This month local government posted a snapshot of what they were doing during 24-hours using the #ourday hashtag. Loads of good content got posted. But as with any campaign it attracted critics who just don't like the sector. So, how should we connect with them? Should we even try?

by Will Mapplebeck

Council wasters getting upset about hijacking of #ourday tag. Well stop tweeting and do the bastard job I pay you to do.

Maybe the private sector should spend a day on Twitter telling you how awesome they are. Oh, that’s right, they have work to do #ourday

The other week the Local Government Association held #ourday, a twitter campaign designed to highlight the diversity of what councils do.

It did its job, it highlighted the massive amount of great work that goes on in town halls, community centres and other council buildings across the country - but it also attracted a minority of negative tweets.

Every sector communications face a challenge. But what about when that challenge could be to raise the profile of a charity that struggles to get its voice heard? Who is depending on you and you need to perform for?

by Kirsty Marrins

There are over 150,000 small charities in the UK, according to the Charity Commission. A small charity is defined as having an income under £1 million.

However there are many charities with an income over £1 million which could be described as 'small' in terms of their staff numbers and available resources. In fact, there are almost 9,000 charities which (unhelpfully) fall in the £500,000 to £5 million income category. There are less than 2,000 charities with an income of over £5 million, so it's fair to say that small charities play a vital role in the sector.

Twitter can lift the lid of what an organisation does. But how about a sector? Last year local government in the UK used a hashtag #ourday to give an insight into what they did. This year, they're at it again from library events and drain inspections to stray dogs and school dinners. Can you help?

by Sarah Jennings

Cllr David Harrington tweeted me late one night back in July: ‘How about it @LadyLeoLion?’ Turned out he was concocting ideas to celebrate local government and needed some collaborators.

One thing led to another and #OurDay 2013 was booked in for 17 October.

Scotgovcamp was an unconference that drew people together from in and around local government. Ideas were shared. Here's what one comms person took from it.

by Lorraine Spalding

As a traditional comms person, the pace of developments in digital and social media have at times left me playing catch up (or at least feeling as though I’m playing catch up)  – an observer, rather than a participant. 

I dipped a toe in the water of ScotGovCamp 2011 via Twitter and connected remotely with IslandGovCamp 2012 and so ‘in person’ participation at ScotGovCamp 2013 simply seemed right so that I could be part of the change. 

The full event is summed up brilliantly by @marcommskenny here

We're right at the start of learning how social media is changing organisations. But how is it changing communications?

by Matt Bond 

Could the evolving relationship between digital technology and the requirement this is placing on us to become more social as organisations force a change in the way we think about communications?

That is the question I have been pondering of late as a picture emerges that increased social media use - and the fundamental shift this has caused in human behaviour - is stimulating the green shoots of a need for reflective change in how we as organisations communicate with our colleagues, customers and stakeholders. 

Maybe there's been a scramble for tickets. Maybe there's some people who just can't get there. So how do you make sure people outside the venue can take part too? Here's some ideas for remote participation.

by John Fox, Sweyn Hunter, Leah Lockhart, Lesley Thompson and James Coltham

Hosting an event? We'd like to offer some thoughts on enabling remote participation by folk who, for one reason or another, are unable to be present in person.

In May 2012 we staged Island Gov Camp (#IsleGC12) in Kirkwall, Orkney. The idea was to hold ‘an unconference for people working in and around government in islands, wherever they may be (including the big one with Cardiff, Edinburgh, and London on it); and for anyone with connections to islands, however tenuous.’

If you live or work in a remote location, or perhaps your mobility is restricted through disability, then it often isn't feasible to attend events which generally take place in centres of population such as Scotland's central belt, Birmingham or London.