Councillors on Twitter...come on, lets see more of you.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on February 7, 2009 at 17:55

In all seriousness, Liz, what do you think it would really add to what I could offer residents of Tottenham Hale ward? Especially when the majority don't even have email?

Or to residents elsewhere in Haringey who can now reach their own and other councillors by phone, email, letter and turning up at an advice surgery? And in my case by Flickrmail and HoL-mail.
The notion that a councillor's soft door is better that the hard door of the official systems is actually an illusion.

Insofar as anyone is calling the shots, it's supposed to be so-called "cabinet" councillors. They already have support officers who handle their emails and correspondence when they're not around. (And sometimes when they are.) Would Twitter add anything significant?

And as you well know, the really essential task is not dealing with the thousands of small symptoms of problems; but finding ways to tackle the causes of those problems. Again, would Twitter help? I worry that it could and would become one more activity to keep us from those "upstream" tasks.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Liz on February 7, 2009 at 20:07

I have given a lot of thought to your question Alan.

The inclusion argument is a tough one to answer, although if Andy Burnham is to be believed, the majority of homes will have broadband access by 2012 and there are many intiatives out there to get people online and confident. Twitter will be one of a number of tools for communicating with people and one thing is certain, more people are signing up (perhaps so they can listen to the pearls of wisdom of so called celebs intially, but hopefully they can be persuaded to use it for more useful things just as other social networks are gradually evolving to more profitable use)

However, in order to answer your question about what use is Twitter, all I can really do is tell you the uses that I have observed the most skilled users of have put it to and direct you to this research on what councillors do on Twitter currently.

1. A learning tool. If you follow people with the same interests etc as you, you will find that they direct you to a lot of new information. As a user, you can flag up things that have interested you. You can ask questions and people often supply answers very quickly. You can 'eavesdrop' conversations about issues that concern you.

2. Mini blog I wouldn't go overboard on this one, as some people really overdo it but personal updates can make people feel more comfortable about approaching you. As with online communities like this (and real life conversation), if you are prepared to reveal a little info about yourself, you find that you draw people in and interest them. This may be short updates on what you are doing in your neighbourhood, council business, opinions on local issues, or even personal interests (trains, birds, history have all featured in my conversations)

3. Conversations the really skilled users use Twitter as a forum for conversation. This one is quite hard at first but can lead to some interesting feedback on things that interest you.

4. Networking Putting you in touch with people who have similar aims to you. In the case of local government, it may be that you join up with councillors in other boroughs to swap ideas/thoughts

5. Advertising You blog and you want to draw attention to something you've done, post a link to it. If you want to let people know about great stuff going on in your neck of the woods, post it, and give your area some profile. If you put a #sign in front of your area everytime, it's a way of tagging it for people doing searches. You can sometimes put important stuff right in the laps of people. It can be a way of drawing all your activity together and feeding it out to people who want to know.

I was a bit of a sceptic at first but I joined out of curiosity. After following a few people I knew like Hugh and getting followed by people who recognised my name from HOL, I looked at their follower lists and chose a few that looked interesting. Most will follow you back (its etiquette to follow back at first, except for the odd 'spam' ones which you can block). At first, I was a little shy to strike up conversations but gradually if you comment on people's observations, you'll find they answer back.

Whether any media can actually deal with the causes of problems, is debatable, but we now have ways of reaching people with ideas across the globe. Twitter is a big conversation and like most conversations, the quality of it depends on you (as in one, not you personally :)).

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Michael Anderson on February 8, 2009 at 16:22

Alan, I don't think it's a one or the other arguement about the means of communication that can be used. The more methods that are open for people to communicate with, the better surely?.

On the issue of email poverty in the borough; yes of course that is important, but so is the recognition that for many people from black and minority ethnic communities it is one of the most used methods of keeping in touch to friends and family abroad (as it's much cheaper than using the phone), so email isn't alien to a lot of people in the worst poverty, which disproportionately hits those from BME communities

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Alan Stanton on February 8, 2009 at 18:34

You suggest: "The more methods that are open for people to communicate with, the better surely?" Up to a point, Michael. Or up to several points.

One point is that simply adding channels doesn't work. Data is not information; and information is not knowledge. We get far too much of the first and not nearly enough of the last.

Another point is when the signal-to-noise ratio worsens so that interference overwhelms the signal. Add many simultaneous and competing channels - each with a perfectly good signal - and the sum is noise with little or nothing of significance communicated.

Ever been at a theatre or concert when several people forget to turn their mobile off? Or where one idiot answers and has a whispered but audible chat? Ever tried to have a serious conversation with someone whose mobile is ringing; who's also reading their email; while other people are trying to break-in and have 'a word'?

Workplaces now have enormous problems just with email. Staff spend hours every day trying to keep abreast of the quantity of stuff arriving - some of which is vital and may need a response. But most is more noise.

The more focussed and creative the task the more susceptible to being derailed by interruption and noise. (One reason why Virginia Woolf said a woman needs: 'A room of her own'.) Creating new knowledge and building judgement; or new art - writing a play, or practising an instrument - require time and calm quiet air.

So does joint working with others who - ideally - should bring their focused attention to the task. Such gatherings need allocated times; and separated 'protected' spaces - with a agreement not to bring in other 'business'. This is why so-called 'smart-working' and hot-desking is actually schmuck-working.

────────────────────
I'm not underestimating the boon of email (and Skype) to people keeping in touch with distant family and friends. In the (unjustly neglected) terms used by Ivan Illich, these can be 'Tools for Conviviality'. But I simply observe that a significant number of residents I talk to in my ward - from whatever ethnic background - still don't have email or an internet connection. Or, if they do, do not use it as a regular and essential daily tool.

Anyway, don't humans need 'I and Thou' meetings? To 'rap' in the old-fashioned sense? And commensality where the only apples and blackberries around come in pies?

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Hugh on February 8, 2009 at 19:21

Alan, one way you might look at using Twitter is to think about the advantages of using it to listen rather than talk. I pick up a huge number of useful things from around 10-15 mins a day. A good number of the people I follow are immensely generous with the stuff they alert me to and link to.

Then perhaps the key question becomes, how useful would it be for the residents of your ward if you were to become even better informed.

• ▶ Reply