Ian Cuddy

Top story in today's e-Gov Bulletin is something of a historic event - the appointment, they report, of the 'first council social media officer':

The first local authority worker employed to handle and shape a local authority’s social media output has been appointed by Brighton and Hove City Council.

"As the council’s social media officer, Jane Postlethwaite’s responsibilities include creating strategies to develop its use of sites like Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Flickr, and monitoring online discussions about the council."

This news will doubtless have come as a surprise to many, not least Futuregov's Dominic Campbell who was employed as Barnet Council's social media officer back in May 2008, as well as Al Smith, communications adviser on Web 2.0 to Newcastle City Council since 2008.  But that slight factual error - which eGov Bulletin have since corrected - isn't really the point.

There's a far more interesting story to report here. Which is that just very recently the same Brighton and Hove City Council, like many other local authorities in its position, disclosed it was looking to axe more than 150 staff jobs, as well as cut spending on social care and children's services due to budget constraints.

In spite of this financial crisis, the Council - evidently - regarded social media to be of such importance to warrant employing a new, full time dedicated member of staff (albeit according to the job ad, only on a temporary six month basis).

The prominence e-Gov Bulletin gives this appointment seems to suggest it represents some pivotal watershed moment in social media's journey towards mainstream acceptance in local government.  But as the saying goes, one swallow doesn't make a summer, just as one social media officer doesn't make a trend. At the recent GovCamp it was argued the recession is a reason for Government to employ more, not fewer, digital people. My hunch is it's more likely that when the post-Election crunch comes on public sector job cuts, the 'social media officer'-type posts  will be those particularly vulnerable.  All the more reason why those working in these roles need to be building up hard evidence - now - to demonstrate the value they bring to their organisation.

So Jane, from myself and and no doubt lots of readers here: All the best of luck in your new role.