Social Media at EPA

Kay Morrison

Office of Web Communications

US EPA Office of Public Affairs

What is Social Media?

Anything online other than static content where the provider posts

and the viewer absorbs

Why?• Mission, mission, mission

– So keep using older tools, too• It’s where the people are

– 100,000,000 daily YouTube views– 300,000,000 active Facebook users

• We’re 17,000. They’re 6,000,000,000.• Early warning system• It’s where people are talking about us• It’s what the President wants: collaborative,

transparent, participatory government

How?• It’s communication, not tech

• Trust: employees, the public

• Experiment

• Define tool-specific measures of success

– It’s all about engagement

– Return on investment is (usually) the wrong question (return on engagement is usually the right question)

What (figuratively)?

• Collaboration (internal and external)

• Interaction (comments, photos, videos)

• “Force Multiplier” through sharing

• Tools for adults

– Fastest-growing Facebook segment: ages 35-54

– Even split across ages on YouTube

• The way business will be done

What (tools)?Currently used at EPA• Mobile web• Blogs• Microblogs• Social networking• Widgets• Wikis• Video/photo sharing• Podcasting• RSS• Mashups• Webinars

Not yet used at EPA• Virtual worlds• Social news• Social bookmarking• Smart phone

applications• Text messaging

http://m.epa.govEPA’s Mobile website

• Newsroom

• Watersense

• Contact EPA

• ZIP code search

• UV index

• AirData

• Energy Star rebates

• 40 CFR

• Etc.

“Your ideas will be considered for recommendations to the EPA Administrator about the future direction for EPA’s water enforcement.”

kolpeterson BRK: Exec order for govt bldgs: 30% redux in vehicle fleet petrol use by 2020, 2030 net-zero-energy building http://bit.ly/33W6fU #solar09

Real-time results for #solar09

• MarnArts @sandersshannon Whooooo! Thank you! I"ll be back this week with a pocket video camera and the SLR - see you then! #solar09

• sandersshannon @MarnArts It's Iowa State University! www.solard.iastate.edu #solar09

• kolpeterson BRK: Exec order for govt bldgs: 30% redux in vehicle fleet petrol use by 2020, 2030 net-zero-energy building http://bit.ly/33W6fU #solar09

• MarnArts @Solar_Decathlon Could someone please ID the team / doors in the first of this set? http://bit.ly/nquzq #solar09

EPAcolumbia is a Region 10 Twitter account run by a named person on behalf of the agency.

Friends

Sponsored links

Personal Facebook account

EPA’s Fan page has 3,141 fans

No advertising

Fans leave comments

“Looking to become involved with the EPA and water issues (watershed health, water quality, policy and planning, land use and management...)...any ideas out there?”

“Oh, for those groupy followers of the EPA, I have followed the complaint route, to no avail. So, don't even go there.”

Administrator Lisa P. Jackson’s Facebook page

“I'll be on Real Time with Bill Maher tonight at 10 pm EST on HBO. I'll be talking about all the changes of the last 8 months, and the big announcements of the last few days.”

Administrator Jackson has 2,123 fans

youtube.com/usepagov

Lead Poisoning Prevention Video Contest

In conjunction with HUD & CDC

“…we need your help to get the word out about lead hazards …”

“We’ll review the photos submitted to the groups and feature those that inspire us, or make us smile, creatively show the category, or just grab our attention.”

People and the environment

2009 Earth Day Photo Project – hosted on Flickr.com, photos featured daily on epa.gov/earthday

The beauty of nature

Wildlife

How? (cont’d)• Be ready to fail

• Embrace criticism (it’s almost all useful)

• Accept that odd things will happen

• Know the policy and governance framework

• Acknowledge that fear, confusion, wonder, excitement are all normal

Who (other gov’t)?

• TSA’s blog produced operational change

• CDC responded to the peanut salmonella outbreak

• Internal: NASA Spacebook, Intellipedia

• Many more linked from usa.gov