Get involved in discussion online about an issue

Across social networks, blogs and forums people are talking about all kinds of things online. It’s fairly easy to set up tools to help you follow mentions of issues and names you want to follow across social media, so you can listen to the issues raised and find the interesting voices in the debate. When you’re ready to get involved, it’s worth having a clear plan for how you’ll engage and what you can add to the conversation in a human tone of voice – remembering that it’s OK to just encourage, praise and acknowledge.

Brexit and the rights of UK citizens in Austria Q&A

Nice work by the FCO team in Austria, answering real questions about what Brexit means for ex-pats, as best they … Read more » – Brexit and the rights of UK citizens in Austria Q&A

National Democracy Week 2018

Lovely use of the simple embedded quiz tool, Riddle, by the Boundary Commission for England, to embed a simple quiz … Read more » – National Democracy Week 2018

We The Peoples

The UN uses Medium to bring together a range of staff working in different countries, to shed light on what … Read more » – We The Peoples

Sharing Economy Review

Nice use of a free blogging platform, WordPress.com, to host an independent review supported by government: This is the home … Read more » – Sharing Economy Review

DFID’s top tips for a Google Hangout

Learnings from DFID on using a Google+ hangout for global video chat with a minister and others: Google Hangouts offer … Read more » – DFID’s top tips for a Google Hangout

Acas Employee Relations and HR advice – LinkedIn Group

A busy, popular LinkedIn group managed by Acas, with over 5,000 members including employment lawyers and HR managers asking and … Read more » – Acas Employee Relations and HR advice – LinkedIn Group

PC Richard Stanley

A great, engaging blog about work as a police officer in the Walsall area, written by a PC in his … Read more » – PC Richard Stanley

Tackling a misinformed Facebook campaign

Back in 2009, while working for Newcastle City Council, I came across an anti-council Facebook group and took the decision … Read more » – Tackling a misinformed Facebook campaign

Answering a question about criticism of the FCO on Quora

Shane Dillon works at the Foreign Office, but more importantly, is an enthusiastic and highly effective, consistent user of social … Read more » – Answering a question about criticism of the FCO on Quora

Which paid for social media monitoring tool(s) would others recommend?

Matt Navarra asks: The web is littered with a whole range of free to use social media monitoring and measuring … Read more » – Which paid for social media monitoring tool(s) would others recommend?

Dementia help via GransNet

The Department of Health partnered with the online community for older people, GransNet, to host a webchat and information campaign … Read more » – Dementia help via GransNet

HMRC e-marketplaces

HMRC Press Office and others engaged via a partnership with a leading online finance forum (Money Saving Expert) and a … Read more » – HMRC e-marketplaces

Online Neighbourhood Networks Study

Hyperlocal blogs are becoming increasingly important. What is a hyperlocal blog? They’re often digital bulletin boards for an estate, village, … Read more » – Online Neighbourhood Networks Study

Do I have to use my real name?

In general, introducing yourself with your real name (or at least your first name) and an indication of where you … Read more » – Do I have to use my real name?

How can we avoid the discussion being hijacked?

There are three good strategies for keeping the discussion constructive: 1. Have a clear focus for the project: define the … Read more » – How can we avoid the discussion being hijacked?

State of the Union 2012 – The White House

The White House develops a major digital engagement campaign each January around the President’s State of the Union address. It … Read more » – State of the Union 2012 – The White House

Liz @DSAgovuk on Twitter

Liz is one of the team from the Driving Standards Agency who engages online through Twitter (and other social media) … Read more » – Liz @DSAgovuk on Twitter

ShapeYourPlace.org

The Shape Your Place project developed a network of community websites, combining a channel for fault reporting and consultation with … Read more » – ShapeYourPlace.org

Moderation policy

House rules are a useful way to keep discussion online on-topic, clean and constructive. Writing them down and posting them … Read more » – Moderation policy

Digital Engagement launch plan & blogger outreach

This simple plan was written quickly to pull together ideas for launching a Government strategy on Open Source & Open … Read more » – Digital Engagement launch plan & blogger outreach

Foreign Secretary answers questions on Libya via Twitter

The Foreign Secretary took questions via Twitter, using the hashtag ‘#askFS’ during August 2011. He has since repeated the session … Read more » – Foreign Secretary answers questions on Libya via Twitter

London Conference on Somalia – FCO

The FCO used the curation tool Storify to bring together interesting social media content – tweets, images, videos and more … Read more » – London Conference on Somalia – FCO

Ask Lord Browne – The Student Room

When he launched his review of student finance in England, Lord Browne took part in a live Q&A on The … Read more » – Ask Lord Browne – The Student Room

How bloggers and police countered riot rumours in Wolverhampton

When the riots struck panic and rumour kicked in. While some called for the internet to be shut down others … Read more » – How bloggers and police countered riot rumours in Wolverhampton

#wmgrit on Twitter

By using web tools to communicate in real time people are better informed. Even better than that. They feel happier … Read more » – #wmgrit on Twitter

Credit and store card consultation (BIS)

The credit and store card consultation [archived] was about raising awareness as well as seeking new ideas from stakeholders and … Read more » – Credit and store card consultation (BIS)

LinkedIn: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI)

12,000-strong LinkedIn group of business owners and managers interested in export issues, managed by UK Trade & Investment The group … Read more » – LinkedIn: UK Trade & Investment (UKTI)

Seven principles for digital engagement (help me please)

Emma Mulqueeny blogs about digital engagement and invites discussion on the seven principles of digital engagement laid out to her … Read more » – Seven principles for digital engagement (help me please)

Science and Society Consultation

Now archived, this consultation launched in July 2008 set out a proposed vision for Science and Society and outlined some … Read more » – Science and Society Consultation

Money Saving Expert discussion on community buying

Straightforward partnership with MoneySavingExpert.com to get discussion going in the forum about the new policy on community buying and collective … Read more » – Money Saving Expert discussion on community buying

Civil Service Principles for participation online

Published in 2009 after much internal discussion, the following points – and the Civil Service Code on top of which … Read more » – Civil Service Principles for participation online