Suffolk Council Win Best Use of Social Media Award

The use of social media by UK public sector services are not always perceived to be a successful partnership. However, Suffolk County Council's Trading Standards (SCCTS) challenged this notion by tackling consumer fraud using digital communication and social networking sites to tackle consumer fraud. Their efforts were recognised and the local authority received the award for Best Use of Social Media at the 2011 Public Sector Digital Awards.

The award category reviews how the public sector uses social media to improve public interaction with the government and increase transparency. It emphasises the importance of social media and digital communication in the public sector. The SCCTS tackle the activities of rogue traders by providing information for business and consumers alike, for which social media has proven to be a valuable tool for communication.

With so much information to process and distribute the council use the GovDelivery digital communication management system. GovDelivery enables better management of the flow of information through automated email alerts to subscribers, and posting updates to social network sites and blogs. The system also monitors the council's website for new content which it then automatically conveys by way of email alerts and status updates. 

We are thrilled that our efforts to protect Suffolk communities were recognised last night. Twitter, Facebook and the like offer a brilliant platform for people to tell us when they think an advert, salesperson or scheme might be untrustworthy, and helps us share this information with others. Sarah Nagra, Community Engagement Officer, SCCTS

The SCCTS campaign has attracted over 8000 Facebook and blog views, 900 followers on Twitter and over 5000 email subscribers. Rogue traders cost individuals and businesses thousands of pounds. The campaign has helped better inform and equip the public with the necessary tools to protect themselves thanks to the power of social media.

Image Credits; Whatleydude