Today I read an article in Federal Computing Week (Kenyon, 2010) discussing how many government agencies are reluctant to allow employees to use social networks at work. Many offices had strict policies banning the use of social media and were required to provide a strong business case explaining why departments needed Web 2.0 capabilities.
In late April, the Obama administration released social media guidelines that reverse previous regulations and now “require” government agencies to “justify why you can’t” use social media tools. A study conducted by research firm Market Connections examined how various organizations use social media tools relative to other sources of information and communication. The survey found that:
- 91% number of major agencies supporting social media
- 75% identified security as their key concern – federal agency community
- 40% agency employees do not use social media
- 25% federal decision-makers consider social media important
The study admits that the actual value of social media and its level of influence on federal agency decision makers has not been determined relative to other sources of information such as face-to-face meetings, webinars, conferences, trade shows, reading print articles or advertising.
So who or what is actually driving the recent surge and interest in the social media phenomenon?
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Hi Hub!
Thi is an interesting article…i especially appreciate the statistics from these articles. TO be honest maybe there is room in the .gov realm for social media, but INTERNAL social media. In the .gov or .mil realm the folks that manage that domain need to be concerned about sensitivity, operational security and privacy. I think they can make social media work in the agencies but as an INTERNAL developed product, not an externally facing product.
Thanks for the comment!!
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Thanks for your comments Matt. If the government were to implement an “internal” social net – would you still consider it a social network? I mean inside the government circle this instance would be censored, watched and possibly edited. I understand the need for security and controlling the types of information that are disseminated to the public. But, what about the current administrations mandate for transparency? Doesn’t this apply to all government agencies? Interested in hearing your take.
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