2013 COMMUNITY EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Category Worksheet
BEST PRACTICES, Social Media
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Name of Local Government: City of New Westminster
Project Summary Paragraph
Please provide a summary of your project, program or practice in 150 words or less.
The City of New Westminster has utilized social media tools to provide easy access to important
community information and encourage knowledge-sharing. Social media has allowed the City to
not only provide timely and transparent communication, but also improve participation in public
consultation, highlight the city’s many unique programs, resources and events, and provide a
venue for residents to share their feedback.
Through several social media channels, the City and key departments have been able to
efficiently connect with citizens in an open and meaningful way by communicating with them
through the venue they prefer – online.
New Westminster has recognized that social media is one of the most powerful communication
tools available today. Over the past three years, our use of social media has increased
substantially resulting in an active and engaged group of followers who are helping to shape
their community one post at a time.
Check off the social media tools you use:
__ text messaging
__ comment-enabled blog or website
_X_ micro-blog service (e.g. Twitter, Tumblr)
__ instant messaging or online chat service
_X_ online discussion forum
_X_ social networks (e.g. Facebook, Google+)
_X_ video or photo sharing service (e.g. YouTube, Flickr)
Help us find your social media tools on-line (provide website link, account or
user names):
www.newwestcity.ca, www.newwestpcr.ca, www.nwpl.ca, www.investnewwest.ca
Facebook: /new_westminster; /newwestpcr; /newwestminsterpubliclibrary;
/newwestpolice; /NWMuseumandArchives; /Envision2032
Twitter: @new_westminster; @NewWestPCR; @NewWestPD;
@NWPLibrary;@NewWestPlanning; @investnewwest1
PlaceSpeak: www.placespeak.com/topic/531-new-westminster-master-transportationplan/
Project Analysis
Please answer the question in 300 words or less in 11 pt Arial font (our judges value directness
and brevity). If you experience difficulty answering a particular question, consider the aspects of
your program that may relate to the question and show us how they are linked.
2013 UBCM Community Excellence Awards
1. FOUNDATION
a.) How did your local government come to the decision to integrate social media
tools into business operations? Tell us about your process.
Our decision to integrate social media came from our awareness of the city’s
changing demographics, which led to a desire to broaden and improve the
City’s communication reach. New Westminster’s central location and ready
access to rapid transit has led to a flood of professionals and young families
putting roots down in our city. With social media use increasing, we wanted to
take advantage of this trend to better connect with our residents.
Our objective was to increase participation in public consultation, improve
understanding of city processes and projects, and create a general
information sharing and discussion space.
In 2010, we retained a New Westminster-based social media firm to help us
develop a plan-of-action by conducting a review of our current efforts, as well
as the demographics, trends, and needs unique to our city and residents. The
end result was a plan that ensures we do not blindly implement social media
tools for their own sake, but that we have clear objectives in mind before
moving forward on any new initiative.
b.) How long has each of your social media tools been active?
The City of New Westminster Facebook page has been active since 2009 and
our primary Twitter account has been active since 2010. Supporting,
department/project-specific Facebook and Twitter accounts were
subsequently created as we implemented our social media plan, increased
our reach and trained more City staff to utilize these new communication
tools.
2. ROLE
Discuss the role of social media in your local government’s overall communications
strategy.
Outstanding customer service has always been a source of pride and a quality that
sets the City of New Westminster apart. The use of social media has allowed the
City to extend that level of service by providing residents with another method of
asking questions, reporting problems, and providing feedback. In response, the City
is able to provide timely replies and quick action in resolving issues and satisfying
customers’ needs.
The City is committed to an engagement-oriented approach to communications
where citizens are treated in an authentic, friendly, and respectful way. As New
Westminster demographics and lifestyles change, the City must adapt its
communication strategies to best serve and reach its audience. Traditional methods
of community engagement conflict with the realities of many individuals and families.
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2013 UBCM Community Excellence Awards
Our residents must have an opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns with
Council and staff in a manner that is convenient and comfortable for them.
