Govloop – a knowledge network for government

According to the small world theory, we are all six connections or less away from anyone else on the planet.

I’ve been putting this theory to the test during my stay here in the USA by trying to connect with various people who are doing interesting things with digital media.  One of the people I was keen on talking to is Steve Ressler, founder of Govloop (a social network for government employees).  When I spoke a couple of weeks ago to Washington State’s social media network, it turned out that one of the members of the network knows Steve and he put us in touch.

Founded in 2008, Govloop has grown into an online community with over 65,000 members.  These are mostly people working in US federal, state and local government, but there are also some international members.  I joined the site in early 2012 and have been fascinated to watch the community grow and to follow some of the discussions.  Govloop is mentioned as an example of good practice in Don Tapscott’s book Wikinomics.  It’s an interesting case to study for those of us who are involved in trying to build online communities in Europe.

Steve was kind enough to spend some time talking on the phone with me from his base in Florida.  I was particularly interested to hear from him what community management techniques he has found work best in terms of driving engagement and interaction.  Based on our conversation, here are some tips that I think may interest colleagues in Europe.

Welcome Newcomers

In a nice analogy, Steve compared joining an online network to arriving at a party where you don’t know anyone.  It helps to make people feel at home and give them the confidence to join a conversation if someone is there to show them around.  When they sign up, new members of Govloop receive a series of three emails welcoming them and providing practical tips about how to get started.  There is also good signposting on the site that suggests “things you can do right now” as well as pointing users towards the most popular content.

Generate useful content

Govloop has evolved from a kind of “Facebook for government” into a “knowledge network for government”.  Although there is plenty of space on the platform for user-generated content (blogs, discussion forums etc…) one of the main attractions is the analysis and expertise provided by the Govloop team itself.  These include well-written and researched guides on issues from customer service to the power of analytics in government.  The Govloop team has also produce a series of informative infographics on subjects from telework to cyber security.

Organize scheduled opportunities for interaction

One of the biggest benefits of Govloop in my experience is the regular series of webinars and online training courses offered to members.  Recent sessions have covered topics from big data to “bring your own device”.  These scheduled opportunities provide a clear added value to membership and act as a focus for interaction.  They also help to reinforce cooperation between Govloop and its partners in government and other sectors.

Invest in community management

Like a garden, online networks need constant care to achieve their full potential.  Putting a platform online, no matter how much you have invested in functionalities and usability, is not enough.  Allocating sufficient resources to community management is a vital investment if you are serious about building and maintaining genuine interaction.  In addition to Steve, Govloop counts on the support of 5-6 staff in research, community management and email marketing roles, plus dozens of volunteers who act as “online mentors” by supporting members and stimulating interaction.

Use email effectively to maintain engagement

As I’ve tried to argue in previous posts on this blog, email is still far from dead.  In my experience, email alerts and newsletters still play a vital role in keeping people engaged with an online platform.  Govloop does a great job with this.  Many of the emails come in the format of a personal message from Steve himself.  The subject line and titles are well drafted to catch your attention, give you a clear idea of the main point and a link to the site if you want to read more.

Other European colleagues might be interested in joining Govloop, so that they can have a look at how the platform works and access the features and content.  It would be nice to see some of you there!

Celebrating Europe Day in Seattle

Europe Day has been marked with a series of events this week at the University of Washington in Seattle.  Colleagues from the EU Center at the University organized a European quiz that attracted morning crowds crossing the central “Red Square” on campus, lured by the promise of free coffee and EU giveaways!  And I was honoured to be invited to deliver this year’s Europe Day lecture to a group of students, faculty and representatives of the local community.

Time flies …!

The second half of my fellowship at the University of Washington has been racing by!  Here are a few of the things that have been keeping me busy during the last week.

Washington State social media network

I travelled down to Olympia to speak with a group of government officials who are working on digital media at the state, local and city level.  Just like the European Commission, Washington State has a social media network that allows people from different government departments to exchange experiences.

What can we learn from Nike?

Employees cycle past Nike Lake and Ronaldo Field on cruiser bikes.  Executives emerge in jeans and trainers from buildings named after sports stars.  In many ways, Nike’s picturesque campus on the outskirts of Portland seems about as far from the European Commission’s headquarters in Brussels as you can imagine.  And yet, when it comes to digital media, companies like Nike face similar challenges to many other big organizations.

Is email dead?

In a context of declining resources and increasing demands, what digital tools can help people to work most productively in an organization like the European Commission?  How can we convince colleagues (and external partners) to change their habits and to engage with new solutions for online collaboration?  These were some of the questions that emerged during a recent “Digital Competence Day” for Commission staff organized by our human resources department.  I was pleased to be able to participate in some of the discussions from my current base in Seattle via video link, Twitter and Yammer.

Cyprus and the European public sphere

The Spring Quarter started this week at the University of Washington.  I will be teaching a class on the European Union where we will be looking, in particular, at how digital media are changing the EU.  One of the issues we will be grappling with is something that often comes up at conferences and discussions in Brussels – the elusive “European public sphere”.

1 million tweets mention Cyprus

As I have been finalizing the preparations for my class over the last couple of weeks, it has been fascinating to observe the online interactions around the economic adjustment programmes for Cyprus that were discussed by Eurozone Finance Ministers on 15 and 25 March.  According to topsy.com (see graphic) there have been over 1 million tweets mentioning Cyprus during the last month.  The peaks in traffic on Twitter clearly correspond to the two meetings of Eurozone Finance Ministers.

Collaboration top priority for government communication

Using the “One Bus Away” app – a frequent site at bus stops in Seattle!

Collaboration, customer service and mobile are the three top trends in government communication to look out for in 2013, according to a survey of US state, county and city governments published on 19 March 2013 by GovDelivery.  The survey stresses the need to streamline collaboration between government agencies in order to improve efficiency and reduce costs, as well as the growing demand for digital engagement opportunities from citizens:

School’s out for … Spring break!

This is the last week of the Winter Quarter at the University of Washington, and I can’t believe that I have completed almost half of my fellowship here already!

Jackson School of International Studies EU Task Force 2013

On the road!

I’ve spent a lot of my time during the last couple of months giving talks about the European Union here at the University of Washington, as well as other Universities in Washington and neighbouring States.  My European Commission colleague, Michel, asked to see more photos on this blog.  So here are some images and impressions from recent visits to Washington State University, the University of Idaho and Lewis-Clark College.

West Coast Model EU

The University of Washington hosted the “West Coast Model EU” in Seattle on 22-23 February 2013.

More than 60 students attended, representing Universities from across the Pacific North West.  They had an opportunity to deepen their understanding of the European Union by participating in simulated negotiations.  The themes chosen for the 2013 edition included the reform of EU Cohesion Policy, Banking Union and EU own resources.