Social Media 101 Overview: The WHAT and the WHY (PDF – 304KB)

This document is meant to serve as an introductory guide for HHS offices/agencies interested in learning more about new and social media tools that may be applicable to your missions and work. It is divided into five sections:

1. The Rise of Social Media: What is it? Who’s using it?
2. Benefits of Using Social Media in Our Work: Why should your office/agency use it?
3. Challenges and Risks: What are they and how can we address them?
4. Suggestions for Getting Started: Where to begin?
5. The Social Media Toolbox: Definitions and examples Twitter, mash-ups, etc.

Over the past few years, there has been a significant rise in the number of people accessing and sharing information online and via mobile technologies. See Figure 1: The Conversation: The Art of Listening, Learning, and Sharingⁱⁱ below:

With the rise of new tools and technologies, such as Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube, individuals and organizations have begun changing the way they obtain and share information.ⁱⁱⁱ So what’s the uptake and level of use for these tools?

There were nearly 116 million US user-generated content consumers in 2008, along with 82.5 million content creators. Both numbers are set to climb significantly by 2013. (eMarketer, February 2009)

Consider that the high number of users in the top three social media sites in 2008: Blogger (222 million unique worldwide visitors), Facebook (200 million unique worldwide visitors), and MySpace (126 million unique worldwide visitors).^iv In addition:

• One in five Americans have ever listened to an audio Podcast.^v
• One in three Americans have a profile on a Social Networking Site. More than 4 in 10 with a Social Network profile visit those sites every day or more.^vi
• As of February 2009, Twitter had 7 million unique visitors.^vii
• As of March 2009, YouTube had 89 million unique viewers in the U.S.^viii

In terms of rapid growth, Figure 2: Velocity of Attention Jan-Mar 2009^ix below shows the relative change in daily attention a website receives, with Twitter exponentially outgrowing Facebook and MySpace:

However, it is important to remember the relative size of MySpace and Facebook to Twitter, as Figure 3: Unique Visitors Feb 2008 – Feb 2009^x shows (that’s unique visitors in millions):

In terms of age groups, Figure 4: Percentage of Social Network Users Across All Ages^xi below shows that as of June 2008, different social networks have a greater appeal for different age groups:

Using social media tools can help us in our work by enhancing the government’s ability to:

1. Ensure transparency and expand our reach by sharing information with stakeholders and being responsive to their reactions via interactive channels.
2. Increase public engagement and participation by obtaining input from citizens and others outside the government.
3. Increase our effectiveness by collaboratively sharing information within and across departments and agencies.

Despite the headway being made by some departments, agencies, and offices across the government (see Section 5 for examples), there are still many questions to answer in moving forward with a broader more consistent implementation. The main issues we are beginning to tackle include:

• Developing guidance and standards for social media both for offices/agencies to use and for HHS staff to follow as individuals
• Developing training opportunities to help integrate these new technologies
• Addressing restricted access on government servers while meeting IT security standards
• Meeting privacy requirements, including the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, permanent cookies restrictions, Privacy Impact Assessment, and data collection requirements
• Developing records management guidance and standards for new content on social media sites
• Meeting Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act to ensure accessibility to people with disabilities
• Meeting the Federal Advisory Committee Act

Regardless of the current challenges we all face in this ever-changing landscape, there are still ways to get started:

1. ON YOUR OWN: Begin using social media tools yourself. It’s important to understand the benefits of these tools first-hand in order to develop successful strategies for them in your work. A few examples of the many social media sites and tools that may be interesting to begin “playing” with include:
   • Free texting service: ChaCha is a free mobile answers service that allows users to send in a question via text (e.g., “next movie time at Z cinema in DC”) and receive a response via a text message within a few minutes (from a ChaCha guide – a real person!). Try it: Text your question(s) to 242-242.
   • Interest-based social network site: Good Reads is a free social networking site where you can catalog and review the books you’ve read and connect with others (either invite your friends to join or “friend” people with similar interests).
   • Interest-based social network site: Knitting Network is a free social networking site where you can connect with others interested in knitting and share information, experiences, photos, etc.
   • Content-aggregator: Pandora is a commercial-free internet radio service that works via automated music recommendations. Just type in an artist or song you like, and the site will play songs that are musically similar. You can approve or disapprove of songs as they play and the site will take that into account for future selections.
2. FOR YOUR OFFICE/AGENCY: Listen to what people are saying about your issue(s) and about you in the social media space. This will help you identify where your stakeholders (and potential stakeholders) are congregating online, what they know and are interested in, and what gaps you can help fill. It will also acclimate you to the “netiquette” in different web-based spaces.

