Blog Post #3
What intrigued me about the government aspect of this course content is how the German government is going back to typewriters as the preferred way to communicate really the important missives. The internet is too risky, it would seem, for even The Big Guys and I think the government of the Federal Republic of Germany would qualify as coming under that description. If they’re worried I guess I should be.
While using typewriters has a romantic “Bletchley Park”, old-school appeal, the truth is that the world cannot go back. In the Cold War there was the “arms race” and now it seems there is an “information race”. Who has the best information and can they keep it under lock and key or at least out of a wiki?
Risk is something you must address personally to protect your brand but it’s all possible. There are always risks in anything you do and participation on the internet is no different but since it’s electronic, your misfires or unguarded rants can be the status up-date heard ‘round the world. While I do wonder about FB friends who consistently send cat jokes and videos, social media is a fabulous opportunity to expand your depth of understanding on a topic and participate in a discussion.
Participation is paramount to really get the most out social media. A respectful exchange of ideas and comments expands everybody’s understanding.
Algonquin College Social Media Certificate Program 
It’s an interesting point you bring up. I love hearing from members of the Federal and Provincial Government in this course about the ways they communicate internally. I know when I spent some time at the government we were just setting up some content on GCPedia and it was very touchy what we could share. Personally, we share some information over CUCollab, an internal software similar to WebCollab, that allows us to work on projects together. But, we’re obviously not working on anything restricted like a government.