ClearedJobs.Net is proud to sponsor the AFCEA Bethesda’s Federal Technology Virtual Podium Webinar Series. On May 25, 2011, Oscar Morales, Director Information Technology and Resources Management Division, Office of Pesticide Programs presented Social Media at the EPA and Beyond Webinar Mr. Morales shared that they EPA joined the social media bandwagon early and has been pretty engrossed in using it ever since but recognize that there are ups and downs in this phenomenon. EPA (and the federal government) is in a transitional period as to where social media is going to go, and the EPA fully intends to continue using social media. Oscar Morales discussed the issues that the government is having with social media and how agencies use these opportunities to get their message out. Other topics included: • Social Media/Web 2.0 is still all the rage, come learn how EPA (& the federal government) are engaging this ongoing fad on a daily basis. • Federal agencies utilize these new opportunities to get their message out, but how? • There are many uses of social media and many different types (Facebook, Blog, Wiki, Twitter, Youtube, Widgets, Mobile Devices).

1. Young AFCEA Bethesda Presents: The Federal
Technology Virtual Podium Webinar Series
Social Media at EPA and Beyond
Featuring Oscar Morales, Director of Information Technology
and Resources Management Division, Office of Pesticide
Programs, U.S. EPA
Moderated by Kathleen Smith, Chief Marketing Officer at
ClearedJobs.Net

2. The 2011 Federal Technology Virtual
Podium Series
June: Data Center Consolidation
August: Cyber Security
September: Cloud Computing
October: Organizational Change/Change Management
A Special Thank You to our Sponsors:
Sponsorships still available, please visit our website for more details:
www.afceabethesda.com/youngafcea

3. Agenda
 Welcome- Vanessa Meccarielli, YAFCEA Programs Chair
 Introductions- Kathleen Smith, Chief Marketing Officer at ClearedJobs
 Oscar Morales, Director of Information Technology and Resources
Management Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, U.S. EPA
 Question and Answer Session – Kathleen Smith, Chief Marketing Officer at
ClearedJobs.Net
 Closing Remarks- Vanessa Meccarielli, YAFCEA Programs Chair

4. Why We Integrate Online & Offline?
 Defense and Intelligence Community
◦ Niche community
◦ Strong word-of-mouth sharing
◦ Face-to-face relationships preferred
◦ Positioning as “local”
in the defense community
◦ Establishing a consistent,
unified presence

5. What We Do

7. Social Media at EPA and Beyond
Overview
 Social Media/Web 2.0 is (still) “all the rage”
 How can federal agencies utilize these new
opportunities to:
• Get our message out?
• Bring people in?
7

8. Uses of Social Media
 Out in the real world, social media has many
purposes
• Stay connected…
• Facebook
• Tell your story…
• Blogs, twitter
• Bring people in (collaboration)…
• Wikipedia
 If you have teenagers in your family, ask them
8

9. Uses in the Federal Government
 Departments and agencies are
“experimenting”
• NASA, cool stuff on space exploration
• DOD, entertainment and social connections
for troops
 Agencies are developing general guidelines
for use, but we are still largely
experimenting
9

10. Social Media Useful for Feds
• Opens doors: New ways to get messages out and
to establish connections with citizens
• Feedback: Informal ways to receive input
• Sharing: Interesting content gets shared by
readers across their social networks
• Dialogue: Transforms traditional one-way
communication to a two-way interactive dialogue
10

11. Uses in EPA
 EPA is also experimenting with social
media tools
• General guidance issued
• Many experiments underway
11

12. Using Social Media at EPA
 Facebook
 Blogs
 Wikis
 Twitter
 Youtube
 Widgets
 Mobile Applications
12

13. Popular Social Media
Blogs
Webcasts
RSS
Podcasts And much more…
13 13

14. Facebook
 Social networking website
• Collects ideas, comments and opinions
• Far reaching audience
• Combines features of blogs, RSS feeds and
Flickr
14

15. EPA Facebook Page
15

16. Blog
 Author creates entries that are viewable to public
 Ordered reverse-chronologically
• EPA shares information
• Public can comment on entries
• Easy access; user friendly
16

