Congress + social Media

Transcription

1 Congress + Social Media

2 Congress + Social Media October 22, 2012 Sherri R. Greenberg Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs The University of Texas at Austin

3 2012 by The University of Texas at Austin. All rights reserved.

4 Research Team Project Director: Sherri R. Greenberg Students: Bryce Bencivengo Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Matthew T. Cornelius Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Daniel Dillon Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Noelle Gaughen Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Rhiannon Goad Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Center for Women s and Gender Studies, 2013 Elizabeth Joseph Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Racheal Kane Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Tara Kavaler Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Alyssa Legler Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Jessica Conway Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Charles Maddox Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Linnea Nasman Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Andrew Phifer Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Reid Porter Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Brooke Russell Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 Phil Ulloa Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2012 Courtney Weaver Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs, 2013 School of Social Work, 2013

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6 Table of Contents Executive Summary vii Introduction 1 Overview 1 Platforms 1 Current Research 3 Methodology 5 Background 5 Post Dataset Collection 5 Coding for Post Dataset 6 Member Dataset Collection 8 Data Analysis 9 Congressional Use of Social Media 9 The Geography of Congressional Usage 10 Usage Variation Across Congress 11 Profile Data 15 Correlations 16 Discussion of Results 17 Context: Limitations of Current Policy and Considerations for the Future 19 Rapid Changes in Current and Future Technology 19 Legislating Use, Not Intent 19 Privacy and Security 19 Accuracy 19 Public Participation Does Social Media Count? 19 Expectations for Communication and Response Time 20 To Regulate or Not To Regulate 20 Application of the Franking Privilege 20 Policy Options 21 Training and Education 21 Best Practices 22 Regulation and Legislation 24 Future Research 29 Conclusion 31 Bibliography 33 Appendix A: Glossary of Terms 35 Appendix B: Sources for Existing Social Media Policies 37

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8 Executive Summary As social media popularity has increased in the United States, so has the use of social media by Members of Congress. Communication technology developments of the 20th century, such as , changed the way Members interact with their constituents, the media, and other interested parties. Common social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are now routine communication tools for Members and their staffs, and the rapid pace of development in social media will continue to shape interactions between Members of Congress and the public. This report explores the official use of social media by current Members of Congress, including the history of adoption, analysis of current social media behavior, best practices, and policy options for future use. To understand how and why Members use social media, researchers collected data from official congressional social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The research team collected approximately 47,000 messages posted by Members on Facebook and Twitter from 59 consecutive days between August and October Researchers coded, individual messages as one or more of eight categories: Campaign, Official Congressional Action, Position-Taking, Policy Statement, District or State, Media or Public Relations, Personal, and Other. We collected profile information from Facebook and YouTube during a single week in February The data that we collected reveals that a large majority of Members have adopted social media as part of their communication strategy, and that Members are devoting time and resources to their digital presence. Currently, 72 percent of Members have accounts on all three platforms, while only 2 percent have no current social media presence. Senators are more frequent users than Representatives, and Republicans are more frequent users than Democrats. Both Democrats and Republicans primarily posted Position-Taking messages. Additionally, Democrats posted more messages than Republicans on District and State Affairs. Republican messages focused more on Official Congressional Action, Media, and Policy Statements than Democrats messages. Some of these differences between parties and chambers may be attributable to differences in leadership, organization, and status as minority or majority party. An analysis of social media use by several Congresses over time would enhance the understanding of these differences. While social media allows Members to interact with followers, current usage is largely one-sided. Feedback mechanisms integrated into social media platforms including view counters and comments show no correlation with a Member s social media output. External factors such as committee appointments, prominence in the media, and leadership positions may be a better determinant of social media popularity than any controllable patterns of use. Current congressional policies for social media stem from the tradition of franking regulations, and rapid adoption of new social media technologies has outpaced official recognition and regulation. Franking regulations, originally designed for stamped mail, have proven to be difficult to apply to electronic communications. Future policies must reconcile the tension between the informal, interactive communication allowed by social media and the need to maintain official process, protect privacy and security, and adhere to ethics rules. Policies should take into account the rapid pace of change of social media, and the instantaneous communication that it offers. Policies should seek to guide the best use of social media and to prevent any abuses of privilege or taxpayer dollars.

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10 Just as social media and just-in-time applications have changed the way Americans get information about current events or health information, they are now changing how citizens interact with elected officials and government agencies. People are not only getting involved with government in new and interesting ways, they are also using these tools to share their views with others and contribute to the broader debate around government policies. Aaron Smith, Research Specialist at the Pew Research Center s Internet & American Life Project 1 Introduction Overview Since Congress began using in the 1990s, internet-based constituent communication consistently has increased. From fax, to , to interactive web pages, today, Members of Congress widely have adopted social media. In fact, 98 percent of Congress has adopted at least one social media platform as a communication and outreach tool. 2 These technologies enable Members to communicate with more constituents in direct and, often, innovative ways. Existing social media platforms continue to evolve even as developers create new platforms. The constantly changing technology poses questions regarding the appropriate use of social media by Members of Congress. The focus of this project is to provide an overview and analysis of the use of social media by Members of Congress based on data collected by the project team from social media s most popular platforms: Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. To understand how, why, and for what purposes Members of Congress use social media, researchers compiled two datasets. One dataset contains messages posted by Members on both Facebook and Twitter and documents the frequency with which Members post to their accounts, as well as the types of messages they send. A second dataset analyzes trends apparent on Members Facebook and YouTube profile pages, specifically examining how Members present themselves on these platforms. This report examines Congress Members use of social media, provides an analysis of the potential policy implications, and outlines various policy options and social media best practices. 1. Government Online. Pew Research Center, Internet and American Life Project. org/reports/2010/government-online.aspx (accessed April 17, 2012). 2. Use of Social Media by Members of Congress. LBJ School of Public Affairs. August 25, 2011 to October 25, Platforms The social media platforms that we analyzed in this project share several characteristics. All are free, accessible with mobile devices, often integrated with one another, and popular worldwide; but the usage, ownership, and rules of each platform differ. Facebook Launched in February 2004, Facebook is now the world s largest social networking service and website. 3 As of February 2012, Facebook had more than 845 million active users. 4 Facebook provides two categories of membership for users: profiles 5 and pages 6. Profiles are personalized websites within Facebook belonging to individual Facebook users. 7 The profile pages of Members of Congress, however, are simply referred to as pages rather than profiles. 8 Members of Congress create pages under Facebook s Government Official category, which is reserved for elected officials to use for their official government duties Emil Protalinski. Facebook has over 845 million users. Technology News, Analysis, Comments and Product Reviews for IT Professionals. zdnet.com/blog/facebook/facebook-has-over-845- million-users/8332 (accessed March 21, 2012). 4. Ibid. 5. Facebook Glossary. Facebook. com/help/glossary. (accessed April 29, 2012). 6. Pages Overview. Facebook. ads.ak.facebook.com/ads/ FacebookAds/Pages_Overview.pdf (accessed March 21, 2012). 7. Ibid. 8. Facebook Pages: Mission control for your business on Facebook, Facebook. ads/facebookads/pages_product_guide_ pdf (accessed March 21, 2012). 9. Ibid.

