Bad Government Writing? Try This Short Check List to Improve Your Content

At Ideen, we work with many government clients who deal with weighty, complicated issues. To borrow a phrase – these are “wicked problems” that require complex solutions. But, do they require complex writing?

While our clients understand that they must reach out to their stakeholders and communicate information about these issues as clearly as possible, they often fail because they obfuscate their message. Nothing kills buzz like unclear writing.

We find that many times, our clients don’t realize that their communications are opaque, wordy, or otherwise difficult to read. Our government clients tell us that formal language “sounds more authoritative.” Our government IT clients argue that “everyone understands cloud computing or enterprise architectures.” And our government policy clients claim that federal law and authorities will always win the day.

Our work with the public, however, indicates otherwise.

Check Your Content Quickly for Warning Signs

We've developed a short checklist of warning signs for government writers to use when drafting content for broader audiences:

• Check your white space. If the text looks dense, it probably is. Look for extra words that can be eliminated.

• Check for active voice. Show your audience that you’re taking action – use the active voice.

• Check for headers. Try breaking up your message into bite-size chunks with headers. These wonderful little phrases can serve as guideposts for your readers.

• Check for visuals. Where possible, use imagery and visual representations of your message. Do you use a lot of numbers? Put them in a chart. Do your discuss topics geographically? Include a map.

• Check for acronyms. Reduce your use of acronyms where possible. This requires a lot of creativity for government writers, but the payoff is clear, buzz-worthy writing.

Government Agencies: Why Aren't More Using Social Media?

The use of social media is growing exponentially, and it appears that this expansion isn't stopping anytime soon. We see hundreds of federal agencies and organizations jumping on the band wagon to use social media to build professional networks, engage in dialogues with stakeholders, spread information quickly, etc. There are many tools available, but this doesn't necessarily mean that government agencies are embracing all of them, even the most popular ones.

For example, we recently read at Federal News Radio that the National Archives has jumped on the social media bandwagon after trial pilots proved "very successful." Their discovery that a more direct and stronger connection with the public can be built using these media forms. And although some organizations, like the Archives, applaud the convenience and consistency of streaming media and other social media tools, others find it hazy whether or not these tools are advantageous.

Many agencies are hesitant and may see several detriments or risks. Arguments against social media usage include:

• The more relaxed constraints are for employees, the greater the risk that loose-lipped sharing may spill confidential information
• Employees are distracted at work by the constant binging from information feeds and consequently, are unproductive
• Privacy is compromised as hackers or viruses find new avenues into an organization

Consequently, some agencies, such as Veterans Affairs and Homeland Security, limit use of social media tools to a case-by-case basis or block streaming media, according to Alica Lipowicz. It will be interesting to see if these agencies loosen their restrictions over time, and jump on the social media bandwagon, as well. At Ideen, we'll keep assessing the trends ...

Government and Social Media -- Who Is Using It?

Ideen has been exploring the social networking phenomenon that closes gaps and opens doors when it comes to sharing information online. Recently, we've come across a website -- http://govsm.com/w/Federal_Agencies -- that provides a lengthy list of federal agencies that use popular social networking tools, such as Twitter, Facebook, RSS, and Flickr.

The list includes 142 organizations. Of these, we find that:

• 86 use Facebook
• 101 use Twitter
• 68 use YouTube
• 102 use RSS
• 34 use Flickr
• 25 use other social media, such as UStream

The 24 largest and perhpas best-known organizations -- e.g., The White House, the Commerce Department, the US Treasury -- appear to make the most use of the social networking tools. Lesser-known organizations -- e.g., the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, the Administration of the Aging -- appear to use them less. Is there a connection here? Is it resource deriven, or is something else at work?

We imagine that these descriptive statistics don't tell us the whole story. How do we know if the organizations that appear to use the tools most are actually the most savvy in their use of the tools? Social media tools are prized for being user friendly, simple to set up, and beneficial in their respective ways. So, why might different departments and agencies that are capable using social networking tools elect to use only certain ones? Ideen will be further researching this topic to identify trends in the government sector.

Government Agencies Embrace LinkedIn -- More So Than Twitter or Facebook...

In our last blog, we took a look at government agencies that are trying to promote transparency by using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. After that blog was published, we went back through the list of agencies and cross-checked all of them with groups and companies listed on the professional networking site, LinkedIn.

