There is a nice tidy GAO report Challenges In Federal Agencies' Use of Web 1.0 Technologies
It highlights many of the issues that have popped up as governments start to use Web 2.0 technologies to advance their department's missions and improve their interactions with the public and information sharing in general. The above report is applicable to governments at any level.
GAO was asked to identify and describe current uses of Web 2.0 technologies by federal agencies and key challenges associated with their use. There were two major items highlighted:
Here are some facts from the report that bolster my assertion that social media is not the wave of the future, but a tsunami:
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It highlights many of the issues that have popped up as governments start to use Web 2.0 technologies to advance their department's missions and improve their interactions with the public and information sharing in general. The above report is applicable to governments at any level.
GAO was asked to identify and describe current uses of Web 2.0 technologies by federal agencies and key challenges associated with their use. There were two major items highlighted:
- Privacy and security: Our current laws date from 1974 (36 years ago) and we have had a revolution in how we communicate and the amount of information there is to "protect." The collection and sharing of individual information is one of the tough issues addressed in the report. Guidance is needed for employees on how to safely and appropriately use social media technologies.
- Records management and freedom of information: What do you record, how often do you record it, and how long do you keep this type of information? Those are only a few of the questions being asked--for which there are no definitive answers at present. The Freedom of Information Act and how to appropriately respond to requests that include social media is another aspect addressed in the report.
Here are some facts from the report that bolster my assertion that social media is not the wave of the future, but a tsunami:
- Video and social networking sites have moved to the forefront, becoming the two fastest growing types of web sites in 2009, with 87% more users than in 2003.
- Use of social networking services reportedly exceeded Web-base em-mail usage for the first time in February 2009.
- The number of American users frequenting online video sites has more than tripled since 2009
- Twitter has been the fastest growing site with a 500% increase in visitors from December 2008 to 2009.
