I was rather proud when Multnomah County Chair Ted Wheeler defended his position that a “Social Media Coordinator” was an essential part of communicating with county residents in the 21st century. I am extremely dismayed that he changed his mind after receiving pressure from nearly everyone around him and pulled the plug on the whole idea.
For some, social media might seem like just another hip term for something they don’t understand. For those of us living and working and thriving in the information age though it seems so commonplace as to be a no-brainer. The county currently employs countless individuals and yes, some of them are facing tragic salary reductions and some of them are facing the possibility of layoffs as positions are reassessed. I’m saddened that anyone working anywhere could potentially lose their job but that’s the unfortunate reality that we face in the present economy. Depressing as that might seem, I find it even more depressing that one of the few bright minds in county government finds it necessary to bend to the will of others when clearly his idea has merit.
Social media is to the next decade as the telephone was to the last century. Yes, there are clear examples of social media campaign failures out there, hundreds of them. Yes, there are thousands of people that are completely oblivious to the importance of social media in our day to day lives. These are the folks that continue to think of an IBM Selectric as a piece of viable communications equipment vs. the relic of times past that it really is. How many people said “bah humbug” to the telephone, the automobile, or the television? How many times have governments – city, county, state, or federal – been left looking stupid because they couldn’t figure out how to embrace the new and weed out the old? Did President Obama win on social media alone? No, but his message was felt by millions more because he and his staff made the effort.
Ted, I’m sorry to say that you chickened out for no good reason. $60K or $70K per year is a fair price for someone to deliver the county government message with clarity, adequacy, and professionalism. You were on the right track, no doubt about it. I’m embarrassed at just how out of touch our government is sometimes, playing catch-up to what is arguably one of the most advanced and IT and social media savvy populations in the nation.
Wait until the dust settles and try again. Multnomah County needs our government thinking bigger and looking toward the future, even if it means breaking a few eggs along the way.
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Uhh, what would they say if given the chance.