Report: Most council workers granted access to Facebook, Twitter
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Most councils allow employees to access social media. This is compared with only one-third of them allowing it two years ago, research by Socitm indicates.
All employees potentially have access to Twitter in 44 per cent of councils and only some employees in 54 per cent of councils, with only 2 per cent offering no access, according to the findings.
Facebook is accessible to a similar level, with all employees having access in 42 per cent of councils, some in 54 per cent and just 4 per cent having no access.
YouTube follows closely behind (41 per cent, 51 per cent and 8 per cent), with Flickr, Slideshare and Google Docs slightly less accessible.
The findings come from two identical surveys carried out in January 2012, one with chief information officers, heads of ICT and equivalent and a second with web, communications, customer services, service and policy managers. A similar survey published in 2010 was limited to IT managers, however.
The two surveys also show that 84 per cent of councils have a presence on Twitter and 73 per cent on Facebook.
Socitm said that its research reveals that social media has been incorporated into the activity of almost all councils, with blanket bans on access being replaced by more considered approaches.
Its report on the findings titled Social media goes mainstream – but in the right way? says that social media has the potential to play a much wider role in changing what councils do, and how they do it.
This article was originally published at Guardian Government Computing.
Guardian Government Computing is a business division of Guardian Professional, and covers the latest news and analysis of public sector technology. For updates on public sector IT, join the Government Computing Network here.
COMMENTS
Re: Opening up access on systems is good
Isn't that like putting a piece of cheese in the mousetrap and then silently waiting for the trap to spring and crush the mouse's head.......
Gotta admit, it is a little sadistic.......
Re: Says an awful lot about the type of people who work for councils, then.
No it doesn't.
Perhaps you're confusing levels of potential access with levels of usage?
I could access all the services mentioned in the article. Please tell me the awful lot that tells you about me.
Do they also have playrooms.
I can't really see the "professional" justification for giving access to Youtube, Facebook, Twitter etc to all and sundry ...
Where will this stop, pastel coloured chairs, preheated coffee mugs, access to the "Directors bathroom", pre pause breaks, intimate talk time.
I am not advocating Taylorism for council employees but I just can't see how giving access to social media sites contributes to anything usefull to those for whom the council workers work, the taxpayer.
Given a choice between, twittering and facebooking with friends or doing some mundane task which would you choose to do ? Don't forget though that you are PAID to do the mundane tasks....
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