11 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA A Facebook user becomes a fan of a page by clicking like on the Facebook page of interest. 10 Then, the activity of the liked page appears on the user s newsfeed. 11 A newsfeed contains activities by a user s friends, along with content generated by the pages of which the user is a fan. 12 Members of Congress communicate with users on Facebook primarily through the newsfeed, posting updates that are then read by those who opt-in for updates. 13 Thus, each Facebook user s newsfeed is personalized. 14 Newsfeed content can include links to news stories, personal updates, videos, comments, and photographs. In addition to adding content to a user s newsfeed, Members of Congress may send private messages to their fans. 15 Twitter Created in 2006, Twitter is a social networking, microblogging service based in San Francisco, with additional servers and offices in New York City. 16 Twitter users communicate via tweets and private direct messages. 17 Communication on Twitter is purposely short limited to 140 characters per tweet allowing users to highlight specific information. 18 Similar to the Facebook newsfeed, each Twitter account generates a personalized subscription page of tweets posted by other Twitter users that an individual elects to follow. 19 All tweets are publicly visible unless specifically restricted. 20 Unlike tweets, direct messages to other users are private and not restricted to the 140-character limit Facebook Glossary. Facebook. com/help/glossary. (accessed April 29, 2012). 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid. 13. Ibid. 14. Ibid. 15. Facebook Pages: Mission control for your business on Facebook, Facebook. ads/facebookads/pages_product_guide_ pdf (accessed March 21, 2012). 16. Chris Taylor. Social Networking Utopia isn t Coming. Featured Articles. 27/tech/limits.social.networking.taylor_1_twitterusers-facebook-friends-connections?_s=PM:TECH (accessed March 21, 2012). 17. Ibid. 18. Twitter 101: How should I get started using Twitter?. Twitter. articles/ twitter-101-how-should-i-get-started-using-twitter (accessed March 21, 2012). 19. Ibid. 20. Ibid. 21. Ibid. Twitter allows Members of Congress to open official congressional Twitter accounts. Official accounts enable Twitter to ensure its users that a given person is a verified Member of Congress. 22 Therefore, users can distinguish Members official accounts from Members private accounts or Twitter users posing as a Member of Congress. 23 Ensuring authenticity is important because, unlike Facebook, pretending to be someone else is not against Twitter s terms of service. 24 Therefore, a given Member of Congress may have a Twitter account associated with his or her name that is unofficial and/ or unauthentic. 25 YouTube Created by three former PayPal employees in 2005, YouTube is the world s most popular video-sharing website. 26 YouTube allows users to upload, view, and share videos. 27 Today, Google owns YouTube. 28 As with Twitter and Facebook, YouTube allows Members of Congress to register under an official congressional account. 29 Like Twitter users, YouTube users are not required to register under a real name. 30 Therefore, official accounts allow viewers to distinguish between official, authentic channels and unofficial, potentially inauthentic channels. 31 A Congress Member s channel serves as a hub for his or her YouTube videos FAQs about Verified Accounts. Twitter Help Center. topics/111-features/articles/ about-verifiedaccounts (accessed March 21, 2012). 23. Ibid. 24. Ibid. 25. Ibid. 26. Jim Hopkins. Surprise! There s a third YouTube cofounder USATODAY.com. News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World. (accessed March 21, 2012). 27. Ibid. 28. Associated Press. Google buys YouTube for $1.65 billion Business US business msnbc.com. U.S. Business. ns/business-us_business/t/google-buys-youtubebillion/#.t3ihp79bx7a (accessed March 21, 2012). 29. Jill Lawrence. Congress Launches Official Channels on YouTube. On Politics. communities/onpolitics/post/2009/01/ /1 (accessed March 21, 2012). 30. Terms of Service. YouTube. com/t/terms (accessed March 21, 2012). 31. Ibid. 32. Ibid. 2

12 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA With a Google account, users can choose to subscribe to a Congress Member s channel, and generate videos from that channel on the user s video feed. 33 Subscribers also may elect to receive alerts when a Member of Congress uploads a video. 34 Members of Congress can post comments on videos and channels, send direct private messages, and post text message alerts through their official accounts. Users can view a Congress Member s videos without subscribing to the Member s channel and without having a Google account. 35 Users also can view videos without going to the YouTube website, because YouTube videos frequently are posted on and viewed through other websites (e.g., the Congress Member s official website, Twitter, or Facebook.) 36 Current Research Several studies by the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the Congressional Management Foundation (CMF), and Harvard s Kennedy School of Government have sought to understand the implications for Congress and government of the growth of the internet and social media. The 2008 CMF report, Communicating with Congress: How the Internet Has Changed Citizen Engagement, found that the internet has become a primary source for constituents to learn about and communicate with Members of Congress. Surveys showed that people want to hear from Congress and, increasingly, prefer to communicate with Members online. Yet, Members of Congress also feel a sense of mistrust. The CMF study found that Members and their staff are distrustful of interest groups and internet-generated advocacy campaigns. Members and their staff have doubts about the accuracy of the information presented in online advocacy campaigns and question how well these groups actually reflect their constituents. The Communicating with Congress: How the Internet Has Changed Citizen Engagement study is part of an ongoing working paper series by CMF that seeks to help Members of Congress and constituents communicate better. The CMF researchers propose that if Members of Congress have an increased knowledge and understanding of social media and the role this kind of com- 33. YouTube Essentials. YouTube. com/t/about_essentials (accessed March 21, 2012). 34. Ibid. 35. Ibid. 36. Ibid. munication plays in political conversations, trust could be fostered among all parties. 37 In a similar vein, Harvard s Kennedy School of Government conducted a study of online town hall meetings. In 2006, such meetings were relatively new, so the researchers facilitated 20 online town hall meetings with U.S. Representatives, and one online town hall in 2008 with a U.S. Senator. They found that online town halls increased constituents approval of the Member, and also increased their approval of the Member s position on the issue being discussed. Additionally, the study found that town halls attracted diverse groups of attendees, and overall, increased those attendees engagement in politics. Furthermore, participation in the online town hall meetings increased an attendee s probability of voting for the Member. The researchers noted that the town halls were popular among constituents, and the discussions were of high quality. 38 The CMF also recently surveyed congressional staffers senior managers and others who handle their offices social media efforts. Though many staffers reported that they still rely on traditional communications (events, personal messages from constituents, and town halls), they see social media as an important tool for Members of Congress to adopt. Nearly two-thirds of managers use social media to inform constituents of their Senators and Representatives views and activities. Three-fourths of managers think that social media enables their offices to reach people they were not reaching before. Of those surveyed, younger staffs (under the age of 30) are more likely to think the benefits of social media outweigh the risks. Based on responses, researchers concluded that offices that adopted social media early on are more likely to think that social media is worth the time and effort for Members and their staffs Kathy Goldschmidt and Leslie Ochreiter, Communicating with Congress: How the Internet Has Changed Citizen Engagement Congressional Management Foundation. org/projects/communicating-with-congress/how-theinternet-has-changed-citizen-engagement. 38. David Lazer, et. al., Online Town Hall Meetings: Exploring Democracy in the 21st Century Congressional Management Foundation. congressfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_ content&task=view&id= #Social Congress: Perceptions and Use of Social Media on Capitol Hill Congressional Management Foundation. documents/cmf_pubs/cmf-social-congress.pdf. 3

13 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA In Social Networking and Constituent Communications, CRS researchers studied how Members of Congress adopted Twitter and used the platform as a tool to communicate with constituents. They noted, like others, that technology has changed constituent communications significantly since the mid-1990s, with widespread adoption of by Members of Congress. The last decade has seen exponential growth in internet and social media use. While almost no traffic between Members and constituents existed before 1995, constituent communications have proliferated to nearly 200 million s sent to House Members and almost as many messages sent out by Members offices in The CRS study collected all 7,078 Member-generated tweets during the months of August and September in Members combined issued an average of 116 tweets per day during the collection period. As of September 30, 2009, a total of 205 Representatives and Senators were registered with Twitter 38 percent of the House and 39 percent of the Senate. 40. Matthew Glassman, Jacob Straus, and Colleen Shogan, Social Networking and Constituent Communications: Member Use of Twitter During a Two-Month Period in Congress. February 3, Congressional Research Service, R

14 Methodology Background Collecting, standardizing, and coding social media information is a central part of analyzing Congress Members usage of social media. Hence, this research project developed two main datasets. The first dataset, the Post Dataset, consists of individual posts and tweets from Facebook and Twitter, respectively. We used this dataset to analyze how frequently Members posted on the two social media sites, what types of messages they shared, and any innovative uses by individual members. As shown in the table below, we coded 16,239 Facebook posts and 30,765 Twitter posts for a total number of 47,004 coded posts. Table 1 Total Number of Posts on Facebook and Twitter Facebook Twitter Total Number of Member Accounts Total Number of Posts 16,239 30,765 47,004 The second dataset (called the Member Dataset) consists of information on each Member of Congress including whether the Member uses specific social media platforms, general Member demographic data, and qualitative information on how the Member presents himself or herself to the public on social media sites. We used this dataset to identify general trends among Members of Congress and how they use social media. Researchers compiled the Member Dataset from 512 YouTube accounts and 472 Facebook accounts. Post Dataset Collection The data collection process included pulling information directly from social media sites, coding qualitative information, and gathering other pertinent variables such as demographic information. The core of the Post Dataset consists of individual entries that Members posted on either official Facebook or Twitter accounts. We chose these social media platforms based on their wide usage among Members and the public. To compile a complete list of official accounts, we used the list of current Members generated by the clerks of the House and Senate, and we gathered the individual social media URLs for these Members through official congressional websites and internet research. We made every effort only to include official accounts, and we did not include in this dataset any accounts that Members used primarily or exclusively for campaign purposes. For both Facebook and Twitter, researchers collected the entries using the respective site s API and a custom programming script. For Facebook, the API allows users to systematically collect information and posts on public Facebook accounts or pages; therefore, the dataset only includes publicly available information. Additionally, the Post Dataset includes any entry that a Member posted on his or her own account wall, but posts without text (such as sharing a link) or posts from other Facebook users on a Member s wall are not included. Researchers collected Facebook posts from 12:01 a.m. on August 25, 2011, through midnight October 25, Only accounts that were created and active prior to October 25, 2011, were included in this study. We pulled data from all existing Members Facebook accounts where possible. However, there were a total of forty-eight accounts that could not be accessed using Facebook s API. The largest problem that we encountered when pulling information from Facebook s API is that several Members (a total of 29) have a special type of account that requires a user to log into Facebook before viewing the Member s page. Consequently, these pages are not considered public information; therefore, the API would not allow us to pull these Members data. Additionally, there were eleven other accounts from which we could not collect data due to problems with Facebook s API tool. While the limits on these accounts are unfortunate, we strove to systematically collect as much information as possible. Lastly, there were nine Members with social media accounts who did not post anything during the study period; thus, their accounts do not show up in the Post Dataset. The information that we collected from Twitter s API includes any tweet coming from the Member s official account from 12:01 a.m. on August 25, 2011, and through midnight October 24, In this study, we only included accounts that were created and were active prior to October 25, Twitter designates official, verified Member of Congress accounts with a check mark logo. Researchers pulled data from all ex- 41. The Twitter data therefore has one fewer day of entries. This should not present a methodological problem to data analysis, since the additional data is systematic, and the additional data compared to the rest of the dataset is only about 0.6%.

