I recently read testimony from the Government Accountability Office released 7/22. In it, Gregory C. Wilshusen, Director Information Security Issues outlines challenges and opportunities that the federal government faces with web 2.0. I discovered this testimony through Alex Howard and found it relevant not only to those working with the government, but also to experts working in highly regulated industries.

Since these documents are a matter of public record, I’m going to quote a few passages directly I found interesting:

“As of July 2010, we identified that 22 of 24 major federal agencies had a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

·       The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) uses
Facebook to inform the public about the developmental and humanitarian assistance that it is providing to different countries in the world. It also posts links to other USAID resources, including
blogs, videos, and relevant news articles.

·     The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
uses Twitter to notify the public about the status of its missions as
well as to respond to questions regarding space exploration. For
example, NASA recently posted entries about its Mars Phoenix
Lander mission on Twitter, which included answers to questions by
individuals who followed its updates on the site.

·      The State Department uses YouTube and other video technology
in supporting its public diplomacy efforts. The department posts
YouTube videos of remarks by Secretary Clinton, daily press
briefings, interviews of U.S. diplomats, and testimonies by
ambassadors. It also conducted a global video contest that
encouraged public participation. The department then posted the
videos submitted to it on its America.gov Web site to prompt further
online discussion and participation.

·      The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) developed a
blog to facilitate an ongoing dialogue on security enhancements to
the passenger screening process. The blog provides a forum for TSA
to provide explanations about issues that can arise during the
passenger screening process and describe the rationale for the
agency’s policies and practices. TSA also uses Twitter to alert
subscribers to new blog posts. A program analyst in TSA’s Office of
Strategic Communications and Public Affairs stated that blogging
encourages conversation, and provides direct and timely clarification regarding issues of public concern.”

While this research addresses opportunities and examples for “web 2.o technologies,” it also highlights its challenges, especially as it pertains the privacy. I believe that the challenges associated with managing sensitive information, records and personal information will drive innovation for new tools, which will introduce new applications for social media. Often in debates about social media, we arrive at the concept of “who owns the message.” It’s a conversation about brand and brand management. I am excited that similar conversations are occurring with the federal government debating how to participate in an environment in which the message is not easy to control.