Social Media Panel at the PACE Conference in Peoria, AZ

Last week, I spoke at the Positive Action through Civic Engagement (PACE) Conference in Peoria, Arizona.

As a speaker on the social media panel, I was asked to answer the following question: “How is social media changing the way that citizens engage with their government and communities?”

I presented the audience with the following opportunities that social media can present to city governments:

• A vehicle for obtaining public support for initiatives.
• Engaging citizens in the process so they feel informed.
• Increasing the speed that information is released and available.
• Greater transparency.
• Citizens engage with one another about public policy issues, creating a public dialogue.
• Find out what’s on people’s minds through conversation, not just feedback.
• Create a level of transparency that fosters trust.

It was encouraging to see that our local governments are interested in communicating with their citizens through social media, and that they understand how important social media is – and will be – to engage with citizens, now and moving forward.