Appendix A: online community engagement methods and techniques

The following builds upon Engaging Queenslanders: A guide to community engagement methods and techniques by including additional considerations and comments that are particular to engaging online.

Agency issues

A number of corporate or agency issues will influence decision-making about the use of methods and tools. Some of these issues are summarised in the table below.

Goals and objectives

Considerations include:

• Why is the agency engaging the community?
• What does the agency hope to achieve from the engagement?
• What time commitments must be met?
• Do the benefits of engaging outweigh the costs of not engaging?

What to consider when engaging online:

• Engaging online is generally less time consuming and can cost less than traditional forms of engagement.
• Goals and objectives should be clearly articulated to avoid selecting the wrong online community engagement tool. An example of this might be using a social networking tool which broadcasts to millions of members when you want to communicate to a smaller, targeted audience, or using a tool that identifies responses publicly for issues that are inherently private.

Community to be targeted

Considerations include:

• Is the agency targeting:
  • A geographic community?
  • An ethnic or faith community?
  • An Indigenous community?
  • A professional community?
  • A community of interest?
  • Some combination of above?
• Are other agencies also engaging this community? Is collaboration possible?

What to consider when engaging online:

• Many types of communities are well-networked and represented online. Some communities have developed online, or only exist and network online. It is important to monitor and engage with existing online communities.
• Are any other government agencies engaging online with that community, or have they in the past? It can be particularly confusing if different parts of government are engaging the same community online at the same time or if a community has been consulted before on a similar issue by another agency.

Political environment

Considerations include:

• What level of political support or awareness exists about the proposed engagement?
• Is your process part of a broader government agenda?
• Is this a contested issue?

What to consider when engaging online:

• With many online community engagement tools, once information is published it can travel quickly and not be easily retracted.
• Many people have indicated that they have fewer inhibitions when sitting behind a computer and may be more prepared to express strong opinions. While this can lead to honest and candid responses, it can also lead to excess or abuse. Appropriate moderation by skilled subject matter experts is recommended.
• If you want to use an online community engagement technique for a contested issue, it is important to consider the quality of responses that you are looking for versus the quantity, and choose the most appropriate tool for your engagement purpose.

Capacity to influence

Considerations include:

• Is this a government or community initiated activity?
• What decisions have already been made?
• What decisions can the community have input into?

What to consider when engaging online:

• If you use an online application which enables people to comment, you are implicitly suggesting that you are looking for their input and that what they say matters and can influence your decision making.

Legislative environment

Considerations include:

• Is this engagement required by legislation?
• Are any parts of this project or engagement process supported or constrained by legislation?

What to consider when engaging online:

• There are additional considerations with regard to:
  • Privacy – How will personal details be used? Who will have access to them?
  • Intellectual property – Who will own the responses?, Is there any restriction on the distribution of the reference materials (i.e. on social media sites)
  • Right to information – When will consultation responses be published?
  • Misrepresentation – How are responses validated?
  • Defamation – If published, how are responses moderated?
  • Negligence – Are officers appropriately skilled?
  • Transparency – When will a decision be made and based on what?
  • Discrimination – How can all sectors of the community participate?
  • Recordkeeping – Who will manage the consultation data?

Policy and planning cycles

Considerations include:

• Where does your engagement fit within the policy or planning cycle?

What to consider when engaging online:

• People do not cease to be online just because your consultation process has ended or your policy or planning cycle has finished. Online community engagement provides an opportunity to build permanent relationships with communities, and people should be directed to a permanent online presence once the engagement is finished.

Resources

Considerations include:

• What resources are available to support the engagement, for example:
  • Skilled facilitators and managers?
  • Information and communication technologies?
  • Engagement structures such as Advisory Committees?
  • Budget allocation?
  • Staff time?

What to consider when engaging online:

• Engaging online requires staff with the knowledge and skills to develop and use online community engagement applications.
• It also requires resourcing by subject matter experts for moderating and monitoring comments and responses. Training and information about how to manage this is provided through Smart Service Queensland.

Corporate culture

Considerations include:

• Is there a community engagement framework, policy or plan similar to support this process?
• Is there a high level of understanding of, and commitment to, engagement within the organisation?
• Is there an openness to use more innovative engagement processes?

What to consider when engaging online:

• Queensland Government QGEA policies and guidelines for online community engagement and social media.
• Your agency may have developed its own community engagement policies and guidelines.
• Your agency may have a dedicated social media officer who can provide advice on your engagement process.

Community issues

The primary aim of any community engagement process is to connect with all relevant sectors of the community. To do this effectively, it is important to develop a sound understanding of that community. The following information summarises some of the questions which need to be considered when you are engaging a community:

Demographic features

Considerations include:

• What is the age and gender mix?
• What levels of literacy exist?
• What is the socio-economic mix?
• What languages are spoken in the community?
• What cultural protocols are adhered to?
• What percentage of the community is employed and when do they work?
• Do community members have access to transport?

What to consider when engaging online:

• Are members of the community computer and internet literate, and do they have access to the internet?
• Are members of your target community comfortable with using online consultation tools?
• Engaging online can be an effective way to reach rural and remote communities, if they have adequate computer and internet access.
• For demographics that may prefer telephone or face-to-face engagement, how can online engagement complement these processes? For example, providing an online data capture for operators or mobile devices for site visits in remote areas.