The results were staggering: nearly all of the agencies on the list, including the ones with low or no output on Twitter or Facebook, have active LinkedIn accounts. Some of these accounts have several hundred to several thousand connections. Given this revelation, we should no longer assume as we had previously that government agencies’ interactions with social networking sites are patently inhibited. Rather, they appear more focused on the human capital aspect of networking rather than actual reciprocal information sharing. The data seems to indicate that despite the agencies’ use of social networking sites, the intention is not to be social, but rather to network on a professional level.

Which Government Agencies Are Tweeting?

When Twitter and Facebook got their start over the past decade, they became the epitome of social networking. People could connect with old and new friends and find out just what they were up to at any given moment. Pretty soon, companies saw these locales as an opportunity to reach out to potential consumers, a strategy that proved so effective that one very big, very important entity decided to dip its toe into the waters of social networking: the United States Government. But to what purpose?

To be fair, government agencies are doing exactly what they think their constituents want them to do: provide as much transparency for the inner workings of the government with daily, if not more frequent, updates. Ideen, LLC recently took a sample of over 30 government agencies with Twitter accounts and cross compared them for frequency of updates and the information each one contained. Here's what we found:

● Most agencies tweet at a low to medium frequency (less than 5 tweets per day, sometimes not even every day)

●Agencies that tweet frequently (more than 5 tweets per day) are more likely to have Twitter accounts for sub-offices and departments

●Amongst the highest ranked organizations in terms of volume of tweets were the Department of Agriculture, CDC, Department of Homeland Security, FEMA, and the Department of the Army

●The lowest volume of tweets came from the Department of Health and Human Services, FDA, and the Department of Justice

●Nearly all government agencies tweet links to external blogs or news updates, with only a few actually posting information directly to Twitter.

A brief look into agency Facebook pages indicated a limited level of public interaction, serving as another webpage instead of a social network.

We live in an age of information overload. Everywhere we turn, there's another newspaper, another blog, another podcast, all vying for our immediate attention and consumption. Is it not strange, then, that a Newsweek study taken this year showed that 29 percent of Americans could not name the Vice President? America undoubtedly suffers from a serious problem of T.M.I. (Too Much Information), and now the government wants in.

So what does all of this information tell us about the U.S. Government’s attempts to break into mainstream social networking? Quite simply, they have a ways to go. It’s not that these agencies are not making a concerted effort; to the contrary, they’re working harder than they’re given credit for. The main draw to social networking sites is actual interaction, so as far as reaching the public is concerned, Twitter may be these agencies’ best bet. Perhaps there is no magic formula for piquing public interest in Veterans Affairs or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, but the information is there, and it is being distributed in the most generationally relevant way possible.

Ideen -- Finalist in ICY Awards!

Ideen is pleased to announce that one of its video productions was a finalist in the 2011 Intelligence Community Media Excellence Awards, fondly referred to as the "ICY Awards" by those who work in the Intelligence Community (IC). The finalists and winners were announced at the 17 March 2011 awards ceremony, hosted by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).

In 2010, Ideen worked with the National Counterterrorism Center and the NRO's Media Services Center to produce a promotional video for the Worldwide Incidents Tracking System or "WITS." The video was designed to raise awareness across the IC and academia of WITS, a free, highly accurate database that tracks terrorist incidents across the globe. (WITS can be accessed at NCTC's public website -- http://www.nctc.gov/.) The video was tested at a small conference of academics in June 2010, and based on the positive feedback generated, was then released at the 2010 GEOINT Symposium in New Orleans, which is attended by thousands from across the IC.

The WITS video, which competed with dozens of short videos from IC agencies, placed among the top four in its category.

Ideen is excited to be recognized for its work by its communications peers within the IC.

THON: Smart Marketing for a Great Cause

By Monica J. Witzig



(Photo: NY Daily News)
Instead of relying solely on aggressive phone crusades or door-to-door canvassing and old-fashioned pleas, this charity smartly blends old-fashioned "Please?" with snail mail and social media.

The Penn State IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon, widely and affectionately known as THON, got its start in 1973. That year, students still went to Rec Hall to register for classes, a gallon of gas was less than 50 cents, and a tweet was the sound a bird made.