As more and more people are turning to the internet and mobile devices to access
information, the City has placed a greater emphasis on communicating through
social media channels. Our communication goal is to effectively distribute
information to citizens and increase collaboration and dialogue. Social media has
allowed us to achieve this goal by facilitating the collection of information, enabling
us to listen and respond to citizen concerns which lead to informed decision-making
by staff and Council.
3. SUSTAINABILITY
What measures have you put in place to ensure the continued operation of your
social media operations? (e.g. staff time, staff training, plans, resources, financial)
In May 2011, we adapted a social media policy to define the rules of engagement for
city staff and provide a clear strategic roadmap to guide planning for future activities
and efforts. City staff were asked to complete a survey to obtain their feedback so
that any fears or concerns could be addressed. We then held training sessions for
key staff members that showed interest in representing their department on social
media. We continue to conduct regular meetings with all social media users in order
to review current practices, brainstorm new ideas and develop ways to improve.
We currently have multiple staff from various departments who are responsible for
posting on and monitoring social media platforms so that the responsibility doesn’t
fall solely on only one or two individuals. We feel that this team-based model better
shares workload and improves the flow of information between departments,
representing a more authentic view of the city.
HootSuite has also helped us to stay organized, allowing multiple users to manage
more than one account at the same time. We are in the process of furthering our use
of this program and have planned training sessions for staff social media reps in
scheduling posts and coordinating with other users so that content is varied and well
timed. Having all users on the same platform allows us to see when others have
replied to a comment or question so that responses do not get duplicated.
4. INTEGRATION
Explain how the social media tools you employ are integrated, and how they
facilitate two-way communication.
The City employs a variety of social media tools, primarily Facebook and Twitter. In
addition to the main City of New Westminster account, since 2010, several
departments have established their own social media presence such as Parks,
Culture and Recreation, the New Westminster Police Department, the Public Library
among others. By creating additional profiles, users can follow the departments that
most interest them and filter information that may not be applicable. This also allows
the City to share information efficiently and target the right audience. Tweets and
posts can be shared as necessary amongst profiles expanding the reach of a
specific message. Despite having separate accounts, content and editorial are
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2013 UBCM Community Excellence Awards
coordinated by staff administrators to ensure information is posted in a strategic
manner and user comments are replied to in a timely manner.
The ease and accessibility of social media has facilitated the ability of residents to
communicate directly with the City. Questions and inquiries can be asked outside of
office hours and participation in public consultations can take place from the comfort
of one’s home. Likewise, the City can respond to questions immediately and share
important information, particularly during an emergency or power outage, at any time
of day and on weekends.
Social media by its nature is colloquial in style. When communicating on social
media, specifically Facebook and Twitter, the City can use a less formal tone of
voice and incorporate humour and positive emotions to provide relatable content.
Traditional forms of communication tend to be much more formal and simply push
information out to the public in a matter-of-fact way. Social media allows the City to
show its human side making it less intimidating for residents to express their
opinions and share their ideas.
5. BEST PRACTICES
What sets your local government apart from others in your implementation and use
of social media? Why should your local government be chosen above the rest to
represent “Best Practices in social media”?
Relative to neighbouring municipalities, New Westminster is one of the more active
and engaged cities in terms of its social media activities, both in terms of number of
fans and followers, and frequency of audience response. We are among the most
engaged municipalities in Metro Vancouver, which is saying a lot, considering our
relatively small population. When adjusted for population, New West’s Facebook
page is the second most popular in Metro Vancouver with over 3200 “likes” to date;
our Twitter followers currently number close to 2000.
We believe that part of the reason for our popularity is our demonstrated quick
response times to comments and questions from our residents. We frequently get
residents making service requests through Twitter, after which we forward the report
on to the appropriate department. We typically get word back within 24 hours that
the issue reported has been fixed. If the issue is a larger one that will take more time
to deal with, we still ensure that we respond quickly and explain the situation, letting
the resident know that the issue has been noted and will be dealt with. Please see
the following example:
NWimby: Hey @New_Westminster there is a dead skunk in the middle of the west bike path on
the south foot of the Queensborough Bridge. Who do I call? 10:55pm, Jul 10
New_Westminster: @nwimby Animal Services is en-route to pick it up. 10:26am, Jul 11
NWimby: @New_Westminster thanks. And apologies to them. 11:36am, Jul 11
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2013 UBCM Community Excellence Awards
We strongly feel that quick response times are important for ensuring that our
residents feel connected to their city, knowing they will get answers when they ask
questions. We have received a lot of positive feedback from our residents
complimenting us on our swift action and response.