15 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA isting Member accounts, except for 19 Twitter accounts where we encountered collection problems. Not included in the dataset were Members who did not tweet during the study period (a total of 12 accounts). The other seven accounts could not be collected because of API problems when our collection script queried Twitter s API, the API did not send back any information. In addition to collecting information on Representatives from the 50 states, we also collected data from Representatives of United States territories who had existing accounts and posted on Facebook or Twitter during the data collection period. All maps, graphs, and charts reflect this aggregate data. For data analysis purposes, the in-session versus outof-session dates for the House came from the Library of Congress. 42 Similarly, the dates for the Senate, which are unique from the House, came from the Library of Congress. 43 During the time period examined by this research project, both chambers were in and out-ofsession for numerous days. 44 Coding for Post Dataset For the Post Dataset, we coded posts and tweets for purpose, voice, and reference to other Members. To code for purpose, researchers placed each post into one or more categories since many posts often covered multiple topics. As an example, a post that said Will be later to discuss my support of #dadt repeal. Please watch was coded as both Position Taking and Media. Coding a post into multiple categories allowed us to capture all of the information in the entry and gave a stronger understanding of the Member s communication strategy. Explanations of these categories and common examples include the following 45 : 42. Days in Session Calendars 112th Congress 2nd Session, THOMAS, Library of Congress, loc.gov/home/ds/h1122.html, (accessed April 2, 2012). 43. Days in Session Calendars U.S. Senate 112th Congress 2nd Session, THOMAS, Library of Congress, (accessed April 2, 2012). 44. Days in and out-of-session during our collection period were as follows: Facebook: House (31 in-session, 31 out-of-session), Senate (32 in-session, 30 out-ofsession); Twitter: House (30 in-session, 31 out-ofsession), Senate (32 in-session, 29 out-of-session). 45. The following Facebook and Twitter postings were observed during 2011 and used to code the posts in our dataset that were compiled from August 25, 2011, to October Campaign This is an entry in which a Member of Congress includes campaign-related material. These include calls for fundraising support, or mentions of campaign-related events. Sign up to join our grassroots campaign & help send a progressive fighter to the U.S. Senate! Official Congressional Action This is an entry in which a Member of Congress mentions an official congressional action by himself or herself. Most of these relate to activities based in Washington, D.C., or official trips abroad. Official Congressional Action includes reporting on official votes, letters to the President, committee hearings, roll calls, introducing bills, etc. Also, virtual town hall meetings (such as Twitter Town Halls) are classified in this category, as well as meetings with important or high-profile people (politician or person otherwise associated with a policy issue or agenda). Just voted yes on ordering the previous question (closing debate) on H Res 269, the rule defining the process for.... I just introduced a bill to protect food assistance for families struggling during this recession. Gov. Snyder shouldn t make families choose between food or finding a job. Today we created the Senate Oceans Caucus to address the challenges and opportunities of our oceans. Position Taking This is an entry in which a Member of Congress takes a stance on a policy, issue, or debate. Taking a position can come in the form of a straightforward statement as well as partisan comments, words with strong associations, or hashtags with strong negative or positive associations. We can elim many govt regs that constrict business growth & attractiveness of the U.S. for investment in job creating enterprises #Insen. Its time to get Americans back to work. After hearing the POTUS, I look fwd to working together to get jobs to WPA. The President is right-we need a balanced plan for short-term job creation & long-term deficit reduction. #NASCAR Sprint Cup race in N. Ky all about efficiency in the pit, unlike in DC! Policy Statement This is an entry where a Member of Congress references a public policy without taking a position. 6

16 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA Public policy in this context means any topic that would be of interest to Congress. No individual entry should receive both Position Taking and Policy Statement these categories are mutually exclusive. S&P cut the long-term U.S. credit rating by one notch to AA-plus on concerns about growing budget deficits. Reports say the President is offering significant spending cuts, he should share the plan w/ the American people. Overheard re means-testing on Social Security: Do we really want Bill Gates to have Social Security? The Washington Post has a chart illustrating how President Obama proposes to pay for the American Jobs Act. District or State This is an entry in which a Member of Congress describes an event, visit, or issue particular to his or her home district or state. Yesterday I joined Ferndale residents to celebrate the opening of a 52 unit housing facility for senior and low-income residents so they can live in a comfortable and safe home with dignity. I am proud to have secured this surplus Navy Housing for Ferndal. Our Judiciary Committee hearing on federal-local law enforcement is underway here in Wilmington. PIC Rep. Conaway speaking w/ students in their American Government class at Howard Payne University. Don t forget, I m hosting a town hall mtg tomorrow night at the Milford Town Hall. Media or Public Relations This is an entry where a Member announces his or her own media appearance or provides information on a media-specific event. Entries that fall under this category include references to press conferences, editorial articles, or other media outlets. Bernie will be talking on The Ed Show in just a few minutes. About to be on Listen online: In case you missed it: Senator Ayotte discussed POTUS #speech, GOP #debate this AM. VIDEO: Personal This is an entry in which a Member of Congress mentions events, issues, or people from his or her personal life. Anything explicitly unrelated to the Member s work in Congress fits in this category, including references to family, pets, eating out, birthday wishes, holiday greetings, and so forth. Happy Birthday to #CT delegation RepJohnLarsonOther. Senator Inouye is enjoying the beef Kapolei. Teri and I will be attending the 10 AM service at Rock Church this morning. If you re there as well, please say hello! Other These are entries that do not adequately fit in the other seven categories. Welcome to So who wants to be a yes Sir! Ramadan Mubarak. Coding for Multiple Categories Some social media entries serve multiple purposes under these categories. To fully capture that information, each entry could be assigned to multiple categories. For example, a post could be categorized as both Official Congressional Action and Position-Taking if the post mentioned a vote and a position on the bill. In addition to coding for message purpose, this project examined two additional layers: Voice and Reference to Other Members. Voice indicates whether individual members refer to themselves in the First or Third-Person. Reference to Other Members indicates whether a post mentions another member in a Negative, Positive, or Neutral/No Reference manner. Below are a few examples that received multiple category codes: Last week, I spoke on the floor in support of HR 2218, #edreform bill to improve #ESEA #NCLB. WATCH This entry should be categorized as both Official Congressional Action and Position Taking because it mentions both a vote and gives a position on the bill. Tennessee Delegation Sends Letter to President Supporting Gov. Haslam s Disaster Declaration Request: Qualifies as Official Action Taking (sending letter to President), Position Taking (supporting request), and District or State (local disaster request) 7

17 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA I ll be on #msnbc 6pm to discuss #jobs, POTUS speech, and need to invest in infrastructure. Hope u can tune in! Fits under Position Taking (partisan reference #he is making it worse) and Media (reference to link on CBS News) Continue to push Obama Administration on Arctic energy projects. Good talk today with EPA R-10 on OCS and NPR-A. Qualifies as Media (NPR-A), Position Taking (push administration), and District or State (Artic energy projects). Member Dataset Collection In addition to utilizing Facebook s Graph API to collect entry information, the team analyzed and recorded individual social media account information from each Member of Congress. This dataset identifies any official account that a Member has on Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube and whether that account information is included in the Post Dataset. Members of our team analyzed this information to capture how the Member was choosing to craft his or her own image using social media and to identify any innovative uses of social media platforms. For consistency, researchers pulled the information during a one-week period from January 18, 2012, to January 24, For the Facebook profile information, the categories that we used included: Member Name, Landing Page, Number of Friends or Number of Page Likes, Characteristics of Member s Profile Picture, Number of Photos, Categories Under Information Section, and any Other unique features. Landing page is defined as the page content that appears when first visiting the Member s page (i.e., Wall, Welcome Page, Info, etc.). Characteristics of a Member s Profile Picture include designations based on the following categories: Member is only person in picture; Multiple people in profile picture; Action shot; Professional portrait; Military (member with military personnel); Flag; President (posing with current or former presidents); Politician (posing with other politicians); Constituent (posing with members of the public); Casual clothing; Business clothing; No profile picture loaded. There was also a section where we noted any innovative uses of a Member s Facebook page. For the YouTube account collection, the categories that we used included: Member name; Number of total videos; Number of channel views; Total upload views; Number of subscribers; Number of channel comments; Date joined; Date of last activity; Number of Favorited videos. There was also a section where we noted any innovative uses of a Member s YouTube channel. 8

