Social Media As a Means of Communication

When new councillors like myself were onboarded to council, we received some amount of media training. As council members, there are no hard and fast rules for how to engage with social media, but there are a few principles to consider and I follow as a guide.

First and foremost, any account that we use in the capacity as a representative of HRM can be FOIPOP'ed (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy).  That's a good thing. All communications should be an open book, and there should be the expectation that communications can be scrutinized. In the case of social media, however, that presents some potential challenges. In the event that I was ever FOIPOP'ed by a resident for information over social media communication, it would expose my account to scrutiny, but it would also expose theirs, as well. I don't want that for anyone.

Secondly, it is important that our communications remain timely and consistent. Because of the very nature of social media, I cannot reasonably respond to every tweet, post, comment or message in a consistent or timely manner, and I do not want to set the expectation that I can. If I were to spend all my time on social media, I wouldn't have the time to work effectively in my role.

Thirdly, it's ineffective - for a number of reasons. On Facebook, different groups have different rules around posting links and accounts that I can post from, so 'spreading the word' on Facebook is challenging at best.  For some groups and pages, I am able to post as 'Nancy Hartling - Councillor for District 13', and on others, I am not - I would have to post from my personal account, which I avoid. On some pages I can post links, while on other pages and groups, the post is automatically deleted because of links. Across Facebook, I cannot include links to news.  Most importantly, however, is that the feedback I receive from ALL social media is not actionable.  If I'm tagged in a comment or post, I may see it, but I can't action it. I would need an email or phone call to effectively follow up and share to relevant people/departments (and please see my post on 311!). I can't address a resident inquiry, or intake a suggestion or concern using a screenshot. 

Lastly, it's evolving. Most recently, I have received a number of emails calling for better, more ethical communication channels in light of controversies, bias, and behaviors from leadership of various platforms like X and Meta.  I believe those concerns are valid. In response, I've opened a BlueSky account, and will continue to evaluate the merit of staying or communicating on various social media platforms.

Because of the reasons I've outlined above, I do try to keep the communications on social media more or less one-way. I'd love for you to follow me on Facebook and BlueSky to stay up-to-date on news around District 13 (or #dogsofdistrict13 on Instagram), and I'd encourage you to sign up for my monthly newsletter, but if you want to communicate, please reach out to me via email at nancy.hartling@halifax.ca or call me at (902) 476-3787. I also maintain office hours, and I'd be delighted for you to stop in for a chat. I'd love to hear from you!