   Start with blogs:

   • Start by browsing current government blogs. You may find opportunities to partner on a message or campaign already happening. At the very least you’ll get a better sense of how our fellow government colleagues are using blogs.
   • Use a search engine to search for blogs mentioning your office, health issue, and/or target populations. We suggest Google blog search and Technorati.

   Listen on other platforms too:

   • You don’t need to create an account to search on many of the social media sites out there. Some examples include: Twitter: Go to www.twitter.com and click on “Search” link at the bottom of the page to look up tweets on the topic of your choice. (this one has the hardest-to-find “search” link), Flickr, Delicious (check how many people have tagged your website), and YouTube.
   • Lastly, the list of social media definitions below includes some examples of how government is using these tools to interface and collaborate with the public and other stakeholders. Be sure them out and then look for examples more closely related to your specific type of work.

Table 1 below categorizes the most common social media tools and what they are and aren’t generally appropriate for (with the understanding that mission/target audiences take precedence over this):

The following is not an exhaustive list, but should help you get started:

Aggregators: Aggregator sites are similar to social bookmarking sites except that their primary use is to share interesting links with other users (as opposed to cataloguing or sharing with a distinct group of stakeholders) in order to increase the reach of a particular article, blog post, or piece of news. Participants on the site can typically vote for or against the proposed link, making some links more popular than others. Many blogs include a link at the bottom of each post for users to submit the post to aggregator sites. Examples of aggregator sites include: Digg and Reddit.

• Example: Smithsonian 2.0 Blog
• Example: AIDS.gov Blog (see “Share” at the bottom of each post)

Badges and Buttons: Similar to a widget (and sometimes called one), badges and buttons are graphics that can be embedded into a web page and serve to link to online content elsewhere. They typically serve as content syndication tools, to lead someone to content on another site.

• Example: CDC H1N1 Buttons

Blogs: Blogs are websites with regular updates (in reverse chronological order – newest update at the top) and typically combine text, images (graphics or video), and links to other webpages. Blogs are usually informal—taking on the tone of a diary or journal entry. Some blogs are very personal, while others provide mainstream news updates. Most blogs encourage dialogue by allowing their readers to leave comments. Examples of available tools include: Blogger, Wordpress, Typepad

• Webcontent.gov provides advice on blogs

Mash-ups: A mash-up is a website “that combines data from more than one source into a single integrated tool”. Data sources often include maps (such as Google Maps ) and databases (such as business locations). Mash-ups depend on organizations sharing data. They also depend on software developers to create programs that can work together.

• Example: Johnson County, Kansas’ Crime Map Mash-up
• Example: TweetCongress

Photo Sharing: Photo sharing sites allow you to literally “share photos” online with your friends, family, and colleagues. One of the most common online photo sharing sites is Flickr . Other popular photo sharing sites include SmugMug , BubbleShare , Picasa , and Photobucket . These sites share much in common with online social networking sites, such as Facebook and MySpace—users can connect with each other, send messages, leave comments, and share photos.

• Example: Library of Congress Flickr Project
• Example: AIDS.gov World AIDS Day 2008 Flickr Group

Podcasts (audio sharing): Podcasts (a blend of the terms “iPod” and “broadcast”) are audio or video files that you can listen to or watch on your computer or on a variety of portable media devices (like an iPod, Zune, and certain cell phones). They are usually short, often free, and you can subscribe to receive new podcasts automatically via your computer or other media device.

• List of government podcasts
• CDC advice on podcasts

Social Book-marking Sites: A method for Internet users to store, organize, search, and manage bookmarks of web pages on the Internet. In a social bookmarking system, users save links to web pages that they want to remember and/or share. These bookmarks are usually public, and can be saved privately, shared only with specified people or groups, shared only inside certain networks, or another combination of public and private domains. Examples of sites include: Delicious, Fark

• Example: Holdrege Area Public Library, NE

Social Networking Sites (SNS): Social network sites are online communities that give you opportunities to connect with, or provide resources to, clients, colleagues, family, and friends who share common interests. In each social network, you create a profile that describes you or your organization, and then invite people to join you as “friends.” There are many different types of social network sites, many of which are free, and they range from general to those tailored for a specific demographic or interest area. Examples include Facebook, MySpace, Linkedin, Friendster, BlackPlanet.com, Eons, PatientsLikeMe (health-focused), DailyStrength (health-focused), Disaboom (disability-focused), RareShare (for people with rare diseases)

• Example: AIDS.gov on DailyStrength
• WebContent.gov provides advice on SNS

Texting and Mobile Applications: Text messaging is a way of sending information to and from cell phones and certain personal digital assistants (PDAs).