18 Data Analysis Congressional Use of Social Media Almost all of the 541 Members of Congress 46 have a social media presence. As of January 24th, 2012, the number of official congressional accounts totaled 512 on YouTube, 472 on Facebook, and 426 on Twitter. Seventy-two percent of members were on all three platforms, and 2 percent (11 members) were on none of the platforms. As a group, Members interacted with the platforms to varying degrees. During our two-month observation, from August 25, 2011, to October , Members of Congress tweeted over 30,000 times and logged over 16,000 Facebook posts. While we did not monitor the number of YouTube videos uploaded during the study, Members had about 55,000 total videos dating from when Members opened their accounts to when we collected this data Senators, 441 Representatives (voting and nonvoting). We divided Congress Members activities on Facebook and Twitter into eight categories: Campaign, District/ State, Media, Official Congressional Action, Personal, Policy Statement, Position Taking, and Other. Roughly two-fifths of all tweets and Facebook posts were Position-Taking, 40.5 percent and 38.8 percent respectively, making it the most popular purpose of posts on both platforms. District/State issues ranked second among both tweets (25.6%) and posts (32.2%). The parallels in rank of purpose extend to the remaining six categories for both platforms, with Official Action third, Policy Statement fourth, Media fifth, Personal sixth, Other seventh, and Campaign eighth. Collectively, Congress Members used the Twitter and Facebook platforms almost identically. Peaks and valleys showing the frequency of tweets and posts on particular days of the week rose and fell in tandem. The platforms also were used similarly throughout the day; both Twitter and Facebook hit peak use at 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., with a slight dip at noon. Congressional use in and out-of-session was nearly identical across both plat- Graph 1: Purpose of Tweet or Facebook Post All of Congress Position 40.5% 38.8% District or State 25.6% 32.2% Official Action Policy 16.5% 16.2% 15.9% 21.2% Media Personal Other 6.9% 5.2% 8.0% 7.8% 9.1% 11.0% Campaign 0.2% 0.3% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Percentage of Posts Twitter Facebook

19 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA forms. Over a collection period with an almost equal number of days in and out-of-session, Members made 71 percent of their total tweets and 70 percent of their total Facebook posts while in-session. 47 The similarities continue even to the use of language, as Members referred to themselves in the First-Person or Third-Person in practically the same percentage ratios, 87/13 for Twitter and 88/12 for Facebook. Congress Members differed slightly more when referencing their colleagues, however, with just fewer than 9 percent of tweets and almost 5 percent of Facebook posts mentioning another Member. For both social media platforms, less than one percent of the posts contained negative references. Graph 2 Distribution of Total Posts by Quintiles of Users 100% 90% 80% Heavy Users On both Facebook and Twitter, we found the volume of tweets and posts were not evenly distributed among Members. On Twitter, 86 Members who comprise the top 20 percent of the most frequently tweeting Members of Congress accounted for 56.3 percent of all tweets. Of those Members, the top 10 individuals tweeted over 15 percent of all Member content. The results were similar on Facebook, where 87 Members who comprise the top 20 percent of most frequently posting Members, could be credited for almost 53 percent of posts. More than 14 percent of posts were produced by the 10 most active individual Members. On both platforms, the top 1 percent of users generated more content than the bottom third. The top 20 percent of users did not vary substantially from other users in terms of post and tweet purpose; though when compared with the bottom 80 percent, heavy users tended to make fewer posts relating to Official Action and District or State Affairs. This held true across both platforms. Nearly every other post type was made in similar proportions for the top 20 percent and bottom 80 percent of users. Percentage of Total Posts 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 56% 22% 13% 53% 23% 14% The Geography of Congressional Usage Researchers created maps using ArcGeographic Information Systems (ArcGIS) with data obtained from the 2010 U.S. Census. Shapefiles of congressional districts and states were joined with counts of tweets, Facebook posts, and the sum of both platforms. These maps display the various ways that Senators and Representatives digitally represent their constituents. There do 0% 7% 2% Twitter Top 20% Upper 20% Middle 20% 8% 3% Facebook Lower 20% Bottom 20% 47. Days in and out-of-session during our collection period were as follows: Facebook: House (31 in-session, 31 out-of-session), Senate (32 in-session, 30 out-ofsession); Twitter: House (30 in-session, 31 out-ofsession), Senate (32 in-session, 29 out-of-session). not appear to be any strong geographical trends; social media use seems to depend more on the individual preferences of Members and other factors discussed elsewhere in this analysis. 10

20 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA Usage Variation Across Congress Usage We found that there was some variation in frequency of usage between parties and between chambers. Overall, Republicans used social media more than Democrats, and Senators were more frequent users than House Members. Likewise, the highest frequency user group was the Senate Republicans. Senate and House Republicans tweeted and posted the most, followed by Senate Democrats and then House Democrats. On both Facebook and Twitter, Senate Republicans posted 0.4 more messages a day each than their lowest using counterparts, the House Democrats. Analysis of Members usage from August 25, 2011, to October 25, 2011, indicates a general decline in usage over the weekends, with Senate Republicans continuing to tweet and post the most. Generally, Republicans post more in the morning, peaking at 8:00 a.m. 48 The Table 2 Average Posts per Day per Member Facebook Twitter Congress Republicans Democrats House Senate House R House D Senate R Senate D Reported times are standardized to Central Standard Time (CST) and are generated using the time zone of the sender s Internet Protocol (IP) address. Graph 3 Average Number of Facebook Posts per Member Over Time /25/2011 9/1/2011 9/8/2011 9/15/2011 9/22/2011 9/29/ /6/ /13/ /20/2011 Date of Post House D House R Senate D Senate R Graph 4 Average Number of Twitter Posts per Member Over Time /25/2011 9/1/2011 9/8/2011 9/15/2011 9/22/2011 9/29/ /6/ /13/ /20/2011 Date of Post House D House R Senate D Senate R 11

21 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA Democrats post more in the afternoon, peaking around 3:00 p.m. Peaks in usage occur during heightened legislative activity (for example, the Fast and Furious investigation or DADT Repeal). Certain legislative developments or news events tended to affect usage differently in various groups of members. For example, our data shows a decline in usage by Senators on both Facebook and Twitter on September 15, According to the Senate calendar for September 15, 2011, the Senate only passed two referenda on that day. Meanwhile, on the same date, the House of Representatives passed legislation to curb the powers of the National Labor Relations Board. Peaks in usage also occurred following messages by the President of the United States and in reference to the anniversary of September 11, During our collection period, 9/11 anniversary posts generated the largest spike in usage, which occurred on September 8, 2011, as September 11 fell on a Sunday. Age of Member Younger Members, on average, use social media more than Members who belong to older generations. This trend holds across both platforms, but the usage differential is stronger with Facebook. Gender We did not find a significant difference in usage among male and female Members. Platform Use There were some small differences in choice of platform between parties and chambers. While both parties use Twitter significantly more than Facebook, Democrats use Twitter for a greater share of their messages than Republicans (70 percent for Democrats versus 64 percent for Republicans). Between the two social media platforms, Senate Democrats tended to use Twitter for the largest share of their social media use (only 27 percent of their posts were on Facebook). House Republicans were the heaviest users of Facebook, as 37 percent of their messages were posted on the Facebook platform. Purpose Both parties use Facebook significantly more than Twitter when posting messages concerning District and State Affairs. Additionally, both parties tend to use Facebook more frequently when discussing Official Action and Media Appearances. Republicans tend to use Twitter more often than Facebook when taking a Position, making Policy Statements or talking about their Personal lives. Differences also emerged between the parties. Republicans take more Positions on Twitter while Democrats take more Positions on Facebook. On the whole, Democrats reference District or State Affairs in their social media messages significantly more than Republicans (approximately 10 percent more of their messages). Republicans mention Media Appearances, Official Actions, and Policy Statements more often than Democrats. These trends underscore differences noted during the coding process concerning the tendency for Republican Members to echo messages from party leadership more than Democrats. Given that leadership messages usually involve national topics rather than District or State topics, the tendency for Republicans to underutilize District or State posts in comparison to their Democratic counterparts makes sense in the context of their greater message uniformity. Presentation of Self The vast majority of social media posts were written in the First-Person, a trend that held across party and platform. There was a difference in chamber; approximately 80 percent of posts from Senate Members were written in the First-Person, versus almost 90 percent of House Member posts Graph 5 Average Daily Posts by Member Age 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s Member Age by Decade Twitter Facebook House R Senate R House D Senate D Graph 6 Social Media Use by Platform Facebook 37.0% Twitter 63% Facebook 36.4% Twitter 63.6% Facebook 32.3% Twitter 67.7% Facebook 26.7% Twitter 73.3% 0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100% Percentage of Posts 12

