Since it’s that time of year (and time for our mid-week list), I thought I’d publish a “Tops in Social Media 2010″ send-off:

Top 5 Social Media Sites:

1. GovTwit — A huge undertaking, this site keeps track of all things government and Twitter.
2. GovLoop — This social media site has over 30,000 government and contracting community members and robust participation.
3. Oh My Gov! — A news site about all things gov that uses a great deal of social media and was recently named an official honoree of the 2010 Webby Awards.
4. WebContent.gov — Guidance on the use of social media in government.
5. Government and Social Media Wiki — Another site (this time a wiki) that provides guidance and robust discussion on government and social media.

Top 5 “Most Followed” on Twitter (from GovTwit):

1. Barack Obama
2. Al Gore
3. Arnold Schwarzenegger
4. The White House
5. NPR Politics

Top 5 “Most Active” on Twitter (from GovTwit):

1. 511 New York
2. Robert Brook
3. Chandra Observatory
4. ShawneePD
5. Nicholas Butler

Okay, so I don’t even know why I’m including this Google video on the list but I guess it’s because THEY included some video of the Chilean miners being rescued (and I’m Chilean American) and besides, it’s a cool video (so enjoy):

You can tell from the comments around this Government Executive article that some folks find it laughable that a Fed agency is trying to make something more usable. But I say kudos for the effort and the approach. From the article:

Nicole Burton, user experience evangelist at the GSA Office of Customer Service Excellence who helps manage the program, says although the tests aren’t statistically significant, the most serious problems are fixed, and the technique improves customer service. Burton and her team did not have to purchase any new technology or equipment to launch the program. She says usability testing can be carried out with the technology available in most modern offices.

So it’s not a full blown usability survey or user experience design undertaking; they’re not saying it is. It can still be useful, as Ms. Burton explains. With no acquisition process or contractor expense, GSA is helping other agencies tackle big usability issues and improving customer service. How can you make fun of that?

Not every website tweak needs huge time, effort, or expense. Grab a copy of Don’t Make Me Think and see what you can do to improve user experience on your site. Or, if you’re swamped, give me a call.

This morning I snagged a last-minute seat at a small panel discussion, YouTube: Beyond the Basics, hosted jointly by the Ad Council and (YouTube owner) Google in downtown DC. The crowd was almost entirely social media staff from non-profits and a range of Federal agencies. Just FYI, Google’s coffee is not as good as their search engine, but the rest of the scene was delightful.

The panel was a good mix of speakers. A YouTube rep showed off some lesser known YouTube features valuable to those that manage a YouTube partner channel and social media campaigns. Blue State Digital showed off a pro bono project that leverages user-generated video and YouTube for itgetsbetter.org. National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) offered lessons learned about successful social media video campaigns. One interesting tip was that no matter how emotionally charged an issue may be, sad videos don’t do well in terms of going viral. NRDC showed a video they produced, that I would say prompts angers instead of sadness, and it is one of their most successful in terms of being shared and inspiring action. The best performers, however, are funny videos, thank goodness. I can only handle so many angry activists.

The presenter I found most valuable was Kay Morrison, a senior advisor in the office of web communications at the Environmental Protection Agency. Oh, and she’s also the liason between the Federal government and YouTube or maybe it’s Google. Regardless, that’s pretty huge. Ms. Morrison was the repository of info that every agency needs before plunging into social media, specifically YouTube.

What the other presenters never touched on was the unique challenges of creating content on behalf of the Federal government. They made everything seem so easy because they’re just creating and posting and accepting user-created video and collecting personal information and doing all these things that Federal agencies either can’t do or are afraid to do or are not sure they can do. Reasons or excuses for inaction, no doubt. Enter Ms. Morrison who had answers for all of it. Turns out there is a specific addendum to the YouTube terms of service specifically for Federal agencies that she can get for you. She also has vetted disclaimer language, privacy statements, and even terms of use for how the public can interact with a Federal social media site. For example, I asked Ms. Morrison about moderating comments. Can a Federal agency refuse to post my comment, what with the first ammendment and all? She says yes, and I don’t believe she was off the cuff with that answer. In her words, the agency can choose to not publish a comment, but they would never censor a comment and then post it. And that to me was worth the price of admission right there (that price happened to be zero, but you get me, right?). I’ve heard numerous Federal clients shy away from social anything  just because they didn’t know how to deal with wild/hateful/off-topic comments.

It’s so exciting to see certain agencies, and super stars at those agencies like Ms. Morrison, working to break down barriers that might keep the Federal government from leveraging social media as quickly, or as effectively, as for- and non-profit organizations. The wider the lines of communication between government and the people, the more likely we can truly have government by the people.

Oh, one last, awesome, tip agreed upon by the whole panel and audience. If you are a Federal agency producing a video, do NOT put a senior leader in front of a flag and agency seal and let them read a prompter for eight minutes. Not even two minutes. Just don’t do it. What kind of video would YOU like to watch? What kind of video would your audience and their friends like to watch? Let’s start there.