6. CHALLENGES
Tell us about some of the challenges you have faced in the implementation and
operation of your social media platforms and the solutions to these challenges.
The adoption of social media has not come without its challenges. One of the main
concerns expressed by staff was the increased time and resources that social media
would place on staff and if it would displace other priorities. City staff are already
working at full-capacity and now they were being asked to be engaged in the world
of social media. After meeting will staff at all levels, the communications department
was able to alleviate these fears by demonstrating the ease of social media and
providing examples of how posting a simple post on Facebook and Twitter could
eliminate several phone calls and emails, and thus, free up more time.
There was also a fear that social media would completely replace traditional
communication mediums (e.g., print advertising). New Westminster’s population
includes a large majority of seniors who rely on traditional media to access civic
information. The City has always remained committed to reaching all of its residents
through a variety of mediums, including print advertising. Social media is simply one
powerful tool in our communication toolkit.
Perhaps the biggest challenge with social media are “trolls” and individuals who
create unnecessary conflict and difficulties. While few in number, these individuals
continuously use the safety and anonymity of social media to express their opinions
on a variety of topics in an unconstructive, rude, and often uninformed manner.
These individuals do not contribute to the dialogue, but rather attack the City to draw
attention to themselves and distract from the issue at hand. Fortunately, our social
media community can see through these trolls and will self-police the discussion
forums to restore positive and constructive conversations. When necessary, the City
will respond to these negative individuals with a polite response and diffuse the
conversation stream.
7. ANALYTICS
Demonstrate through analytics or other data, how your local government’s use of
social media has supported dialogue between your local government and its
citizens, community and business stakeholders.
The following is a Twitter conversation that occurred recently. This is an example of
how our social media accounts have started to govern themselves to an extent, with
residents joining in conversations and attempting to answer questions that get
directed to the City. Please click on the picture links to see the images included in
the discussion. We try to be as specific, thorough, and quick as we can when
responding to questions or comments, as we feel those three factors are important
in keeping dialogue with our social media community fresh and active.
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2013 UBCM Community Excellence Awards
c_anna_da: This is utterly unsafe for pedestrians, but frighteningly a legal parking spot.
#newwest#carnarvon http://t.co/kZmm4Lddxv
NWimby: .@c_anna_da See part 400.13 of this bylaw: http://t.co/9fjouPnA5R That is not a
legal parking spot, regardless of signage. @New_Westminster
c_anna_da: @NWimby @New_Westminster Well, someone put it there. And a PARKING
METER. So I reckon it was the city. #oops #dangerous #illegal
NWimby: @c_anna_da there were parking meters in the bike lane on E Columbia until we
pointed it out. Let's see how @New_Westminster responds.
New_Westminster: @nwimby @c_anna_da Standard cars can park there & keep 6m fr
crosswalk. Truck didn't adhere to bylaw. Correct:http://t.co/aLe79KQEgL
c_anna_da: @New_Westminster @nwimby Even for a reg car I'm doubtful it's 6m from
crosswalk when parked. Plus, it blocks peds' view of oncoming traffic.
New_Westminster: @c_anna_da @NWimby Please see the attached picture. This car is
properly parked in the same spot. http://t.co/AyOH0EfpCQ
JeremysPerry: @c_anna_da @NWimby I love that @New_Westminster actually
investigates and responds to residents' concerns! You guys are awesome! #NewWest
jordenfoss: @jeremysperry @c_anna_da @NWimby @New_Westminster yeah with photos
and everything! Just great!