22 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA Graph 7 Democrats Purpose by Platform Position District or State Official Action Policy Media Personal Other Campaign 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Percentage of Total Posts per Platform Twitter Facebook Graph 8 Republican Purpose by Platform Position District or State Official Action Policy Media Personal Other Campaign 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Percentage of Total Posts per Platform Twitter Facebook 13

23 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA Graph 9 Twitter Purpose by Party Position District or State Policy Official Action Media Personal Other Campaign 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Percentage of Total Party Posts R D Graph 10 Facebook Purpose by Party Position District or State Official Action Policy Media Personal Other Campaign 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% Percentage of Total Party Posts R D Table 3 Reference to Other Members No Reference Positive/Neutral Reference Negative Reference Facebook Twitter Facebook Twitter Facebook Twitter Republicans 94.8% 90.5% 4.5% 8.6% 0.7% 0.8% Democrats 95.9% 92.5% 3.7% 6.7% 0.3% 0.8% 14

24 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA Reference to Other Members The vast majority of social media posts (more than 90 percent) did not reference another Member. Less than one percent of all posts from the dataset contained a negative reference to another Member. (If other high profile officials had been included in the coding as subjects of negative posts, e.g. the President, this number would be higher.) While positive or neutral references to other Members were infrequent (approximately 4 9 percent of all posts), these references were present approximately twice as often on Twitter as Facebook posts. The majority of positive or neutral references in Twitter posts included a link to the referenced Member s Twitter account. Republicans had more positive and neutral references to other Members than Democrats. Profile Data Facebook Photos Photos give Members an opportunity to present themselves in a personal way to constituents. Of those who post photos, the average number of photos posted per Member was 160, but the median Member only posted 92. This variation indicates that a few Members post a much larger number of photos, thus skewing the distribution. Facebook Likes Member profile pages on Facebook can be liked by visitors, giving a rough indication of the Member s popularity and presence on Facebook. In the House, Members averaged 4,793 likes with a median of 1,973. In the Senate, where Members have much larger constituencies, the average was 18,178 with a median of 3,931. Our research showed that most Members enjoy a relatively small amount of popularity compared to a handful of Members who have large national followings due to previous campaigns for President, leadership positions, or other external factors. House Member page likes ranged from 29 to 270,739. The trend in the Senate was much the same, with John McCain receiving nearly nine times as many likes as his nearest competitor, Bernie Sanders, and 221 times the median number of likes for Senators. Senators Facebook pages ranged between 415 and 869,888 likes. Facebook Profile Photos The Facebook profile photo gives Members an opportunity to present themselves personally to their audience. Only one profile photo can be featured on the profile page at a time; therefore, most Members choose to present themselves in a formal, professional manner rather than dressing casually. While 91 percent are shown wearing business clothing such as a suit, only 9 percent appear in casual clothes. Most 79 percent appear alone. Just over a quarter chose to display themselves in action shots rather than in posed photos. Landing page While several Members have selected alternate landing pages (custom welcome page or Member s info page), three-quarters choose the default option of letting visitors land on their wall. Facebook Info Section On the info pages, Members chose several combinations of personal attributes to highlight. The five attributes most commonly indicated were Members website address (93%), their current office (92%), their country (79%), their hometown (73%), and a general about section that allows for a short personal description (70%). YouTube Of the 541 total Members of Congress, 512 Members had a YouTube page. As with most statistics describing Facebook and Twitter use, a few YouTube users significantly skewed the data with high numbers of videos, views, and subscribers. Using median statistics as a gauge, Senators had more than twice as many videos, more than five times as many upload views, and three times the number of subscribers as their colleagues in the House. YouTube Channel Comments YouTube channel comments are not frequently utilized by Members or visitors. The average number of comments per channel was 6.6, with the median being 1. A total of 175 Members do not have comments enabled on their channel page; 158 Members have the feature enabled but have not received any comments. Table 4 YouTube Page Data # of Videos # of Channel Views # of Upload Views # of Subscribers All House Senate All House Senate All House Senate All House Senate Average ,735 12,409 14, , , , Median ,081 5,242 9,543 17,510 12,750 66, Minimum , , Maximum 2,064 2, , ,459 65,899 8,591,177 8,591,177 1,704,885 21,987 21,987 10,053 15

25 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA YouTube Favorited Videos Very few Members utilize the favorite feature to highlight specific videos that they enjoy. A total of 138 Members do not have the function enabled, and 227 have 0 favorites selected. Members with YouTube accounts averaged 4.5 favorited videos, with a median of 0. Time Since Last YouTube Activity The time since last YouTube activity gives an indication of how frequently Members edit their channel pages, make comments, or add videos to their collection. However, we recorded this data at a single point in time, so it is less accurate for those who regularly update their page. The average number of days with no activity is 79 (median of 30), but some Members have not edited their channel for a number of years 22 Members (4 percent) have not made edits in a year, and the longest running period of non-use is over 5 years. The majority of users update their channels more frequently 52 percent have made edits in the last month and 82 percent have made edits in the past 2 months. Correlations Our analysis also sought to highlight any underlying relationships that might reveal why some Members have more page likes, more retweets, or more video views than others. Across all platforms we found that the volume of posts, tweets, and activity had little to do with a Member s resulting followership. Facebook Correlation analyses revealed virtually no association between number of Facebook posts 49 and number of page likes (r=.02). 50 Correspondingly, we found a negligible relationship between number of Facebook photos and page likes (.06). Regression analyses demonstrated similar findings. Twitter As with Facebook, Twitter revealed little correlation between a Member s volume of posts and number of followers (.09). The lack of relationship between post quantity and followership is evident on both platforms and runs coun- ter to prevailing wisdom on social media best practices. Standard advice for boosting followership emphasizes, among other things, frequency of content a strategy that may not necessarily elicit intended results for Members of Congress. Post Types Combining the platforms, Democrats tended to make more District posts (.10), while Republicans tended to make more Media posts (.06). While Out-of-Session, Members tended to post more about their District (.14) as well as Personal topics (.11). During session, Members tended to do more Position-Taking (.12). Interestingly, the correlation between Party and Position-Taking posts overall was 0.00, suggesting that both parties take Positions equally when looking at Facebook and Twitter in the aggregate. Retweets Of all of the post types, Position-Taking seemed to elicit the most retweets, though this correlation was still relatively weak (.16). Interestingly, Position-Taking tweets were the only post type (other than the rare campaign tweet) to be positively correlated with retweets. This suggests that while Position-Taking may increase a Member s chances of being retweeted, posting just about anything else decreases those chances. 51 District tweets were the least likely to be retweeted, though this negative correlation was still quite weak (-.13). In spite of the Democrats tendency to make more District posts, as a group, they were associated with slightly more retweets than Republicans (.09). YouTube As a means of engaging with constituents, YouTube offers limited options. Members can post videos, select favorite videos, and respond to comments. Correlation analysis suggests that a Member s total number of videos is moderately correlated with his or her overall channel views (.58) and upload views (.49), as well as with the number of subscribers (.30) and channel comments (.24). Aside from posting videos, a Member can control his or her frequency of activity on YouTube through updates or posting comments. We found more recent activity 52 to be very weakly associated with more channel views (.07), upload views (.06), and subscribers (.05). This suggests that frequency of activity may 49. For both Facebook and Twitter, we use the number of posts/tweets made during our collection period as an approximation of a member s activity level. 50. We use the standard correlation coefficient, or Pearson s r, as a measure of linear dependence between two variables on a scale from -1 to +1, inclusive. From this point forward, when referencing the correlation coefficient we simply display the value of r in parentheses, for example (.05). 51. One exception is Policy Statements that result in a correlation of Frequency of Activity was approximated by taking the difference between a member s latest activity and the date we surveyed his or her profile. While in individual cases this may be a distorted measure of frequency of activity, the randomness of our snapshot implies that, collectively, it captures the desired effect. 16