• Example: AIDs.gov’s KNOWIT Texting Campaign
• Example: Fairfax County, VA Mobile Initiative

Twitter (micro-blogging): You can think of Twitter as a “micro-blog.” You use your computer or mobile phone to broadcast short messages, or “tweets,” that are limited to 140 characters. People can sign up on Twitter to follow your tweets. You can choose to follow people and will receive their tweets, too. Twitter is a “service for friends, family, and coworkers to communicate and stay connected through the exchange of quick, frequent answers to one simple question: What are you doing?”

• List of government Twitter accounts (from late 2008, not fully current)

Video Sharing: Also called a video hosting service allows individuals to upload video clips to an Internet website. The video host will then store the video on its server, and show the individual different types of code to allow others to view this video. Examples include YouTube, Blip.tv, and Vimeo.

• Example: HHS YouTube Channel
• Example: CDCstreamingHealth YouTube Channel
• Example: Virginia  Government YouTube Channel
• Example: EPA YouTube Channel

Virtual Worlds: A virtual world is a computer-based, simulated reality or fantasy environment where people can socialize, connect, and create in an infinite number of ways. Participants can develop digital representations of themselves, known as avatars. In a virtual world, you can be whomever (or whatever) you want to be.

• Example: CDC in Whyville and Second Life

Widgets: Supposedly short for ‘window gadget,’ a widget is a graphic control on a Web page that allows the user to interact with it somehow. Widgets can also be easily posted on multiple Web sites, have the added benefit of hosting “live” content, and often take the form of on-screen tools (clocks, event countdowns, auction-tickers, stock market tickers, flight arrival information, daily weather etc).

• Example: CDC widget for H1N1 Flu

Wikis: The term “wiki” comes from the Hawaiian word for “fast.” Wiki technology creates a webpage that anyone with access to it can modify—quickly and easily. A wiki is essentially a webpage with an edit button.

• WebContent.gov provides advice on wikis



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ⁱ http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2008/09/25/the-definition-of-social-media/ The Definition of Social Media, September 2008 (blog post). Accessed on April 30, 2009.
ⁱⁱ By Brian Solis and JESS3
ⁱⁱⁱ http://m2bp.pbworks.com/ Media 2.0 Best Practices Project (wiki), March 2009. Accessed on April 30, 2009.
^ivhttp://www.techcrunch.com/2008/12/31/top-social-media-sites-of-2008-facebook-still-rising/#comment-2581823 Top Social Media Sites of 2008, December 31, 2008. Accessed on May 5, 2009.
^vhttp://www.edisonresearch.com/Infinite%20Dial%202009%20Presentation.pdf Edison Research, April 2009 report on “The Infinite Dial 2009.” Accessed on May 5, 2009.
^vi http://www.edisonresearch.com/Infinite%20Dial%202009%20Presentation.pdf Edison Research, April 2009 report on “The Infinite Dial 2009.” Accessed on May 5, 2009.
^vii http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/twitters-tweet-smell-of-success Twitter’s Tweet Smell of Success, March 2009. Accessed on May 5, 2009.
^viii http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/online_mobile/march-video-streaming-soars-nearly-40-compared-to-last-year/ March Video Streaming Soars 40% Compared to Last Year, April 2009. Accessed on May 5, 2009.
^ix http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/new-twitter-growth-charts/ Blog Post Published March 9, 2009. Accessed on May 12, 2009.
^x http://www.digitalbuzzblog.com/new-twitter-growth-charts/ Blog Post Published March 9, 2009. Accessed on May 12, 2009.
^xi http://www.rapleaf.com/company_press_2008_06_18.html  Published June 2008. Accessed on May 12, 2009.
^xii http://www.usa.gov/webcontent/reqs_bestpractices/laws_regs/priorities_reqs/process.shtml OMB Policies Suggested Process for Developing Priorities and a Web Publication Schedule. Accessed May 4, 2009.
^xiii http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/030909-feds-twitter.html?page=1 NetworkWorld article from April 9, 2009. Accessed on April 28, 2009.
^xiv p 65 of Government and Social Media Presentation by Bev Godwin, USA.gov on March 2008. http://www.usa.gov/webcontent/documents/Government_and_Social_Media.pdf
^xv http://geneticalliance.org/ksc_assets/training/sfs28apr09_media_tools.pdf Weinrech Communications PowerPoint from April 2009 webinar. Accessed on April 30, 2009.
^xvi http://blog.aids.gov/new-media-toolkit.html AIDS.gov New Media Toolkit. Accessed on April 28, 2009.

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