GahmenBloggers... unveiled

Things have never looked brighter - for those of us who have been blogging in our official capacities - than the phone calls and emails that greeted us on Tuesday (22 Aug). Apparently, the Straits Times was writing a couple of articles in response to the PM's National Day rally speech last Sunday, and had somehow stumbled upon the low-key (or secretive) unofficial group of bloggers who work in the public sector. In fact, some of us actually run official blogs on behalf of our respective organisations, over and above our personal blogs.

On a personal note, getting official blogs off the ground a year ago was not without its challenges as the OB markers were still unclear. In fact, some of us *may* have gotten zapped by the invisible electric fence, since we are not supposed to blog about work in our personal blogs, or use free blog sites like Blogger.com or WordPress for official communiques.

But along the way, we managed to face these challenges and forged ahead with the experimentation with blogs, aided by a fortituous mix of good luck, support from like-minded bloggers working in the public sector and foresight by senior management in our organisations.

But make no mistakes: I'm not saying that all is well and smooth-sailing from now on, for there are still unresolved issues to address, such as policy reviews in view of this 'new' medium, the effectiveness of blogs in meeting organisational goals, and how to engage Singaporeans via blogs effectively, bearing in mind lessons faced by MNCs and governments overseas.


Here's the full article, for archival purposes:

Prime News
We are public servants - and we blog too
Lynn Lee
568 words
23 August 2006
Straits Times
English
(c) 2006 Singapore Press Holdings Limited
EVEN as Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called on the Government to use new media to spread its message, a clutch of agencies and public servants are already busy blogging.

The public servants blog as private individuals. But they came together last October as an informal gathering of bloggers and net-savvy individuals interested in blogging, who work for the Government.

They call themselves the 'Gahmen Bloggers'.

What they have in common: A desire to explore whether their organisations could harness the popularity of blogs as an additional and 'friendlier' way of dealing with the public, said Health Promotion Board senior executive Vanessa Tan, 28.

In his National Day rally speech on Sunday, PM Lee said the Government would adapt to new media to get its message across, including using podcasts or videocasts and even humour.

Said Ms Tan: 'Previously, news would come through more formal channels, like press releases. For young people, a blog might be a better way to get their attention.'

She and fellow blogger Ivan Chew, 34, a National Library Board (NLB) manager, came up with the idea for the group and spread the word through their websites, and on Tomorrow.sg.

About 10 people turned up for the first 'Gahmen Bloggers Meetup' late last year at Toa Payoh Community library. The group's mailing list has now swelled to 21 people, including people who work in government-related organisations.

Members meet in small groups for coffee, but discussions usually take place in cyberspace.

These personal exchanges have helped some 'gahmen' agencies improve on its own ideas to reach out to the public.

Mr Walter Lim, 36, director of corporate communications and industry promotion at the National Heritage Board (NHB), said ideas he gained on sustaining a blog gave the NHB 'a leg up' when it launched in March its museum and heritage blog www.yesterday.sg .

'We realised we would need to ensure a pool of regular contributors to the blog, otherwise posts and discussions will just die down. Also, their comments should sound natural, not like they are part of a heritage campaign.'

Other agencies with official blogs include the NLB, which has four blogs with posts on book reviews and its programmes and the Community Development Youth and Sports Ministry, which runs www.youth.sg , a portal for youngsters.

These blogs are meant to boost the agencies' online presence, but what about their employees with personal blogs?

The 'Gahmen Bloggers Meetup' members steer clear from talking about what goes on in the office.

The reason: Civil servants are bound by the Official Secrets Act. There are no specific rules on blogging but the Public Service Division says that the code of conduct 'requires an officer to conduct himself in a manner which upholds the integrity of the public service and which instils public confidence in it.'

Ms Tan, for example, talks about gizmos, current affairs, restaurants and interesting websites on www.vantan.org , but makes no mention of where she works.

Similarly, other 'Gahmen bloggers' say they are civil servants but omit references to their agencies.

Mr Chew focuses on library matters at www.ramblinglibrarian.blogspot.com .

But he has this disclaimer: 'Views expressed here are strictly my own and do not represent the official stand of my employer. But you know that already.'