Preferences for engagement

Considerations include:

• Have community members expressed particular preferences regarding engagement e.g. to be involved in information sharing, consultation or active participation?

What to consider when engaging online:

• Does your targeted community (or part thereof) want to be engaged online?
• Could online community engagement be used by agents consulting on behalf of government?

Previous experience/s with government engagement

Considerations include:

• Has the community been engaged before on this issue? This might have been by another agency, or government jurisdiction.
• Has previous engagement with government been largely positive or largely negative?
• What percentage of the population has not previously engaged with government?
• Is there trust and connectedness within the community? Between government and the community?
• How could your engagement positively influence future participation?

What to consider when engaging online:

• Does online community engagement provide an opportunity to build trust with a community?

Capacity for engagement

Considerations include:

• Do community members have the knowledge needed to participate? (e.g. to critique planning models)
• Do community members have the resources needed to participate? (e.g. time, internet access)
• Do community members have the skills needed to participate? (e.g. literacy)
• Do community members have access to necessary infrastructure needed to participate?

What to consider when engaging online:

• Do community members have adequate access to the internet?
• Do community members have the skills needed to engage online?
• Is the reference material written optimised for online use?

Existing engagement structures and processes

Considerations include:

• Are there existing networks, committees, structures to support engagement within the community?
• Are there sporting, religious, professional and other groups who already engage with the community? Will they support this engagement?
• Are there existing newsletters, radio stations, websites that the community accesses?

What to consider when engaging online:

• Does the type of community you are engaging already have an online presence?
• If so, be careful not to be invasive in your engagement. The community may not want government joining in their online space. As with offline engagement processes, it is often best to contact that community first to find out the best approach to engaging them.
• Are the right people online? Is the person/people you want to engage within that community involved in its online presence?

Nature of impact

• Who is directly impacted by the issue?
• Who is indirectly impacted by the issue?
• Who is interested but not necessarily impacted?
• Is public opinion positive, negative, divided or indifferent?

No additional considerations for engaging online.

Process issues

The Queensland Government has adopted six guiding principles which provide the basis for improved community engagement in Queensland public sector processes. Regardless of whether your engagement with citizens and the community is in person, via the print media or online, the same principles apply.

Inclusiveness

Considerations include:

• What consideration needs to be given to venues, language, print type, timing to ensure that engagement is accessible to all?
• Is capacity building required to enable all people to be effectively engaged?
• What techniques are required to enable all voices to be heard?
• What promotion is required to encourage wide participation?

What to consider when engaging online:

• Do community members have access to the internet, and if so, is the speed of their internet sufficient?
• Do the online community engagement tools meet accessibility requirements?
• It is important that the majority of intended participants have the capacity and motivation to interact online.
• Engaging online might make it easier for usually reserved people to contribute.
• Are you providing all the necessary information for people to educate themselves on the issue before engaging in the debate, and providing help to teach people how (in the technical sense) to make their contributions?

Reaching out

Considerations include:

• Are there groups of disengaged or unengaged people within the community who could be engaged?
• What will it take to engage these groups?
• Can engagement processes be implemented in times and places that are comfortable to the community?
• Can engagement processes link with community radio stations, newsletters, websites?

What to consider when engaging online:

• Does online community engagement present better opportunities to engage with disengaged or unengaged groups?
• Online community engagement tools generally and Web 2.0 tools in particular, have an extensive reach.
• Online community engagement enables people to engage in their own time and space.

Mutual respect

Considerations include:

• What will community members gain from being engaged?
• How will community members' contributions be recognised and valued?
• How will community feedback on the engagement process be received and used?
• Will engagement processes be flexible to accommodate changing community issues?
• Is the agency listening or just talking?

What to consider when engaging online:

• If you use an online application which enables people to comment, you are implicitly suggesting that you are looking for their input and that what they say matters and can influence your decision making.
• It is important to consider in advance how you will incorporate the feedback provided through the engagement process, and what feedback the agency will provide back to community members at the end of the engagement or consultation process.

Integrity

Considerations include:

• How can the honesty, openness and accountability of the engagement process be demonstrated?
• Is there a commitment to carefully planning, implementing and evaluating the engagement technique?
• Are there sufficient resources to implement the technique effectively?

What to consider when engaging online:

• Information about how to maintain integrity when engaging online can be found in the Guidelines on the selection and use of Social Media.

Affirming diversity

Considerations include:

• Does information need to be provided in languages other than English and/or large font format?
• Can the information be articulated to those who are illiterate or those with disabilities?
• Will diverse groups interact well in group situations or are parallel processes required?
• Are there cultural protocols which need to be honoured?
• Will targeted processes and/or culturally, age and gender appropriate facilitators enhance the effectiveness of engagement?
• Have there been measures to cater for child care and/or people with a disability?

Online community engagement considerations:

• Do the tools you are using online meet accessibility requirements?

Adding value

Considerations include:

• Will the technique build government and/or community capacity for future engagement?
• Will the technique build trust between the agency and the community?
• Will the technique support sustainable community and/or government outcomes?

Online community engagement considerations:

• An online community engagement process may provide an opportunity to build a community's capacity to engage online.