17. Blog
Greenversations
•Written by EPA Employees and
occasional guests
Enabel the Label (OPP)
•Exchange of information and ideas
related to the labeling of pesticides
17

18. Wikis
Wiki
• Website that allows the creation and editing of any
number of interlinked web pages via a web browser
• Collaboration
• Everyone is “on the same page”
18

19. OPP Internal Wiki
19

20. Watershed Central – Public
20

21. Twitter
 Micro-blogging service
 Information is available instantaneously
 Establishes groups with common interests
 Short messages - 140 characters
21

22. EPA Region 9 Twitter Profile
22

23. YouTube
 Video sharing
 Organized by channel (user) or community
 Users can comment on videos
23

24. EPA’s YouTube Channel
24

25. Widgets
An application that can be executed and installed
within a web page by a user
 Quick & easy access to information
 Easy to replicate
25

26. EPA Widgets
Environmental Tips - Shows a new tip each
day, of something you (and your readers) can
use to help protect the environment
UV Index - Enter your ZIP
code to get the daily UV
Index forecast
Envirofacts - Search several EPA
databases for information about
environmental activities that may affect air,
water, and land in the U.S.
26

27. Mobile Devices
• Websites made compatible for
smart phones
• Information “on-the-go”
Example:
• Design for the Environment
(DfE) Application – Safer
products labeling
27

28. Other EPA Experiments
 RSS Feed
 Social Bookmarking
 Flickr
 Challenge.gov
28

29. Pending Issues/Questions
 Upkeep/maintenance of tools can be resource
intensive-full time webmaster.
 Policy can be difficult to write/enforce.
 Existence of a “divide” between users and
skeptics.
 Sometimes unreasonable expectations when
government is one of the SM users.
 Some debate on whether SM is IT,
Communications/Outreach and/or both.
 Trust still important-employees/public.
29

30. Closing thoughts…
 Sometime in the near future we will
transition from the “experimentation
phase” to a more integrated and strategic
way of using social media tools
• Overall direction
• Goals, measures, and outcomes
• Refinement
30

31. More information
 Oscar Morales
• morales.oscar@epa.gov
• 703-305-5440
 Latest on Social Media at EPA:
www.epa.gov/epahome/socialmedia
31

32. Question & Answer
 Thank you to our moderator, Kathleen Smith of ClearedJobs.Net!
 Participants: to ask your question, press *1

33. Upcoming Young AFCEA Bethesda Events:
 THE FEDERAL TECHNOLOGY VIRTUAL PODIUM SERIES
o June Webinar Topic: Data Center Consolidation
o Sponsorships Available! For only $1,500 and includes:
o Each sponsor will be assigned the webinar (topic/speaker) of their choice where they will have 2-3 minutes to tell the audience
what their company is doing in that specific area (i.e. cyber). The sponsor will be moderating this webinar as well — introducing
the government speaker, facilitating Q&A, etc. Topics are chosen on a first-come, first-serve basis.
o Sponsors will have the chance to assist the Programs Committee in reaching out to potential government executives for upcoming
webinars.
o All sponsors will be included on all of the AFCEA flyers, newsletters, email blasts, website, etc. for each webinar..
 7th ANNUAL CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT
SAVE THE DATE for Monday, June 13th, at the Hidden Creek Country Club located in Reston, Virginia. Proceeds will benefit University of
Maryland and Montgomery College IT scholarship funds. Registration and sponsorship details are coming soon.
 4th ANNUAL SENIOR GOVERNMENT EXECUTIVE DINNER
Young AFCEA Bethesda will host our 4th Annual Senior Government Executive Dinner on Wednesday, July 27. This
evening provides a venue for informal conversation between government and industry leaders to discuss the latest
topics in government IT and communications. The evening will begin with a reception where attendees will have the
opportunity to interact with all of the government leaders. Dinner will follow, with one senior government executive
seated at each table.
If you’re interested in getting involved with YAFCEA Bethesda, please visit our website or contact Vanessa Meccarielli at
vmeccarielli@mlog.com or 202-746-7776 or Stewi Downer at anne-stewart.downer@ngc.com or 202-942-8930.