The Department Veterans Affairs has released a policy covering the use of social media and other online collaboration tools.
The policy encourages the adoption and use of social media by VA employees, providing workplace boundaries and establishing a departmental philosophy for communication. That is, “VA is open and transparent, and VA is willing and able to engage and collaborate with its many stakeholders online,” according to the department.
The policy states, for example, that an office must make a business case to start a social media account and ensure resources are available to maintain it, as well as maintain the office’s or program’s existing website while meeting VA quality standards. In other words a Facebook page should not merely be used to replace a website.
According to the department’s online communications director, Brandon Friedman, the policy is intended to get “the right information to the right veteran at the right time,” and it “sets us on a path toward changing how we talk – and listen – to vets.”
The VA said it has over 100 Facebook pages and 50 Twitter feeds, as well as two blogs and a Youtube channel with hundreds of thousands of subscribers combined.
