{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
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    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "Wrestling Government Social Media Data Into Knowledge |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Wrestling Government Social Media Data Into Knowledge",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/02/wrestling-government-social-media-data-into-knowledge/index.json","item" : [
    {"title" :"Wrestling Government Social Media Data Into Knowledge","summary" : "This week the SocialGov Community took the step of recruiting a Digital Engagement Knowledge Manager, and I am excited to join the team through the innovative new Open Opportunities Program. At this point, though, you may be asking—is there really so much information out there that it needs to be","date" : "2014-05-02T15:20:17-04:00","date_modified" : "2025-01-27T19:42:55-05:00","authors" : {"alison-lemon" : "Alison Lemon"},"topics" : {
        
            "social-media" : "Social media"
            },"branch" : "bc-archive-content-3",
      "filename" :"2014-05-02-wrestling-government-social-media-data-into-knowledge.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2014/05/2014-05-02-wrestling-government-social-media-data-into-knowledge.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2014/05/2014-05-02-wrestling-government-social-media-data-into-knowledge.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/bc-archive-content-3/content/news/2014/05/2014-05-02-wrestling-government-social-media-data-into-knowledge.md","slug" : "wrestling-government-social-media-data-into-knowledge","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/05/02/wrestling-government-social-media-data-into-knowledge/","content" :"\u003cp\u003eThis week the \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/social-media/\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSocialGov Community\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/a\u003e took the step of recruiting a \u003cstrong\u003eDigital Engagement Knowledge Manager\u003c/strong\u003e, and I am excited to join the team through \u003ca href=\"http://gsablogs.gsa.gov/dsic/2014/04/08/knowledge-manager-for-federal-wide-digital-engagement/\"\u003ethe innovative new Open Opportunities Program\u003c/a\u003e. At this point, though, you may be asking—is there really so much information out there that it needs to be managed?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cimg src=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/_legacy-img/2014/05/600-x-600-Alison-Lemon.jpg\" align=\"center\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eYes!\u003c/strong\u003e The truth is that the same challenges pop up all across government, and the same questions are asked over and over. The federal agencies using social media need to \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2014/04/22/government-social-media-isnt-lagging-its-different-and-thats-good/\"\u003efulfill our unique missions in the government\u003c/a\u003e and find the best ways to connect citizens with services.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe good news is the answers are already out there and the pieces we need exist. We just need to find them and put the puzzle together.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to \u003ca href=\"http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newISS_87.htm\"\u003eRachel Thompson at Mind Tools\u003c/a\u003e, there is “data,” “information,” and “knowledge” and the words are often used interchangeably.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe defines the three terms as follows:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData\u003c/strong\u003e is a specific fact or figure, without any context. For example, the number 1,000 is a piece of data, as is the name Tom Smith. Without anything else to define them, these two items of data are meaningless.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInformation\u003c/strong\u003e is data that’s organized. Pieces of information are “Tom Smith is a CEO” and “1,000 widgets.” We have more details, so now the data makes more sense to us.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eKnowledge\u003c/strong\u003e then builds on the information to give us context. Knowledge is “Tom Smith is the CEO of our company’s biggest competitor, and his company ships 1,000 widgets every hour.”\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn other words, data and information are useless without context. We’ve already proven that it’s possible to take the best data and information from our community and transform it into usable knowledge. The SocialGov Community, for example, is busy perfecting toolkits in priority areas which soon will be released on Github:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe’ve seen The Social Media Accessibility Working Group, spearheaded by the \u003cstrong\u003eDepartment of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy\u003c/strong\u003e, lead the charge for accessibility in social media for citizens with disabilities with a soon-to-be-updated \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/resources/federal-social-media-accessibility-toolkit-hackpad/\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFederal Social Media Accessibility toolkit\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAccording to \u003cstrong\u003eJustin Herman of GSA\u003c/strong\u003e, “Social media in government requires accurate, targeted performance analysis to ensure we’re taking full advantage of these tools to deliver better service and engage with our customers.” We developed the first \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/2013/04/19/social-media-metrics-for-federal-agencies/\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFederal Social Media Performance Analysis toolkit\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/a\u003e so we can do just that.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMore than 20 federal agencies have banded together to create the first \u003cstrong\u003eSocial Media Policy Development toolkit\u003c/strong\u003e that can be used by anyone to ensure their governance policies effectively guide meaningful, cost-effective engagement programs.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat’s next for the SocialGov Community?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are over 600 strong with representation from all across government—and growing every day. While this means there are lots of great things out there, the sheer number can make it hard to sift through and find them. We need to continue to harness the power of this valuable group.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWorking together, we can pull out the most valuable pieces of data and information and transform it into concrete knowledge that can be shared and used.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLet’s continue the discussion here. What can Digital Knowledge Managers do to make your jobs easier? What are your biggest challenges? Whether you are part of a large social media team or a one-person dynamo armed with a Twitter handle, we want to hear from you!\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAlison Lemon is a Knowledge Manager for the \u003ca href=\"/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/bc-archive-content-3/communities/social-media/\"\u003eSocialGov Community\u003c/a\u003e and a Senior Analyst for Social Media with the FDA’s Office of Women’s Health. You can follow their work \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/FDAWomen\"\u003e@FDAWomen\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}