DDOT social media goes from gold standard to gaffe-filled

The District Department of Transportation has long been known for its effective use of social media, particularly Twitter. But more recently, DDOT has fallen short on reaching out to the public online. The DDOT Twiter feed took a particularly bizarre turn this past Monday.

Residents who tweeted DDOT with a request to fix a pothole or a question about a construction project received an unhelpful and somewhat patronizing message: “Thx 4 this Tweet! Service has been requested. Thank you for using DDOT TWITTER. Thank you for being a “Super-Citizen’!”

While DDOT always used Twitter to disseminate information and promote transparency, it was its consistently prompt responses to service requests that earned it a stellar reputation among citizens. Mark Bjorge and John Lisle, who ran the feed, displayed a wry sense of humor rarely seen coming from a government communications office.

Bjorge and Lisle both left the agency earlier this year. Since then, tweets to DDOT have been answered slowly, or not at all. When these latest boilerplate tweets started coming out on Monday, the backlash was palpable.

DDOT spokesperson Monica Hernandez insists that the agency is trying to get back on top of its Twitter game and has no intention of letting its social media presence continue to slide. “Those responses don’t represent a new direction we’re taking,” she says, and went on to state that the automated replies are “not effective” and are “being addressed.”

The concerns they’ve heard have hit home for the agency. “This brings to light the role our followers play when it comes to our communication here,” says Hernandez. “They are our eyes and ears, and their feedback is critical.”

That’s a great outlook, but it’s even better when put into practice. Since Twitter has played such a vital role in communication between DDOT and District residents over the past few years, I hoped that the department would recognize the value in bringing on other social media-literate employees after the staff changes took place. Instead, District residents have lost one of the most reliable means of communicating with the city about transportation issues.

Hernandez was unable to say whether Bjorge and Lisle had undergone any special social media training, or what kind of training is being provided to those currently at the feed’s helm. She mentioned that DDOT’s goal was to have more than just two people running its Twitter account, as questions and requests could be answered faster if there are more hands on deck.

Whatever the method, let’s hope that DDOT’s social media growing pains end soon. The agency has a great model for how to do social media right — its own past. Many agencies may face a long road building the in-house capacity to use social media well, but it’s sad to see one so quickly lose its expertise and success.