Mosman Council has taken the progressive and bold step to officially use Twitter, and at the same time offer some very clear and useful summary information and guidelines on the service itself.
I say this is both progressive and bold because Government agencies can often be very worried and fearful about participating on the Web in this way (and in social media in general), and it's great to see such steps taken.
In contrast, I know of one or two other local councils that have unnofficial accounts and it makes you feel like they're missing a trick, especially as Twitter becomes more popular and it begins to permeate all aspects of the web and online communications.
From Mosman's Web page:
Our aim is to inform constituents of what’s happening in Mosman.
- Our Twitter channel supplements the information we publish on our website.
- We can remind you of important events and alert you to late-breaking news.
- We can link to interesting and useful information about Mosman published by other people.
- We can better communicate with those using mobile devices.
- But we’re also aware of the changing nature of communication on the internet and our use of this channel will be influenced by your participation and response to it.
That last sentence is a really nice way to approach things.
At the time of writing, the most recent Mosman Council tweet is regarding a new and predictably unpopular scheme to charge for beachside parking at Balmoral (one of the most serene and picturesque places on the Harbour). The post refers people directly to the official statement on the decision. Not hard, but a tangible response.
[via Craig Thomer (@craigthomler), whose blog and Twitter feed I recommend, especially if you're involved with government, communications and intranets.]
