by Matt Bond

At Cornwall Council we were gently nudged into using social media by some forward thinking Members and keen amateurs in the comms team.

Step forward @CllrAWallis, @CllrJeremyRowe, @RobNolanTruro, @SteveDouble and @alexfolkes, Cornwall Council’s self-styled ‘twitter gang’. When they first started tweeting from meetings, it’s fair to say that its potential as a groundbreaking communication channel between the Council and the public took us by surprise.

by Sarah Williams

Employers are increasingly turning to social media as part of the recruitment process. Whether you view this as a gross invasion of privacy or just a sign of the times, it is fast becoming the norm, so how far should you take this into consideration in your online life?

Nowadays, it isn't enough to simply be present on social media, you also need to be active, but exactly how much sharing should you do? More and more employers are looking at online profiles as part of the recruitment process, as this BBC news programme confirms, so do you play it safe and look after your reputation or throw caution to the wind and let everything 'hang out' online?

by Hannah Rees

We’re a bit different down in Cornwall. We’re not the sleepy backwater people might have once believed us to be. Since Cornwall Council was formed almost three years ago, things have changed significantly. New leadership, new Members and a new vision has revolutionised the way we do business.  For the comms team, it’s been a gift.

by Ross Wigham

Council magazines may seem like a strange topic for discussion given the amount of time and effort we now spend on social media (see my previous post) but I just wonder if we’re now discarding a tool that’s still got so much to offer in the internet age.

Whatever the format, people still love reading stories that build a narrative about where they live and what interests them.

by Mark Allen

As a local government press officer I am in the privileged position to interact with and read a wide range of social media, traditional media and new media sources on a daily basis.

Social and new media has enriched our knowledge of what people think and how they come to conclusions and is a very good thing on the whole.

I've have blogged since 2003, Tweet and use Facebook and Linked In and so am hardly a Luddite.

At a recent conference I was struck by how many people – mostly local bloggers – seemed to write off the newspaper and local radio industries.