From the File Room to Facebook:
Best Practices and Standards for
Managing Social Media Records
Chad Doran, CRM
Chief Records Management Officer
Arlington County Government
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Learning Objectives
– Upon completion of this session, participants
will be able to:
 Understand recent uses of social media in
business, government, and society.
 Identify published standards, reports, and
guidance for managing Web 2.0 content as
records.
 Implement practical strategies for managing
social media records within organizations.
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Top Social Media Moments of 2012
CDC's “zombie post” on the Public Health
Matters Blog
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Top Social Media Moments of 2012
Pope Benedict’s first Tweet on Twitter
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Top Social Media Moments of 2012
NASA's Mars Curiosity uses FourSquare Tips
– first “check-in” on Mars
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Top Social Media Moments of 2012
President Obama answers citizen questions
using Google+ Hangout
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Top Social Media Moments of 2012
Interaction between Oreo and AMC
Theatres on Twitter
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Social Media Tools are Creating
Federal Records!
NASA used Twitter to broadcast that that the
spacecraft Mars Phoenix had discovered water on
Mars.
TSA’s Evolution of Security blog was used to
provide travelers with useful tips and clarification
regarding controversial incidents involving airport
security
The Library of Congress uses Flickr as a
repository for over 3,000 public-domain,
copyright-free photos so that all citizens may
access and catalogue the content
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Standards

Implications of web-based collaborative
technologies in records management (ARMA
International, 2011)
– ARMA/ANSI International Standard
– Applicable to various organizational
environments (public and private)
– Provides requirements and best practice
recommendations related to policies,
procedures, and processes for an
organization’s use of Web 2.0/social media
tools
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Studies

How federal agencies can
effectively manage records created
using new social media tools
(Franks, 2011)
– Identifies challenges, presents a
framework, and provides
recommendations for managing
social media records in federal
agencies

Best practices study of social
media records policies (ACT-IAC,
2011)
– Explores and captures government
best practices of retention policies
for social media used to support
agency missions
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Studies

New technologies, new challenges for
archival science: An annotated
bibliography on social media and records
(Shaffer, 2012)
– Identifies various resources containing
information on social media and RM

Governing the social network: How U.S.
federal department and agency records
management policies are addressing
social media content (Doran, 2011)
– Provides analysis of RM policies and
framework for addressing social media in
RM policies
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Reports

A report on federal Web 2.0 use and
record value (NARA, 2010)
– Identifies characteristics of the
information that is found in web 2.0
formats and how those characteristics
affect the value of the information

Social media: Federal agencies need
policies and procedures for managing
and protecting information they access
and disseminate (GAO, 2011)
– Identifies extent to which agencies have
developed and implemented policies and
procedures for managing and protecting
information associated with the use of
social media
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Reports

Gov 2.0 Taskforce: Project 9 report
on preservation of Web 2.0 content
(Australian Government Information
Management Office, 2007)
– Australian Government Report
– Provides a framework for appraisal of
Web 2.0 content, identifies emerging
technologies for capture and
preservation and makes
recommendations on how to facilitate
better use of Web 2.0 content.
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Guidance

Regulatory notice 10-06: Guidance on
social networking web sites (FINRA,
2010)
– Provides guidance to organizations in
the financial sector on social media
use and discusses recordkeeping
implications

Guidelines for secure use of social
media by federal departments and
agencies (CIO Council, 2009)
– Provides guidance to U.S. federal
departments and agencies on a
number of technical issues related to
social media (including implications
for records management)
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Guidance

NARA bulletin 2011-02: Guidance on
managing records in Web 2.0/Social
media platforms (NARA, 2011)
– Provides guidance to U.S. federal
departments and agencies under the
Federal Records Act

Social media, web-based interactive
technologies and Paperwork
Reduction Act (OMB, 2010)
– Provides guidance to U.S. federal
departments and agencies under the
Paperwork Reduction Act
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Guidance

Department of Energy
“Managing Social Media
Records” Guidance
Flowchart (DOE, 2010)
– Provides guidance to
DOE staff members and
contractors using
graphical flowchart
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Guidance
 Library of Virginia Records
Management “Tips” on
Social Media (LVA, 2013)
– Responsibilities for managing
social media records under the
VA Public Records Act
– Identifies tools that can be used
to capture social media records
 Records advisory:
Preliminary guidance on
social media (New York
State Archives, 2010)
– Guidelines intended to help local
governments and state agencies
mitigate risks associated with the
use of social media
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Practical Strategies
 Review standards, studies, reports and guidance that
apply to your specific organizational environment
(government sector, private sector, etc.)
 Review your organizational polices (RM and social media
policy)
 Ensure that organizational policies align with the
recommendations in published standards, studies, reports
and guidance
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Practical Strategies
 Review and identify your organizational use (or planned
use) of social media technologies (internal or external)
 Ensure that your use and management of social media
technologies aligns with recommendations in published
standards, studies, reports and guidance
 Continue to monitor changes to standards, studies,
reports and guidance on an ongoing basis
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Conclusion
 There are a number of resources that provide best
practice guidance for the management of social media
records
 Apply recommendations in these resources to your
organizational policies and use social media technologies
 Continue to monitor for changes to these resources or
newly published resources
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Questions?
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