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Blogging and Facebook for councillors

An increasing number of councillors now have blogs or use Facebook, so there is plenty of experience around and many good examples to emulate. In this article, seasoned 'blogger' Councillor Mary Reid offers you the benefit of her experience. She offers top tips on how councillors can make the most of blogs and social network media. Join the discussion by using the comment box at the end.

I have been blogging for five years, only taking breaks for holidays. One thing that I have learnt is that you will only persist with your blog if the act of writing meets your own needs as well as those of your electors. In my case, I like being able to process my thoughts on issues and enjoy creating a permanent record of my work as a councillor.

Tips for blogging

  1. Your name is your brand, so don’t hide behind a clever title.
  2. Don’t forget to include your imprint and contact details.
  3. Never write anything that you could not say in a public meeting. A blog feels like an intimate space but it isn’t, so think twice about what you write, especially if you are angry or upset.
  4. However, don’t sound as though you are at a public meeting. A chatty style is best.
  5. Don’t think of blogging as an alternative to delivering political leaflets – it supplements and extends your printed literature, but it does not replace it.
  6. Use photos. I always ask permission and explain I’m taking photos for my blog. You absolutely must check that there is parental permission before you use photos of children.
  7. It is tempting to do nothing but campaign on a blog, but it is also a space where you can praise work done by the voluntary sector and council officers. If you are invited to some kind of celebration, or even just an AGM, take photos of the key people, and use your blog to tell the world about the good things they are doing.  Then send them an email, thanking them for the invitation and explaining that you have written about them on your blog. This amplifies the praise and neatly grows your audience.
  8. You will mainly be writing about local issues, but also try to find the local angle to national stories.
  9. Make sure that the local press knows about your blog. I find whole chunks of my blog are lifted and used directly in the local papers. From time to time, drop an email to the local reporter with a link to something that might interest them on your blog. It’s much simpler than writing press releases.
  10. Encourage comments on the site, but use the option to pre-moderate them. Although this restricts the immediacy of responses, it gives you some control so that you can protect yourself and those leaving comments from abuse and defamatory remarks. From time to time explain the criteria you are using when moderating comments. Mine are: no offensive comments about individuals and no spam. I also try to discourage anonymous comments.
  11. Respond to comments, but don’t forget that you are still in a public space. Beware of the knee-jerk reaction to a political challenge and continue to present yourself as reasonable and thoughtful, which you undoubtedly are.
  12. Don’t forget that the opposition will be reading it.
  13. Don’t forget that council officers will be reading it.
  14. Make sure that your council website provides a link to your blog, and that its web address is printed on business cards and stationery.

Facebook

I began using Facebook when it first became generally available, and if I were starting now I would use it differently. In the early days it was impossible to separate your personal from your public persona, but that has now changed and you can create as many public pages as you wish.

Here are some more hints and tips:

  1. You are only allowed one profile on Facebook, so make your profile your personal space and restrict it to genuine friends and family. Set your privacy settings so that casual visitors can only see very limited information about you.
  2. Create a page to represent yourself as a councillor. A page is very similar to a profile, but you attract fans rather than friends. Allow unrestricted access to this page. 
  3. Your page status will appear on all your fans’ home pages so update the status regularly with snippets of news.
  4. Create a feed from your blog to your page. In 'Notes' you can import posts from one external blog, so your posts can appear on your page as well as on your blog. These will then appear in the news feeds on your fans’ homepages.
  5. Create groups for your campaigns. Invite everyone who has subscribed to your page, and then send messages to update them all on progress. Keep an eye on the discussions and join in from time to time. Create group events to keep the momentum going.

Councillor Mary Reid's blog

Create a Facebook page – on the Facebook website

More about e-communications tools


Page published February 2010.

Your comments

  • This is just great, been trying to tell our councillors to make more use of existing network social and other. Also wanted them to set up a texting service for groups in our city to keep their members informed of meetings and events.

    Glyn Jenkins on 09 Feb 2010

  • A unfortunate word of warning to councillors
    Our councillors have received the following warning.
    " I can confirm that the corporate ICT Acceptable Use Policy does restrict the use of social networking sites. "
    This means any HPBC councillor using the council provided laptops or computers to access face book etc could face up to 3 months suspension.
    I suspect it also means that any council officer or employer who monitors such sites or blogs on their council computers could face disciplinary action.
    I am hoping for a review of this culture of secrecy but I do not hold out much hope in getting it changed
    Meanwhile I will continue to blog and use face book to my advantage on my own computer.

    Cllr Ivan Bell Independent. High Peak Borough Council on 10 Feb 2010

  • Cllr Bell - that's really unfortunate as more and more councils are taking advantage of social media. SOCITM released a report in January urging council IT managers to stop blocking - and the corporate centre needs to define acceptable use. For some people (e.g. engagement, comms or consultation officers, policy, performance..etc) this will mean completely unfettered access to social media sites. For some jobs - it may be appropriate not to have any access.

    We have published draft guidance for councillors at www.ideasocial.wetpaint.com which not only encourages councillors to blog and use social networking but also asks councillors to ensure that reasonable use and access policies are in place at the council

    Ingrid Koehler on 16 Feb 2010

  • Great post, thank you for taking the time, your blog looks like a great example of how social media can enhance communication and engagement. I would love for my local councillors to engage in this way, after all it's how I (and many more of the public) live my life and if councillors are there to represent the general public then why not? Hopefully in a year or so we'll look back with a wry smile at those councils who took such a narrow view on social networking...probably the same ones who didn't think email would take off!

    George Julian on 17 Feb 2010

  • Pleased it was useful.

    Ivan - presumably your council does not allow officers to use social networking sites either? That is very shortsighted, as it is a very valuable communication tool for council officers as well as members.

    In my case, our Neighbourhood Manager has set up a Facebook Group for the area and posts useful information to people who have signed up.

    Incidently, although my own council has a liberal attitude to all of this, I have never taken a council laptop because I don't want to be restricted by anyone else's acceptable use policy. I'm an elected representative not a council employee.

    Mary Reid on 17 Feb 2010

  • Setting up a Facebook profile is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to social media and internet 2.0.

    Networks and systems such as Twitter, where members can build followers through a flow of information, have massive potential to change the concept of leadership and provide a wealth of information on relevant trends and topics within the network, as if having many ears to the ground in many places.

    These networks are transparent, self-organizing and democratic. Technology such as this not only makes dialogue and communication with communities simple, it also offers a cutting edge solution to identifying just what matters in the community, what users are saying and what sort of information they seek.

    Doug Siebs on 19 Feb 2010

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