Webcontent.gov Thinks Facebook Networks Promote Federal Agencies
On a recent Internet-wide trek for information about the federal government’s use of social networking tools, I stumbled across this page on Webcontent.gov.
The page, written by USA.gov Director Bev Godwin, stated the following as one of a few “examples of gov
ernment using social networks:”
“Many government agency networks and groups have sprung up on sites like Facebook. EPA’s Facebook network, for example, has over 750 members—anyone with an EPA e-mail address can become a member of the group. There are similar examples for most agencies.”
So let’s get this straight. Godwin believes that by using your government-issued e-mail address to add oneself to, say, the EPA’s Facebook network, it’s an example of the government using a social network?
It’s more like government employees using a social network for anything but business. The fact that the EPA’s Facebook network has over 750 members is great, but what good does that do for the EPA? If anything, I’d be nervous – that’s at least 750 EPA employees who have a possible workplace distraction at their desks!
I currently intern at a large newspaper, and am a member of their Facebook network. Does that mean I am adding to the newspaper’s social media presence? I think not.
However, Godwin did mention good examples of using Facebook for marketing purposes.
“USA.gov started a Facebook USAgov page in March 2008, for RSS feeds, videos, photos, and other news. The public is invited to become a ‘fan’ of that page,” she writes.
As of February 2, not many members of the public have been invited, apparently. The USA.gov Facebook page currently has 316 fans.
This page on social media for government Web content managers is a good start, but it merely scratches the surface of what the government should be doing: actively marketing and engaging the public in their activities.
Joining the EPA Facebook network is certainly no way to engage the public.
