Social networks are, for the most part, free and easy to use. Their use has proliferated and is necessary for governments to communicate with constituents. But, with that use comes the need for policies and policing of the use of social media.

1. The Double Edge Sword
of the
Social Network
Carol A Spencer
Digital & Social Media Manager
County of Morris, NJ
NJ GMIS
April 25, 2012

2. We’re social.
We’re mobile.
We network.

3. The World has Changed

4. Social & Mobile are the Norm
Twitter
Microblog
Facebook
Network
LinkedIn
Network
Flickr
Still Photos
YouTube
Video
Pinterest
Online Pinboard
Google
Email, Apps
Vimeo
Video
Foursquare
Location app
Scribd
Documents
RSS Feed
Subscription
WordPress
Blog
SlideShare
Presentations
Skype
Phone, chat
Blogger
Blog

5. General Challenges
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Going where no man has gone before.
The speed of government.
Too much noise. Too many products.
Bleeding edge: Is anyone using it?
Legal hurdles
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Terms of Service Agreements
Credit Cards / Purchasing
Policies:
• What others can say on your sites
• What you can say and how to say it on your own sites
• What your representatives can / should say on other sites

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Copyright Infringement
Employees
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Regulating workplace use
Job descriptions – extra pay?
Training: tools, terms, tone
Regulating outside use / first amendment

6. Organization Challenges
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1
1
Budget Cycle and Lack of Resources
Changing Organizational Culture
Ensuring the Quality of Data
Increasing Public Interest and Engagement
Balancing Autonomy and Control
Accountability and Responsibility
An Open Government Implementation Model: Moving to Increased Public Engagement
Gwanhoo Lee, Associate Professor, Kogod School of Business, The American University
Young Hoon Kwak, Associate Professor, School of Business, The George Washington University
IBM Center for The Business of Government (BusinessofGovernment.org); 2011

7. Budget Cycle and Lack of Resources
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Mobile technologies develop very quickly
Procurement process is too long
 From
the time a solution is identified, to budget,
to approval, to implementation: could be 18
months.
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Bid process
Vendor understanding of government
procurement
Credit card requirement

8. Changing Organizational Culture
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Command and control environment
Hierarchical, top down, organization
Decision paths; Decision times
Information silos
The sum of the parts
Management use (or lack thereof)

9. Ensuring the Quality of Data
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Social media is about trust
Data must be accurate, timely
Data must add value, be useful
Data must not be confidential; must be
sharable
Data must be consistent across multiple
channels
Processes must exist to identify sharable
data, collection and publication responsible
parties

10. Increasing Public Interest and Engagement






Social media is about trust
Data must be accurate, timely
Data must add value, be useful
Data must not be confidential; must be
sharable
Data must be consistent across multiple
channels
Processes must exist to identify sharable
data, collection and publication responsible
parties

11. Balancing Autonomy and Control
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It doesn’t have to be the wild west
Play nice in the sandbox
Enforce your commenting policies, politely
Monitor, monitor, monitor
Be human, admit mistakes
Explain things in plain English, not
government speak

12. Accountability and Responsibility

With open public comment and multiple
employees speaking on behalf of an agency,
guidelines are important.
 Messaging
needs to be consistent
 Tone needs to be consistent
 Coordination of responses is a must
 Consistency in the applicability of policy is a
must

13. Technology Challenges
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1
1
Improving IT Infrastructure
Enhancing Privacy and Information Security
Integrating Tools and Applications
Updating Policies and Rules
An Open Government Implementation Model: Moving to Increased Public Engagement
Gwanhoo Lee, Associate Professor, Kogod School of Business, The American University
Young Hoon Kwak, Associate Professor, School of Business, The George Washington University
IBM Center for The Business of Government (BusinessofGovernment.org); 2011

14. Improving IT Infrastructure
Enhancing Privacy and Information Security
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Social media bandwidth issues: video hosting?
24 X 7 expectation
Emergency preparation: bandwidth, demand
Security issues with employee access
 Hacking,
spyware
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Denial of Service (DoS) attacks, malware,
Privacy issues
 HIPPA,
emails, OPRA, FOIA

15. Integrating Tools and Applications
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Initial cost of training and tool acquisition
Subsequent tool acquisition
 Does
is work with what we already have?
 Will it work with future tools?
 Will the company be in business in 5 years? 2
years?

Mobile versions
 Can
we integrate existing data streams into a
mobile presence?

16. Updating Policies and Rules

Inconsistency of application Terms of Use
with government requirements
 Liability
issues
 Subject to the laws of other states
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Contractual or procurement laws
Review for consistency and compliance with
court hearings, legislative changes, and
Federal requirements.

