The federal CIO Council has published guidance for the secure use of “social media” — and they are branding it version 1.0.

The formal title: Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media by Federal Departments and Agencies, v1.0

And abstract:

The use of social media for federal services and interactions is growing tremendously, supported by initiatives from the administration, directives from government leaders, and demands from the public. This situation presents both opportunity and risk. Guidelines and recommendations for using social media technologies in a manner that minimizes the risk are analyzed and presented in this document.

This document is intended as guidance for any federal agency that uses social media services to collaborate and communicate among employees, partners, other federal agencies, and the public.

Note: The Federal CIO Council does not endorse the use or imply preference for any vendor commercial products or services mentioned in this document.

I’m reading the full document right now. My immediate reaction is to do away with the term “social media.” And it isn’t just a semantic issue. First off, I don’t think the term “social media” is accurate. Most of them are tools more then they are “media.” And yes, there is a social aspect to these tools, but the reason they are powerful is that they are collaborative. So I prefer the term “collaborative technologies.”

Yesterday, I heard NASA Goddard Space Flight Center CIO Linda Cureton speak at an Input breakfast — and she made the same point… And so does Harvard Business School Prof. Andrew McAfee in his upcoming book Enterprise 2.0: New Collaborative Tools for Your Organization’s Toughest Challenges.

I’m reading the document now… and I’ll post my thoughts over the weekend. I hope you will share your thoughts as well.

Find a link to the document here… or read it below:

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