Social Media and Communities @ EPA

Jessica OrquinaActing Associate Director

Office of Web CommunicationsApril 2015

Background & Policy

• It is EPA’s policy to use social media where appropriate in order to meet our mission of protecting human health and the environment.– EPA is using social media tools to create a more

effective and transparent government, to engage the public and EPA’s partners, and to facilitate internal collaboration.

– Social media provides another set of tools to help EPA accomplish its mission.

Considerations

• Social media is not always the answer.

• Social media needs to be part of a complete communications and marketing plan.

• Some things to remember– Social media is free like a puppy is free.

– Social media is a set of communications tools. Don’t throw out the old just because you get something new.

– Social media is becoming the place people go for news, information, and to talk about what’s important to them.

• Terms of Service

• Resources

Social Media Tools• Blogs• Microblogs• Social networks• Widgets• Wikis• Video/photo sharing

platforms• Podcasts• Mashups• Idea generation• Webinars• Challenges• Geotagging Tools• Software Development

Repository

EPA’s Social Media

• EPA is using social media to communicate with a wide variety of different audiences.

• Facebook: multiple accts– www.facebook.com/EPA– Region, geographical, and program

pages

• Twitter: multiple accts– @EPA– Region, geographical, and program

accounts

• Blogs & Discussion Forums: EPA Blogs– It’s Our Environment– Region, geographical, and program

blogs

• YouTube: one account– www.youtube.com/usepagov

• Instagram: one account– http://instagram.com/epagov

• Flickr: one account– www.flickr.com/photos/usepagov

• Challenge.gov: one account– http://challenge.gov/epa

• Foursquare: one account– https://foursquare.com/epagov

• Google+: one account– www.google.com/+EPAgov

• More social media at EPA

Where do we engage?

• Questions:

– What are your goals?

– Where is your audience?

– What type of information do you want to share?

– How much time / resources do you have to commit to this communication effort?

– How sensitive is the topic?

Maximizing Impact / Campaign Coordination

• Foundation: Good content on the web.– Plain language information– Maps– Photos and graphics

• Momentum: Sharing– Web content– Between social media sites (example: share blog posts on

Facebook and Twitter)

• Engage: Listen and respond– Join in the conversation on blogs and social media!– Answer questions when possible– Listen to feedback

Social Media + Superfund

• Social media is a great tool to connect with a community when travel is difficult.

• Social media does not replace public meetings.

• Social media is a good way to promote public meetings and encourage people to attend!

• Social media is a great way to provide regular updates on conditions or share data, like daily air quality.

Resources

• EPA Web Guide Social Media

– http://www2.epa.gov/webguide/create-and-maintain-content#social

• Using the EPA Comment Policy

– http://www2.epa.gov/home/epa-comment-policy

• Terms of Service Agreements

– http://www2.epa.gov/webguide/terms-service-agreements

Question & Answer

Contact Information

• Jessica Orquina

• Office: 202-564-0446

• Mobile: 202-322-8369