26 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA have some small effect on amassing views and subscribers; however, we caution against assuming causality. Even if the relationship were causal, the effects appear miniscule. Finally, as might be expected, Members who had been on YouTube the longest were associated with more views and subscribers. Correlation Insights These findings suggest social media popularity as estimated by page likes, followers, retweets, or video views does not follow the lines of conventional wisdom for Members of Congress. The actions we might expect to generate popularity, such as posting more on Facebook or Twitter, tweeting about the district, or being more active on YouTube, are not generating the assumed results. Something else is driving social media popularity for Members. One variable that might be of interest to future research on this topic would be an index that is capable of approximating Member popularity on the national stage, perhaps through a measure of media presence or something similar. Due to limitations in the scope of this project, we were not able to develop this index. Further study, however, may reveal the extent to which a Member s number of page likes or video views is simply a function of how popular or controversial the Member is to the public. In other words, best practices for attracting followers may have only minor significance in comparison to idiosyncratic factors such as national visibility or involvement in the latest scandal. Discussion of Results Taken as a whole, this analysis describes several important facets of congressional social media use. 1. Widespread Adoption A large majority of Members of Congress not only have adopted social media as part of their communication strategy, but are increasingly devoting time, energy, and resources to boosting their digital presence on the various platforms. Even those Members who do not participate in frequent posting and tweeting have at least set up profiles on social media platforms. In the near-term, it is reasonable to expect this trend will continue as the prevalence of social media grows and Members continue to find new ways of interacting with the platforms. 2. Uneven and Varied Usage Members utilize social media to different extents. For example, Senators post more than Representatives, and Republicans post more than Democrats. Usage also follows the schedule of Congress very closely, mirroring the level of activity on the floor and surging with activities of interest to the general public. Younger Members utilize social media platforms more than older Members, especially Twitter. These trends indicate that social media use depends upon the demographics of both chambers, and large electoral shifts will result in dramatically different levels of usage. Additional studies conducted under different margins of party majority in each chamber will produce further insight into these trends. There seems to be some amount of specialization between the parties. For instance, Democrats tend to make more District and State Affairs posts while Republicans make more Official Congressional Action, Media, and Policy Statement posts. Republican Members also may have greater message discipline, either directly retweeting party leadership or repackaging leadership content to a similar effect. 53 This uniformity of message did not appear to be as present in Democratic posts, though a dedicated study of retweet activity would be necessary to quantify these trends. Whether these distinctions are a product of current circumstances or indicative of more fundamental differences between the parties is difficult to say. Regardless, the results of this analysis should be interpreted within the context of the current Senate and House arrangements. It is reasonable to expect that the purposes of the majority party and the minority party vary. Comparisons of social media use across several Congresses would shed light on this idea. The greatest variation in social media use exists between the light and heavy users. On Facebook, the top 1 percent of users (4 people) posted more than the bottom 34 percent (142 people). Similarly, on Twitter the top 1 percent tweeted more than the bottom 38 percent. Many of the trends described in this analysis reflect the disproportionate utilization of social media by these heavy users. 3. Direct Effect of Social Media Utilization Uncertain Social media certainly allows Members to speak to a wide audience easily, cheaply, and frequently. It can allow Members to listen more as well, although this function requires a different approach. 53. We observed this trend as a result of our extensive coding process. While we did not specifically code for this category, many of the team s researchers independently observed this trend. 17

27 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA At this point, social media usage by Members may be more aptly characterized as a megaphone, rather than a discussion tool for interacting with individuals. However, the effect of these and other functions cannot be fully answered with analysis internal to social media. The obvious proxies for a lack of effect-focused research are the various feedback mechanisms integrated into social media platforms: view counters, comments, likes, etc. However, these indicators do not correlate with social media output, specifically Tweets, Facebook posts, or YouTube videos. As evident from the skewed distribution of likes and the results of correlation analyses, external factors such as committee appointments, prominence in media, past or present Presidential campaigns, or leadership positions may be better determinants of social media popularity and attention. A study external to social media will be necessary to determine more precisely what is driving social media popularity. 18

28 Context: Limitations of Current Policy and Considerations for the Future Social media provides opportunities for Congress Members to interact with a variety of technologybased audiences. Policy options must take into consideration the flexibility and availability of social media. They also must attempt to reconcile the tension between the reason social media works it is informal, direct, and two-way with the needs to keep government formal; maintain official processes; protect privacy and security; and adhere to regulatory, franking, and ethics rules. A number of concerns frame the formation of policy options to address social media use by Members of Congress. These concerns are outlined below: Rapid Changes in Current and Future Technology The rapid pace of technological change and the rise and fall in the popularity of social media websites makes it difficult to create appropriate policies for every communication outlet a Member may use. Social media policies and practices must take into account technology s limited shelf life. In other words, a regulation that is created today may be irrelevant in a matter of months or years. When possible, social media policies should be flexible and able to adapt to changes. Creating a flexible policy, however, risks constructing a policy that is too broad. Social media policy options should be general enough to cover all of the variety of uses and mediums, while also being specific enough to be enforceable. Legislating Use, Not Intent Ultimately, Members will use social media in ways that they believe best meet their needs whether it is to develop a robust social media strategy or only to be an occasional user. With a few exceptions, we recommend that policy options not attempt to regulate how a Member uses social media or what types of messages or images they communicate. Notable exceptions to this would include the need to regulate campaign use, abuse of another Member, lewd use, and use that poses a national security threat. Privacy and Security Social media allows users to share information both publicly and on a one-to-one basis. Congress Members with social media pages have access to information that is both knowingly and unknowingly shared by their visitors. Examples would be demographic or user information associated with one s presence on a website or choosing to follow or like a Member. Privacy of information and limits on its collection are important considerations when forming policy options. As noted in a GAO report on federal agencies use of social media technologies, social networking sites, such as Facebook, encourage people to provide personal information that they intend to be used only for social purposes. Government agencies that participate in such sites may have access to this information and may need rules on how such information can be used. 54 Regulations might set limits on what information Members offices can collect, disclose, and use. Accuracy Members have traditionally communicated with their constituents through newsletters or other hardcopy materials via the U.S. Postal Service. With the growth of technology, Members have embraced various forms of social media to communicate, but it is often, difficult to evaluate the accuracy of these messages. While some communications are first-person and original material, others are duplicated or shared via another source. The material in these messages is not subject to any formal fact-checking process or regulations to ensure the veracity of Member communications on social media sites. Public Participation Does Social Media Count? Social media creates an environment that makes it challenging to identify who is and who is not a constituent. Given the accessibility of social media sites, it may be important to consider who is visiting a Member s site and how the visitor s presence and input should be weighed. An interaction with a user via social media may merit a different response from a Member than an in-person visit. This is a challenge mirrored by other forms of communication between Members and constituents. For example, a Member must consider how 54. Government Accountability Office. Information Management: Challenges in Federal Agencies Use of Web 2.0 Technologies. (April 3, 2012).

29 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA to measure or value input from a constituent who calls the Member s office compared to a constituent who sends an , a fax, a letter, or a social media message. A Member also must decide what, if any, effect a non-constituent user s input should have on a Congress Member s decision-making, assuming the non-constituent can be identified. Expectations for Communication and Response Time With the expansion of technology comes a shift in communication expectations by constituents. For example, are Members and their staffs expected to respond to any type of communication received? and the internet have facilitated the ease with which individuals can communicate with a Member s office; therefore, the volume an office receives is sizeable. A 2010 survey of congressional staff by the Congressional Management Foundation found that since 2002, congressional offices have seen a 200 to 1000 percent increase in all types of constituent communications. 55 However, Congress has not increased the size of staff in Members offices since Policy changes should take into account how members are expected to balance the resources allocated to constituent communications with the limits on hiring of staff and the other tasks of the office, such as policy research and development. In addition to the increased volume of constituent communications, social media and technology also shift the expected response time from congressional offices. Social media users expect rapid, real time response to their messages. While Members and their staffs may choose how often they will engage their followers when tweeting or posting on the official Facebook page, a site user may expect a quicker response to questions or comments in the social media sphere than via other communication mediums. To Regulate or Not To Regulate Social media has been referred to as the wild west. 57 Because there is so much uncertain and developing territory, 55. Congressional Management Foundation. Communicating with Congress: How Citizen Advocacy Is Changing Mail Operations on the Hill. (April 2012). 56. Ibid. 57. The Christian Science Monitor CSMonitor.com. Social media: The Wild West of marketing CSMonitor. com. Entrepreneurial-Mind/2011/0217/Social-media-The- Wild-West-of-marketing (April 2, 2012). it is challenging to create regulations that are reasonable and target specific issues. To what extent does the use of social media by Congress Members actually need regulation, and in what ways is the practice self-policing? A 2010 survey of congressional staffers by the CMF noted that congressional offices use social media to help gauge public opinion, communicate the activities and views of their Member, and view social media as a tool for improving the dialogue between citizens and the Congress. 58 Social media is used widely by Members; further regulation could affect its ability to serve as a communication link between Member offices and their constituents. Application of the Franking Privilege All Members of Congress are entitled to the franking privilege a certain allowance of mail to be sent to constituents at taxpayer expense. This privilege is regulated through the Commission on Congressional Mailing Standards, and rules define to whom, for what purpose, how much, where, and when franked mail is sent. Franking regulations restrict the funds allocated to send mailings and control the content of franked mail, limiting the use of pictures, the Member s name, and biographical information. Additionally, the frank may not be used to solicit money or votes, and the materials being mailed cannot relate to political campaigns, political parties, biographical accounts, or holiday greetings. 59 These regulations are designed to limit the abuse of franking privileges and taxpayer dollars, and to mitigate any incumbent advantage. 60 While originally designed for physical mail, franking regulations have been partially adapted to digital communication and outline rules regarding , websites, and social media. 61 However, franking regulations cannot be easily translated to digital communications. Issues of concern, to be discussed below, include distinguishing between solicited and unsolicited communications, messaging content, the use of taxpayer money, and incumbent advantage. 58. Congressional Management Foundation. Social Congress: Perceptions and Use of Social Media on Capitol Hill. documents/cmf_pubs/cmf-social-congress.pdf (April 2012). 59. Matthew Glassman, Franking Privilege: Historical Development and Options for Change. December 21, Congressional Research Service, RL pdf 60. Ibid. 61. Committee on House Administration. Members Handbook. (April 3, 2012). 20

