Choose C or D or BOTH for Maximum Value and Learning

How To Use Social Media Tools Anyone Can Understand To Monitor Online Conversations, Manage Community Participation And Build Your Organization’s Reputation

Knowing what citizens are thinking, saying and sharing is key for your government department in good times and bad – and so much of that information can be gleaned from the web. Connecting with Canadians is really a two-step process. First, you must know what they’re thinking and, secondly, you need to know where they’re sharing those thoughts so you can connect when the time is right. In this hands-on workshop, we’ll look at the tools you can use to find said conversations and then we’ll learn how you can use the information you’re collecting to create meaningful connections with citizens.

Learn the latest strategies to help you join the conversation and be more effective with your social media efforts, including: 

• Gaining a handle on the all the different reasons to listen to online conversations
• Knowing where to listen to online conversations
• Understanding the concept of RSS feeds and how to set up an RSS reader
• Looking at key free monitoring tools and how to subscribe to search results
• Learning how to use these tools to improve your content creation
• The importance of keyword selection
• Preparing to respond and initiate online conversations when necessary – starting to really use social media

While participants are asked to bring their laptops to get the most out of this workshop, there is ample room to learn with or without.

WORKSHOP LEADER: Mark Goren of Transmission Content + Creative is a social media strategist specializing in social media monitoring. He helps his clients, which includes advertising and PR agencies in Canada and the U.S, get up to speed on social media tools, technologies and tactics, while preparing them to strategically add social media initiatives to their own service offering. Strategic listening to social media conversation is his area of specialty, having developed unique processes to help clients define and design their monitoring programs.

Previously, Mark spent over a decade working as a strategic-minded creative at advertising agencies in Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. 

Testimonials From Past Mark Goren Sessions:

“Excellent – hands on, worked us through each item.  Very useful!”

“Very nice to see hands-on demonstration of tools.”

 “I really enjoyed this; very practical.”

“This makes my day well spent!”

11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Afternoon break/lunch on your own

How To Overcome The Cultural Roadblocks Of Bringing Social Media Into Your Public Service Organization For Improved Collaboration, Efficiency, And Results

In a few short years, social media has become an integral part of life in most developed nations. In the United States, the President has ruled that government must be more open and engage with citizens directly. In Canada, the Clerk of the Privy Council has declared that we must use more Web 2.0 in our daily work. Whether it is inside the organization or out, the benefits of social collaboration seem obvious; better efficiency and sustainability, but early efforts to realize these benefits are encountering a range of cultural issues that slow or even prevent progress.

This workshop will cover the cultural side of using Web 2.0 with an emphasis on collaboration within the Canadian Public Service. In this interactive and engaging session, you will learn:

• The range of social media tools available to the Canadian Public Service and some examples of how teams are using them today
• What do we mean by Public Service culture? What does a social media friendly culture look like?  How does this relate to the policy and legal framework that public servants work within?
• Typical cultural roadblocks to social media adoption and how to overcome them
• Principles of social collaboration, including discussions on appropriate transparency and failure in a Web 2.0 enabled Public Service
• Specific actions you can take today

This session will be highly interactive. You will be encouraged to share the challenges you have encountered. The group will draw on the presentation material and experience to suggest strategies and tactics to resolve the problems being encountered in implementing social media in a government context.

WORKSHOP LEADER: Thom Kearney, Senior Consultant with Rowanwood, has many years of experience in advertising, technology, education, and helping clients tell their stories and navigate changing landscapes. Thom is an award-winning teacher, insightful analyst, facilitator, change agent and architect.  

In February of 2010, Thom completed a three year Executive Interchange at the Chief Information Officer Branch (CIOB), Treasury Board Secretariat. While at CIOB, Thom led the GCPEDIA project to bring open collaborative platforms to the Public Service as a whole. GCPEDIA was ultimately endorsed by Wayne Wouters the Clerk of the Privy Council, as a key part of renewing the workplace in the Public Service Renewal Action Plan.

Thom is involved in all aspects of Web 2.0, including tools, information management, governance,  policy development, and most importantly the adoption of collaborative behaviors across the Public Service.