“You need to make the value proposition clear, so the people who engage get something out of the process.”

A couple of tips on how to solve a problem that requires cooperation. From the intelligent blog of David Henderson - consultant, author, journalist.

10 Twitter Tips for the Workplace

Posted: 14 Apr 2009 12:03 PM PDT

Among the rash of tips about online social media, this piece by Carolyn Duffy Marsan of Network World is outstanding, and clearly the best in my book. She knows what she's talking about, and provides a wealth of links to back-up her examples.

Carolyn has graciously given permission for me to excerpt her 10 Twitter Tips for the Workplace:

1. Identify a business problem you are trying to solve.

Don't deploy social media tools just to appear cool.

"You really want to focus on the business problem you are trying to solve and the communities you need to engage to help you solve that problem," advises Lena Trudeau, program area director for the National Academy of Public Administration.    

The Defense Information Systems Agency, for example, is using a commercial mash-up tool from JackBe to allow military commanders to create real-time feeds using information from many disparate sources, says DISA CTO Dave Mihelcic. The Web 2.0 software solves a real-world problem for military commanders. "If senior leaders and decision-makers can get a common visual depiction of a situation, it will be easier for them to synchronize their decisions," Mihelcic explains.

2. Get buy-in from management.

Involve all of the key stakeholders: the people who have the information and those who control its distribution.

The General Services Administration's top management "has been very supportive" of the agency's social media efforts, says B. Leilani Martinez, bilingual content manager with GSA's www.gobiernousa.gov. "That has helped us a lot. Across government, the reaction from top management has been quite inconsistent. Certain government agencies block employees from using some of these tools. For me, I was on Facebook every day from work and on Twitter. GSA allowed us to think outside the box and to experiment."