The largest student-run philanthropy in the world aims to raise funds and awareness for pediatric cancer by partnering with The Four Diamonds Fund—and dancing for 46 hours straight. A long way from 78 dancers and $2,000 in 1973: 2010 saw 700 dancers and nearly $8 million. THON has raised more than $69 million total to help offset treatment costs not covered by insurance.

THON uses traditional outreach methods like e-mail forms and letters (this author received snail mail from her younger sister, a senior at Penn State and on the Rules & Regs. committee). What helps THON get recognized locally is canning, which is exactly what it sounds like: Groups of students head to someone's hometown, generally in the mid-Atlantic, and collect donations in coffee cans. What has helped THON get recognized on a more national scale is its online presence.

YouTube features highlights, like the football team's song and dance, unveiling of the logo or amount of funds raised, a year's line dance, and more. Victorious stories, donation reminders, and well-wishes from former dancers and the community comprise THON's Facebook page. THON's Tumblr includes posts on looks at the folks behind the scenes and transcripts of speeches given by those affected by childhood cancer.

And there are your friendly celeb shout-outs. A perhaps unsuspected proponent last year was Khloe Kardashian, who made it her own mission last winter to tell readers of her blog and followers of her Twitter about THON and to encourage the dancers during the marathon.

THON's Twitter account tells quite a tale, too. Unlike some campaigns that are only big seasonally, THON is a year-round project and commitment. In addition to how easy it is to click "Retweet" to share a message, fundraising is "for the birds"—the Twitter kind. Abolish Cancer pledged to donate a dollar to THON for each new follower on Feb. 4 of its Twitter account. The response was huge: $4,000 for THON, simply because of a click of a button on one day.

Kids these days—and their highly effective social-media campaigns for philanthropy.

Lions and Tigers and... Social Media

By Monica J. Witzig

Big Cat Rescue, of Tampa, Florida, specializes in educating others about and caring for exotic cats—and leads the way in social-media outreach among nonprofit organizations.

Big Cat Rescue, like many organizations—nonprofit or otherwise, has an online presence that includes its website, a blog, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, among other outlets. According to an interview with BCR's CEO, Carol Baskin, the organization ranks No. 6 as the most-viewed and No. 7 as the most-subscribed-to nonprofit on YouTube. In fact, BCR takes social-media influence so seriously that it employs two full-time aficionados, who are responsible for videos, e-cards, chat forums, tweets, etc.

So, does the outreach work? Says Baskin: "We also have quite a bit of anecdotal evidence that our online efforts are paying off because when people mail in a check they will often say something like, 'I loved your YouTube video of the cats playing with pumpkins,' or 'I found you on Facebook.'"

Of the 325 social media sites to which BCR regularly posts, Ms. Baskin cites Posterous and TrafficGeyser as most effective.

Not content to rest on its social-media laurels, Big Cat Rescue has embarked on an overhaul of its website and is delving into text-to-give campaigns and its second iTunes application.

This kind of outreach doesn’t “just happen.” Entrepreneurial nonprofits are taking the risk to devote their precious resources to social media. Which do you check more: the editorials in a printed newspaper—or your Twitter feed?

Facebook Overtakes Google

Many marketers are abuzz about the article in the Washington Post that reports that for the first time, Facebook pushes past Google as the most popular site on the Internet. Does this signal the preeminence of social networking? Reflect a vulnerable side of Google? Demonstrate dominance by Facebook?

Hmmm…it wasn’t that long ago that MySpace was far more popular than Facebook. In fact, it wasn’t until this year that Facebook outstripped MySpace in terms of users within the United States.

Regardless, the headline does indicate a number of important trends…social networking has arrived and now is ingrained in the American psyche. Email no longer holds sway, despite the older generation's extensive use of this medium…even social networking relies on search functions, so Google isn’t going anywhere…users tend to use Google for short, tactical bursts, while they spend quality time of social sites such as Facebook.

Nonprofit and Government organizations need to submit to the interactive nature of social networking and embrace the change – it’s here to stay. While websites still have a role to play in organizational communication, the broader spectrum of social networking cannot be ignored by organizations, big or small.

Check out the article for yourself: Facebook passes Google as most popular site on the Internet, two measures show