8. AWARENESS
Provide a specific example (case study) of how using social media has increased
citizen engagement with your local government.
One of the City’s most successful examples of social media’s role in citizen
engagement was the use of PlaceSpeak for New Westminster’s Master
Transportation Plan public consultation. In May 2012, the City utilized PlaceSpeak
to gather community input to help guide decision-making for transportation in the
city for the next 25 years and obtain specific feedback on TransLink’s proposed
replacement of the Pattullo Bridge. PlaceSpeak provided a web-based platform to
host online consultation alongside the City’s traditional engagement efforts. Online
participants were able to see the same materials as open house attendees and
complete the same survey.
By using PlaceSpeak in conjunction with other social media platforms such as
Facebook and Twitter to promote and encourage discussion on this topic, the City
was able to increase participation rates, obtain more completed surveys, and
generate informative discussion. PlaceSpeak provided important community
feedback that helped New Westminster work collaboratively with TransLink to
pursue alternative options for the replacement of the Pattullo Bridge. Due to the
overwhelming feedback, the City of New Westminster, the City of Surrey and
TransLink are currently working together on a new round of public consultation to
review alternatives for the future of the Pattullo Bridge.
9. ACCOUNTABILITY
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How has this program/project improved upon accountability to the community's
citizens?
In reference to the Pattullo Bridge consultation project mentioned in question 8,
Placespeak, in conjunction with engagement efforts through our other social media
tools, showed our citizens that we are ready and willing to be accountable to them in
our decisions on major projects that affect our City and residents.
By regularly seeking feedback and providing online discussion and opinion sharing
forums, we are essentially asking our residents to trust us with their voices. They in
turn fully expect us to listen to what they have to say and stand up for their concerns
on their behalf, influencing decisions that affect them for the city’s collective wellbeing. Additionally, observing the conversations on social media provides a great
way to see what people are talking about and gauge public perception on a
particular topic.
This consultation process in particular required us to be accountable to our
community because the final decision involves more than one municipality, all with
differing interests and opinions related to the outcome. Social media allowed us to
garner the opinions of our residents, analyze them, and develop our course of action
to getting the result that would least negatively impact our city and citizens. We are
still well into this process and are committed to continuing to represent the voices of
our residents as best we can until a final decision is made.
We also believe that we are being accountable to our citizens by being transparent
and open with consultation progress and supporting information. That way, our
citizens can rest assured that they were fully involved and aware throughout the
entire process, no matter what the result.
10. KNOWLEDGE SHARING
What helpful advice would you share with other communities looking to implement
the use of social media in their communications plan?
It is our belief that every municipality should be utilizing social media in some
capacity. It is no longer sufficient to rely solely on traditional methods of
communication if governments want to connect and reach as many individuals as
possible. Although the world of social media can be daunting, communities
shouldn’t feel pressured to employ every single social media platform available. Start
small – adopt the mediums that the users are most comfortable with.
Staff buy-in at all levels is also critical. Council and senior staff should be properly
informed of the benefits of social media and how it can be used to create significant
change and uphold the organization’s reputation.
Social media administrators should be assigned in various departments;
responsibility shouldn’t be delegated to one or two individuals. One person alone
cannot be aware of everything that is happening in the city. A collaborative, teambased approach to managing social media is ideal as it can distribute the workload
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and stimulate broader participation. Staff administrators should also meet often to
connect as a group and brainstorm new editorial ideas to keep things interesting and
fresh.
Due to the fast-paced nature of social it is imperative that communities provide quick
responses to incoming posts and messages. The City of New Westminster has
made it a priority to consistently respond to users as quickly as possible, even if the
reply is simply “we’ll look into this and get back to you as soon as we can.” Many
residents have complimented the City for its fast response time in not only replying
to posts but also in resolving the reported issue.
jenarbo: @New_Westminster big pothole e/b on Columbia just past Elliot Street needs
attention. 8:23pm, Feb 25
New_Westminster: @jenarbo This pothole has been fixed! 3:49pm, Feb 26
jenarbo: @New_Westminster thanks guys!! 3:51pm, Feb 26
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