30 Policy Options Training and Education Education and training on social media usage may help Members and staff to understand how best to allocate time and resources for this work, and to understand the risks, responsibilities, permanency and rapid pace of social media. These options require identifying or developing an internal organization that is capable of providing training and education to all Members and staff who will be utilizing Facebook, Twitter, or other social media platforms. Considerations for training and education options are outlined below. House and Senate Committees Designated for Social Media Training While the House Administration Committee has the authority to address management and human resource issues relating to social media staffing, it also has the ability to set House policy more broadly. Additionally, the House Learning Center already provides education and training classes to House Members and staff. The House Administration Committee could compile best practices for social media use. A similar publication may be produced by the Senate Rules and Administration Committee for use by Senate Members and be enforced through current computer security training administered by the Senate Sergeant at Arms. House Ethics Committee Presently, ample training opportunities are available for congressional staff, but no formal, non-partisan, constituent-oriented training that outlines appropriate social media use is available. If Members continue using social media for constituent communications, outreach, and casework, congressional administration could integrate social media education into the customary newhire trainings. The House Ethics Committee operates a mandatory new-hire training that all staff must complete within the first 60 days of employment. 62 While addressing effectiveness or innovative methods of use may be outside the purview of the Ethics Committee, appropriate use of digital communication methods falls under its authority. The Ethics Committee could add a social media component to its trainings specifically addressing the intersection of campaign and official use that could help Members avoid ethical and social media mistakes. 62. House Committee on Ethics. New Employee House Committee on Ethics. (April 3, 2012). Contracting Training through an Outside Entity In addition to internal administrative and rulemaking bodies within each house of Congress, the House and Senate, jointly or as separate bodies, may choose to contract with an outside vendor to develop social media training tools. For example, The Congressional Management Foundation (CMF) is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to helping Congress and its members meet the evolving needs and expectations of an engaged and informed 21st century citizenry. 63 One of CMF s primary missions is Enhancing Citizen Engagement. In efforts to achieve this goal, CMF encourages Members to improve their online communications strategies by bestowing an annual Gold Mouse Award to members with the most effective online presences. CMF also runs the 21st Century Town Hall Research Project, which conducts comparative research on [the] in-person town halls, online town halls and telephone town halls that are now common on Capitol Hill. 64 Currently, the Congressional Management Foundation also offers customized skills trainings for chiefs-of-staff, legislative directors, and district staff, as well as two other trainings on effective correspondence. The CMF is just one example of a non-partisan entity that could be hired to provide training to Members and staff. A Request for Proposal (RFP) could be issued to solicit the best vendor to offer such services. Regardless of the vendor, providing congressional staff with respected, non-partisan social media training to enhance constituent service could be a viable option for enhancing educational efforts. Offering social media training and education opportunities to Members and staff raises the question of who should be using social media? Whether the Member or his or her staff maintains the Member s social media account, the office s staff determines the need for social media training. CMF notes that Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are widely accepted social media platforms on Capitol Hill. 65 If social media continues to grow as 63. Congressional Management Foundation. Congressional Management Foundation About CMF. (April 3, 2012). 64. Congressional Management Foundation. Congressional Management Foundation 21st Century Town Hall Meetings. (April 3, 2012). 65. Congressional Management Foundation. Social Congress: Perceptions and Use of Social Media on Capitol Hill. (April 2012).

31 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA a versatile component of Members strategy, more staff in a given office may utilize the platforms for various tasks, which may require different skills. For example, a legislative staff s use of Facebook messaging to respond to legislative inquiries is substantially different than a district staffer s use of Twitter to recruit town hall participants; therefore, training should reflect these varying functions. Best Practices A best practices model for social media use by Members provides guidance, training, suggestions and examples of social media usage, without requiring specific enforcements or legislative action or regulation. Members become aware of perceived best practices and can operate their social media communications as they see fit. A best practices model may help mitigate problems with setting up and managing social media accounts, determining a social media strategy, and engaging with constituents via social media. Our research suggests that Members employ diverse uses of social media. A best practices model would provide support for Members and staff regardless of their level of experience with social media platforms. Members still would operate under their own authority and would use social media however they prefer (within existing ethical and congressionally-mandated rules). A best practices option allows Members freedom while still offering guidance for sound practice. Several federal agencies have published social media best practices guides, including the Department of Energy, 66 the Environmental Protection Agency, 67 and HowTo.Gov. 68 Though Congress as an institution lacks a comprehensive social media policy, government entities in the United States and abroad use a variety of methods to encourage, regulate, and otherwise govern social media use Department of Energy. Social Media Department of Energy. social-media (April 2, 2012). 67. Office of Environmental Information: EPA Information Procedures. Representing EPA Online Using Social Media. pdf (April 3, 2012). 68. HowTo.gov Helping agencies deliver a great customer experience. Social Media HowTo.gov. howto.gov/social-media, (April 2, 2012). 69. A list of several existing policy documents for states, federal agencies, and countries abroad can be found in Appendix F of this report. A crucial concern for many federal agencies engaging in social media use is security of users and of sensitive agency information. As with federal agencies, congressional use of social media also can place Members and sensitive information at risk. In February 2009, then-house Intelligence Chairman Pete Hoekstra live-tweeted a CODEL s travels through Iraq. 70 Additionally, in January 2012, a top House Republican aide posted photos to his Twitter account of a government plane with a visible tail number and an image of a flight route from Istanbul to Doha, Qatar. 71 To address these concerns for other federal agencies, the Federal Chief Information Officers (CIO) Council developed a policy for secure use of social media by all federal departments and agencies. Ten federal agencies participated in the process, and one key recommendation was that the federal government consider creating its own URL formats with appropriate logging and security for federal use on social media websites. 72 While not all federal agencies have explicit social media policies, those that exist offer varying focal points for regulation and best practices. For example, the Department of Commerce makes specific efforts to depoliticize the use of social media within the agency. It states that operating units using social media/web 2.0 technologies must prevent the posting or immediately delete postings that contain: comments regarding a political party or a candidate in a partisan political campaign (which is a campaign in which candidates are identified by political party) and requests to contact a Member of Congress or official of any government, to favor or oppose any legislation, law, or appropriation. 73 To ensure accountability on social media platforms, the Department of Justice in Australia requires that employees be authorized as representatives of the department to comment on online communications. 74 Autho- 70. Roll Call. Members Tweeting at their Own Risk. (January 18, 2012). 71. Ibid. 72. Federal Chief Information Officers Council. Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media by Federal Departments and Agencies. (April 9, 2012). 73. U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the Chief Information Officer. Policy on the Approval and Use of Social Media and Web 2.0 (SM/W2.0) os.doc.gov/itpolicyandprograms/policy Standards/ PROD01_ (April 9, 2012). 74. Department of Justice, Victoria, Australia. Department of Justice Social Media Policy for Employees. our+values+and+behaviours/social+media+policy/ (April 9, 2012). 22

