What do you need to be a web professional in government now?
I've spent a lot of time in the last couple of months in interviews, talking to people applying to join the Digital Diplomacy Group. Interviews can be awkward (and they are clearly an imperfect way of recruiting people) but I've met some really interesting and talented people, and I'm confident that the Foreign Office will really benefit once our new team members are in place.
But the process has made me question what exactly we are looking for from web professionals in government. A couple of years ago it would have been enough for candidates to demonstrate excellent editorial skills, proficiency as a developer, or a sound understanding of user experience to get a job in a government web team. We are still looking for these skills, but now we are also looking for people who understand the motivation of individuals or groups to contribute online, form communities, and collaborate. And they have to be able to apply this knowledge to the policy process, and be able to persuade (often) reluctant policy makers and diplomats the value of making changes to the way they work. I think we're asking for quite a lot.
The resignation over Christmas of one of the leading web professionals in UK government - citing some of the frustrations of being a web specialist working in government - has begun a debate about the pros and cons of working on digital media from within government, and the recognition in senior positions of web professionals.
I have an ongoing dicussion with my boss about the type of people we should recruit to work on digital diplomacy. I think we need to recruit specialists - people with a deep understanding of the web - who can then apply this knowledge to foreign policy issues. He is more inclined to recruit people who really understand foreign policy, who can then apply that knowledge to the web. Of course, we need people who can do both the web and foreign policy, but I don't think there are that many people out there at the moment with experience in both.
Posted at 13:24 06 January 2009 by Stephen Hale | Comments[9]
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Digital diplomacy - what's that then?
It's the title of a book that I haven't read, but probably should. It's the label the State Department have been using for a while to describe their digital outreach work. And it's quite difficult to say in a hurry.
Digital diplomacy is also the phrase we're using in the Foreign Office to describe our work on the web.
You can see digital diplomacy happening on our department website, on our network of embassy websites, on our blogs, and increasingly on websites and platforms that we don't run ourselves.
To be honest, we're still working out what we can achieve through digital diplomacy. We do have a plan. And we've given ourselves 2 years to deliver it. But what's exciting about this work is that we really don't know how it's it going to play out.
That's what this blog will be about. It's is an official blog about digital diplomacy and web engagement. So I won't be talking about my hobbies (unless they have a direct impact on web engagement), I won't be pitching for work, and I won't be posting photos from my holidays.
I realise that I'll be blogging about a pretty niche subject with a limited audience, but that's as it should be.
I've spent a lot of the last year persuading diplomats, ministers and officials that effective use of web engagement tools like blogs could be an integral part of their work. So I'm feeling the pressure to do this well. I promise to post regularly, and I'll read and respond to your comments.
There's more about me and what this blog is for on my about page.
Posted at 18:20 22 October 2008 by Stephen Hale | Comments[7]
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