Government News reports that on December 23, 2009 North Carolina became the first state government to issue a social media policy. The guidelines and video tutorial are designed to encourage state agencies to become more active on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter while maintaining compliance with public records laws.
“Social networking is not the next big thing. It’s here now, and state government must stay current if we are to be fully transparent and accountable to the public,” said Governor Bev Perdue. “I encourage all state agencies to take advantage of social media to increase communication and interaction with the citizens of North Carolina.”
According to the report, the guidelines focus on three key areas:
- appropriate implementation, authorization and acceptable use of social media;
- security measures to protect individuals, sensitive information and state systems; and
- proper records management and preservation.