Remember that iconic phrase? When email first started showing up in offices in the 1990s, many people underestimated its significance. They considered it to be informal communication more akin to a water cooler conversation than an official business transaction. The hard-copy memo still dominated as the official record format for documenting decisions and sharing information.
Over time, however, email became more than just the preferred medium for chain letters and off color jokes. In government, public servants began using it to share ideas, evaluate decisions, and communicate with the public. When the ESIGN (Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce) Act passed in 2000, making electronic signatures on documents legally valid, even contracts and formal agreements became commonplace. The case for treating email communication as official government business was irrefutable.
Email transformed government’s ability to serve its citizens. It also introduced new challenges. In 1994, the vice president’s National Performance Review described a plan for “government-wide electronic mail” and specifically outlined the need for records management. Since then, we've experienced a lot of hard lessons (read: lawsuits) with managing electronic communications.
Fast-forward 20 years and history is now repeating itself.
Social media has become ubiquitous. Platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are far more than a showcase for cat videos and baby pictures. Seventy-four percent of adults use social media sites and Americans now spend more time on social media than any other online activity, including email. Public agencies are increasingly relying on social media as a primary means to communicate with the public – particularly in times of emergency.
Social media is once again transforming government’s ability to serve its citizens. And, like email, government usage of social media has its challenges. The good news is that we don’t have to repeat the hard lessons we learned with email. Now more than ever, it is critical to evaluate how you can apply existing policies, employee training procedures, records management practices, and more to your social media usage.
You’ve got tweets. And, if you’re not already, it’s time to start treating them as official government business.
Anil Chawla is Founder and CEO of Archive Social. The parent company of Government Technology is an investor in ArchiveSocial through e.Republic Ventures.
