Social Media and the Gov’t:
Overview
Jeffrey Levy
Director of Web Communications
US EPA
May 2009

Experts
• Expert: someone who knows one thing
more than you do
• Renowned expert: an expert who speaks
up
You know more than you think!

Three Levels of Understanding
• What is this stuff?
• Why would gov’t use it?
• How do we get going?
We can’t answer every question
at every level in an hour

How We’ll Spend Our Time
• Yes: Broad discussion
– Culture
– Policies
– Technologies
– Examples
– How to get started
• No
– Detailed discussion of, well, anything unless you ask
• But
– Lots of resource links

The Only Rule

The Only Rule
Serve Your
Audience

The Only Rule
Serve Your
Audience
(but remember: some want to know what you think is important, too)

What: Technologies
• Stuff that shares control with the audience
– Blogs
– Wikis
– Video/photo sharing (YouTube, Flickr)
– Podcasting (iTunes)
– Virtual worlds (Second Life, Whyville)
– Social networking (Facebook, MySpace, GovLoop)
– RSS
– Mashups
– Widgets
– Social news (Digg, Fark, etc.)

What (culture)?
• Not a tech issue
• Trust: employees, the public
• Develop some strategy, but not 400 pages
• Experiment
• Define tool-specific measures of success
– It’s all about engagement
– Return on investment is (usually) the wrong
question

What (culture)?
• Be ready to fail (fast, small)
• Be ready to succeed
– Always ask “what’s next”?
– Teach!
• Embrace criticism (it’s almost all useful)
• Accept that odd things will happen
• Know the policy and governance
framework
• Acknowledge that fear, confusion, wonder,
excitement are all normal

Why?
• Use all tools to accomplish mission
– Take advantage of new
• Technologies
• Behavior patterns
• Ways of using existing stuff
– Continue using old
– Social Media is (usually) a supplement,
not a replacement (yet)

Why?
• It’s where the people are
– 100,000,000 daily YouTube views
– 150,000,000 active Facebook users
– Our audiences are using, and expect to
use, social media
– 49 amazing Internet stats:
thefuturebuzz.com/2009/01/12/social-media-web-20-intern
• Tools for adults
– Fastest-growing Facebook segment: ages 35-54

Why?
• It’s what the President wants
– Transparency
– Participation
– Collaboration
– whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Transpare
• Chance to hear what others are saying
• “Force Multiplier” through sharing

Why?
• It’s happening now – every form is in
use in gov’t
– See “Government 2.0” in lower right
corner of usa.gov
– Examples paper: webcontent.gov/about/
documents.shtml

How?
• Think of how others use it and do the same
• Think of your mission and how to meet it
• Learn the policies relevant to each
• Go into perpetual beta testing
• Listen
There’s no single answer to “how”

How?
• Think of how others use it and do the same
• Think of your mission and how to meet it
• Learn the policies relevant to each
• Go into perpetual beta testing
• Listen
There’s no single answer to “how”
In other words, social media’s just like
every other communications technique

How to Get Started (Personally)
Dive in by joining
• GovLoop.com
• Twitter
– start following people listed here:
adrielhampton.wordpress.com/2008/12/26/government-20-
– Find hundreds of other gov’t people: govtwit.com
• Facebook (try everything: groups, apps, causes,
upload pics, add links, etc.)
• Web Mgrs Forum social network:
forum.webcontent.gov

How to Get Started (Personally)
Search for blogs on social media, but start
with:
• chrisbrogan.com
• 2ohreally.com
• adrielhampton.com
• ariwriter.com
• candioncontent.blogspot.com

How to Get Started (Projects)
• Define what success means for each project
– Mission
– Measures (can be hard)
– How you’re serving your audience
• Develop some strategy, but don't wait for the
perfect 400-page, $200,000 project plan
• Learn the ins and outs of each technology for
that project

How to Get Started (Projects)
• Review the stuff about culture
• Thicken your skin
• Go to lunch with:
– Your IT folks
– Your attorneys
– People who have found success

How to Convince Your Boss
• Mission, using their words, not technologies
– Not Blog: “connecting with our stakeholders”
– Not Wiki: “more feedback resulting in better
outcomes”
– Not YouTube: “video where people can find it”
• Stay high-level, not technical
• More:
levyj413.wordpress.com/2009/05/12/how-to-talk-to-managers-about-socia

And now a word about …

Privacy. No advertising. Copyright.
No Corporate branding. Official source.
Permanent Promotion of
Cookies. outside Records
Lack of COPPA. organizations. management
guidance on Procurement
FOI
social media Augmenting
A
appropriation.
Accessibility. Soliciting donations.
Section 508. FACA Anti-Deficiency.
Web 2.0 Policy
Information architecture. Resources.
IT Security.
Content management systems. Culture.
Unproven technology.
Knowledge.
Infrastructure
support of Web
Govt info on 2.0
Non-Govt Restricted
Servers access on govt

AAAARRGGGHHHH

How to Get Started (Projects)
• Review the stuff about culture
• Thicken your skin
• Go to lunch with:
– Your IT folks
– Your attorneys
– People who have found success

Gov’t 2.0? Wazzat?!?
• An evolving term
• Means using Web 2.0 tools to do what the
President wants:
– Transparency
– Participation
– Collaboration

Random Tidbit #1:
Accessibility
• It’s ok to use inaccessible sites like
YouTube provided you link back to an
accessible version on your site
• Linking back provides many other
benefits:
– Credibility
– Permanence
– Security
– Searchability

Random Tidbit #2:
Terms of Service
• Many are done for the federal gov’t:
– AddThis
– Blip.tv
– Blist.com
– Facebook
– Flickr
– MySpace
– Slideshare
– Twitter
– Vimeo
– YouTube
• Stay up to date w/webcontent.gov:
webcontent.gov/resources/tools/TOSagreements.shtml

By now, you may be wondering
“When’s he gonna get to …”
• How to set up a blog?
• Solving accessibility?
• How to use a wiki?
• How to calculate ROI?
• How to do collaborative rulemaking via a wiki?
• How I convince our CIO?
• How to create land in Second Life?
• How I deal with privacy?
• Terms of service?
• Information security?
• How to moderate comments?
• Getting around the IT people?
• How to deal with spam?
• How to create the perfect video?
• Persistent cookies?

Experts
• Expert: someone who knows one thing
more than you do
• Renowned expert: an expert who speak
up
Remember to share what you learn!

Resources
• Federal Web Managers Council papers
– Putting Citizens First: Transforming Online Government
– Barriers and Solutions to Implementing Social Media in Government
– Examples of Agencies Using Online Content and Technology to Achieve
Mission and Goals
– webcontent.gov/about/documents.shtml
• Gov’t examples in lower right corner of usa.gov
• Social Media Subcouncil
– http://tr.im/govsocmed
– Will produce business cases, library, speakers bureau, etc.
• Me
– Twitter: http://twitter.com/levyj413
– My presentations (including this one): http://www.slideshare.net/levyj413
blog: http://levyj413.wordpress.com
• Follow hundreds of other gov’t Twitterers: www.govtwit.com