Social Media Guidance now in DYPS

We are pleased to announce we have added social media account guidance to our web publication, Documenting Your Public Service (DYPS). This guidance builds on NARA Bulletin 2014-02: Guidance on Managing Social Media Records and our Social Media Capture White Paper. It specifically addresses the administration of social media accounts during a time of transition. The guidance states the following:

• Social media accounts created or used for official agency business must stay under the control of the agency. This could also include accounts that might be personally managed by an individual, but are obviously used for agency business and therefore must be captured and managed. If any employee does use a personal account, the account may become the property of the agency.

• It is best practice to create unique agency-administered accounts when an employee uses a social media platform on behalf of the agency. This allows for a clear delineation of when an employee is acting in an official or personal capacity.

• Departing employees should create new social media accounts after leaving an agency. If they wish to continue using a social media platform in their personal capacity, departing employees should send a sign off message from the existing agency account and provide followers with their new account username. In this way, their followers would not roll over to their new account. This process will allow the public to continue following the preferred social media account.

Additionally, agencies should remind employees using social media accounts they must copy or forward Federal records created or received in personal electronic messaging accounts to official agency accounts in accordance with 44 USC 2911 requirements.

If you have any questions please contact us by email at PRMD@nara.gov.