, communities etc. Explanations to be mindful of when thinking about why people participate and contribute include these impulses: altruistic, prurient, creative, validation, recognition, influence and affinity or belonging otherwise known ad “the culture of generosity” or the search for psychic rewards.
A cautionary tale that was used in the reading was the case of Joe Anthony’s Barack Obama profile on MySpace, it had garnered over thirty thousand friends and it was shut down rather than the founders attempting to find a way to work with Joe
And four key types: Creators, Critics, Spectators, Inactives (who can dampen participation) Who are the rebels in your organization, what are the basic rules of engagement? Some of the important takeaways for me include: what do collective contributions and consensus mean for policy making. How will these technologies help make it happen? Why will people want to play? What interesting ways can we get them to participate and invite people to be part of it?