17. How do you get started?
Before beginning, plan carefully.
Cicero
C 106-43 BC Great Roman Orator Politician
To be prepared is half the victory.
Miguel De Cervantes
1547-1616 Spanish Novelist Dramatist Poet
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.
Benjamin Franklin
1706-1790 American Scientist Publisher Diplomat

18. Develop, Draw & Write a Plan

Discuss & Decide
 Where
the information will originate
 Who may speak for your agency
 Which applications you will use
 Who will be responsible for the applications
 What will be the process, the flow
 What your policies will include
 Employee use; Content; Commenting
 How social media will be marketed
 How you will engage visitors

19. Is it worth the work?

20. Hurricane Irene: 1 week
Websites
•Homepage views
Blogger
•OEM & MorrisCountyNJ
Facebook post views
•MorrisCountyNJ
•MCUrgent
Twitter message views*
•MorrisCountyNJ
•MCUrgent
TOTAL VIEWS
Irene
Typical
75,155 26,000
36,991
2,400
49,610
99,005
5,500
400
169,292
20,448
18,000
0
450,337
52,300
*Does not include Twitter ‘fast follow’ text messages to cell phones

21. The Public’s Opinion

22. Contact Information
Morris County NJ
Website MorrisCountyNJ.gov
Twitter Twitter.com/MorrisCountyNJ
Facebook Facebook.com/MorrisCountyNJ
YouTube YouTube.com/MorrisCountyNJ
Flickr Flickr.com/MorrisCountyNJ
Email CSpencer@co.Morris.NJ.US
National Association of Government Webmasters
Website NAGW.org
Twitter Twitter.com/NAGW
Facebook Facebook.com/NAGW.org
GovLoop Govloop.com/group/NAGW
Email Treasurer@NAGW.org

23. Employee Use of
Social Networks
Social Media Policy of Victoria, Australia, Department of Justice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ws3Bd3QINsk

24. Guidance from NLRB Reports
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National Labor Relations Board report August 18, 2011:
http://mynlrb.nlrb.gov/link/document.aspx/09031d458056e743
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Policies should not be too broad
Specific examples of prohibited behavior should be
included
Employee rights must be protected
Terms like “appropriate” and “professional” must be
defined
Mere complaints are not typically protected
Protected speech includes wages, working conditions
(Section 7 rights)

25. Guidance from NLRB Reports

NLRB report January 25, 2012 Summarizes 14 cases
http://mynlrb.nlrb.gov/link/document.aspx/09031d45807d6567
http://www.nlrb.gov/news/acting-general-counsel-issuessecond-social-media-report

Reiterated 2 main points
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Employer policies should not be so sweeping that they prohibit
the kinds of activity protected by federal labor law, such as the
discussion of wages or working conditions among employees.
An employee’s comments on social media are generally not
protected if they are mere gripes not made in relation to group
activity among employees.
No Appeals Court rulings on NLRB decisions

26. Guidance from NLRB Reports
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NLRB reports provide guidance.
From the NLRB website
http://www.nlrb.gov/faq/nlrb#t1n382
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“The NLRB does not have jurisdiction over federal, state or
local government workers, with the exception of
employees of the U.S. Postal Service. The Federal Labor
Relations Authority has jurisdiction over federal
employees. The organizing and collective bargaining rights
of state and local employees are determined by state
laws enforced by individual state agencies.”
Be very careful when restricting social media use at
work

27. Labor Issues

From the NLRB website
http://www.nlrb.gov/faq/nlrb#t1n382
 “The NLRB does not have jurisdiction over federal, state or
local government workers, with the exception of employees
of the U.S. Postal Service. The Federal Labor Relations
Authority has jurisdiction over federal employees. The
organizing and collective bargaining rights of state and local
employees are determined by state laws enforced
by individual state agencies.”

NJ Employer-Employee Relations Act
http://www.state.nj.us/perc/statute.pdf

28. Government Actions
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Gloucester County Adopts Use Policy
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Bay Head lists their 10 criteria for a policy
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Controversial: It restricts employees from posting photos of
the “county’s premises, properties [or] activities” on private
social sites.
NJSLOM March 2012 Article
http://www.njslom.org/magazine/2012-03/pg-28.html
NASCIO.org achieves Terms of Use modifications for
states
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Facebook (1/5/2011), YouTube (1/17/2012)

29. Government Related Organizations
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NAGW.org: National Assoc of Government
Webmasters
 Resource
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Library; 700 member listserv
GoWProNJ.net: Government Web
Professionals of NJ
 Meets 1st Friday,
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every other month
NASCIO.org: National Assoc of State CIOs
NaCO.org: National Assoc of Counties
NACIO.org: National Assoc of Cty Information
Officers

30. The Double Edge Sword
of the
Social Network
Carol A Spencer
Digital & Social Media Manager
County of Morris, NJ
NJ GMIS
April 25, 2012