Commander uses blog for feedback from employees, public

Posted August 11, 2009
By Norfolk District Public Affairs

8/11/2009 - NORFOLK, Va. — The commander of the Norfolk District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers wants feedback from employees and members of the public, and he's embraced emerging media to get it.

"It's my goal to create the kind of open, honest dialogue that makes the Norfolk District a better place to work and helps us deliver creative, sustainable solutions to our customers, partners and stakeholders," explained Col. Andrew Backus in his first blog post Monday.

Backus, who assumed command of the Norfolk District in June, envisions a "town square" environment on the blog site "where people exchange ideas and information and debate the hot topics of the day."

If implemented according to the vision, those hot topics will include a mix of issues, some of which may appeal only to employees and others that will interest a larger, public audience, said Mark Haviland, Norfolk District chief of public affairs.

"The bottom line is that employees and the public can engage on any topic of interest," said Haviland. "Whether we ask about a process, project or service, our goal is to get the best, most creative comments and ideas. We're not going to exclude considering something because it comes from the 'wrong' audience segment."

Readers of the blog may post comments anonymously, or by choosing to identify themselves by name or though existing accounts, but the District will moderate comments. It's a responsibility that comes with being a government agency, Haviland said.

"We'll monitor posts to guard against offensive or inappropriate content, but we won't exclude comments just because they might be critical of the District, the Corps or our processes," Haviland said. "We want credible, transparent communication with employees and the public. We want them to know we'll print the good and the bad."

The blog is just one of the District's award-winning social media efforts, but recent changes are significant, Haviland said.

"We've learned some things in the past few months. The site is more accessible, it's easier to post comments, to post anonymously and it's our intent to make content timely and relevant to our employee and public audiences," Haviland said.

The most significant change, Haviland explained, is leadership involvement.

"When the district commander says he wants feedback, he means it."