32 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA rization is attained after receiving the approval of two supervisors and undergoing a trial usage period. 75 The U.S. Navy, on the other hand, highlights the importance of a team-based management approach to social media use and emphasizes the need to identify a team to manage social media presence. A diverse team managing the page will be more effective than a single person. A single manager is a single point of failure. 76 The Department of Health and Human Services devotes an entire micro-site to new media policies, regulations, and suggestions for more effective use. The department hosts a webinar series on new media projects for information sharing, and also maintains a database of departmental social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr. The public also may access the department s list of blogs and podcasts. 77 HHS policies and procedures highlight the importance of avoiding the solicitation of feedback and commentary on policies or regulations via social media. Under a best practices model, Members and staff would become aware of best practices via workshops or trainings. These sessions could be hosted by the agency charged with creating best practices, by an outside nonpartisan entity, or by outside affiliates, such as Facebook and Twitter. Regardless, these sessions should be recommended for all Members and any staff who have access to the Member s social media accounts. Dissemination of Best Practices Best Practice guides could be disseminated through one of several channels, including those addressed previously under training and education, with the overseeing body taking responsibility for designating the appropriate uses of social media by Congress. Other bodies that might consider taking ownership of a Best Practices model may include: Independent House and Senate Committees Each chamber could independently write a best practice guide suitable to its respective legislative body. This approach allows for bipartisan cooperation from each Rules Committee s staff and development by the committees that have the most power over the order of operations and procedures in the respective chambers. These guides, 75. Ibid. 76. United States Navy. Navy Command Social Media Handbook. (April 9, 2012) 77. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HHS on Facebook. (April 9, 2012). since they are not voted on, could be amended as necessary, providing useful, up-to-date guidance for Members communications staff. Party and Chamber Leadership Party or chamber leadership may choose to develop and distribute their own guidelines, as they are more aware of the needs and proclivities of their Members. This allows best practices to be adapted as leadership and technology change. Nonpartisan Office A nonpartisan office such as Congress s Information Technology department might also undertake this task. Creating a Best Practices Guide HowTo.Gov provides examples of how federal agencies are using social media and other web interfaces in compliance with current laws. 78 It could provide illustrations for a Best Practices guide for Congress. The social media policies for other federal agencies or governments also could serve as a source for best practices. A Best Practices guide could address the following: Which individuals in each office have access to social media sites How to set up, sign in, and use the commonly used social media sites What types of messages are recommended for social media sites How to manage official records Managing Access to Social Media in a Congressional Office Members of Congress have different needs and intentions for social media use than do federal agencies. Members have a personal stake in their social media practices to provide information to their constituents and followers. The messages sent from a Member s account, including messages created by staff, reflect upon the individual Member, rather than an agency as a whole. To mitigate the risk of staff posting for a Member, any of the following practices could be undertaken. Identifying tags can be used to identify the staffer responsible for a given message. If a staffer posted on a given social media site, he or she would use a particular tag (ex. ^ab ) to note who is posting on behalf of the Member. The Member, if posting personally, would not 78. HowTo.gov Helping agencies deliver a great customer experience. Implementing Federal Web Requirements Examples HowTo.gov. (April 2, 2012). 23

33 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA need this demarcation. This provides greater accountability for posts that might spark public debate and informs followers that messages are not coming directly from an elected official. Drawbacks of this practice include diminishing the personal connection provided by social media, increasing needed training, and reducing the availability of characters on microblogging platforms such as Twitter. Representative Mike McCaul (R-TX), 79 has placed a disclaimer on his social media accounts, clarifying that his account (@mikemccaulpressshop) is being managed by his press team. While this is clear to those following Rep. McCaul, the personalization of social media here is somewhat diminished. Other Members Twitter feeds note in the bio line that both the Members and their staffs have access to the platform and posts may come from either. This simple notation, which could be a best practice, alerts followers that not all messages are coming directly from the Member but that all posts, unless otherwise specified by the Member, are communicated on the Member s behalf. This is very similar to Member messages, which are often drafted by staff and sent out with a Member s approval. Allowing staff to communicate directly with individual followers by acknowledging posts and comments and directing users to a formal communication method, such as a written letter, standard , or official website form, facilitates engagement via social media. This method also helps Members and their staffs keep track of constituent needs and requests by directing them to contact their offices through other channels. Options for Setting Up and Managing Social Media Sites Members and their staffs have varied experience with social media use; therefore, a best practices guide and training should include very basic instructions and user support for setting up and maintaining official accounts with the most commonly used social media sites. Currently, Facebook and Twitter have working relationships with Congress and aid in establishing official accounts and encouraging use of the platforms by Members of Congress. Official accounts, unlike all other Facebook accounts, are not subject to advertising, and Members are allowed to purchase ads targeted at zip codes within their district. 80 Residents of a Member s district or state might see an advertisement for the opportunity to like a Member s page or sign up for updates. 79. Twitter. Michael McCaul. (accessed April 3, 2012). 80. Daniel Newhauser. Franking on Facebook May Run Afoul of Founders. Roll Call. 2 May rollcall.com/issues/56_114/franking-on-facebook- May-Run-Afoul-of-Founders html. Including information in a best practices guide on how to set up the various platforms and their benefits gives Members greater independence in developing their social media strategy and an unbiased view of which strategies work best. Message Guidelines Best practices guidelines for message content are an opportunity to provide information on which subjects may or may not be acceptable for use on social media platforms, in addition to already existing regulations (e.g. FEC rules). Guidelines would provide direction for Members on subject matter that may be appropriately used in an office s social media strategy. Suggestions for acceptable content, such as encouraging posts publicizing opportunities for constituent engagement and education, would provide a guideline for appropriate use. Suggestions also might encourage more frequent use by Members not currently actively engaging with constituents through social media. Records Management Congress Members may decide how or if to preserve papers and other records from their time serving Files created by a Member and his or her staff during the Member s time in office are the Member s property. In 2008, the House passed Concurrent Resolution 307, declaring that Members papers are crucial to the public s understanding on the role of Congress in the making of the Nation s laws, and each Member of Congress should take all necessary measures to manage and preserve the Member s own congressional papers. 81 Best practices should reiterate the intent of this resolution and consider whether social media records should be preserved in the same manner as other records. If so, a best practices guide might detail how to save records in a way that is accessible in the future. Regulation and Legislation Regulations and legislation, as opposed to best practices, require Members to use social media within given parameters. Some regulations are already in place and appear to work well. For example, social media accounts may not be used to raise money for or post content related to campaigning. Other regulations, enforceable by penalties for noncompliance, might work for social media use. Additionally, no regulation should be undertaken without a full understanding of potential benefits and costs. Based on this report s findings, some of the following regulations could be considered. 81. Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives Art & History Art & History Home. Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives Art & History Overview. house_history/archival-research/ (April 2, 2012). 24

34 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA Develop an Enforcement Body for Monitoring Social Media Use Congress could use its authority to appoint a committee or regulatory body, or delegate to the respective Ethics Committees the responsibilities of monitoring social media communications by Members of Congress. Responsibilities could include: developing a section of the ethics manual to detail the rules and penalties regarding social media; create a mechanism for filing complaints regarding social media abuse by Members in each chamber; updating and revising any regulations to apply to social media platforms and uses. Determine the Role of Franking Regulations Relating to Social Media Use Social media may or may not fall within the scope of franking regulations. While it is challenging to determine which aspects of social media should be governed by franking rules, policymakers may want to consider social media in the context of the franking issues outlined below. Solicited and Unsolicited Messages Franking regulations currently govern the message, timing, recipients, and volume of communication, with different sets of rules for solicited and unsolicited communications. 82 Solicited communications include messages sent to mailing lists and lists as well as situations where constituents have willingly subscribed and have the option to unsubscribe. Individuals using social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube can easily decide to opt in or opt out of receiving communications. In theory, Members social media accounts are subject to the same messaging regulations as a subscribed mailing list, and therefore, are not subject to rules that limit communications up to 90 days prior to an election 83 or restrictions on mass mailings. 84 Members who violate messaging rules for any communication are subject to a rule that requires them to repay the postage cost for those mailings, and repeat offences could result in the loss of all franked mail privileges. 85 However, this rule is unenforceable on the social media level, since the cost of social media is almost non-existent for any single communication. 82. Matthew Glassman, Franking Privilege: Historical Development and Options for Change. December 21, Congressional Research Service, RL opencrs.com/rpts/rl34274_ pdf 83. Ibid. 84. Committee on House Administration. Members Handbook. (April 3, 2012). 85. Ibid. Rules on Franking Content, Timing, Audience, and Quantity Message regulations for both solicited and unsolicited communication include prohibitions against soliciting money or votes specifically for themselves, other candidates, or for their political party as well as issuing holiday greetings, and biographic information. 86 Regulations also limit a Member s right to send unsolicited mass mailings outside of his or her district. 87 In Members use of social media, the prohibition against mentioning political campaigns and soliciting for money and votes is largely self-enforced, as evidenced by this study s data. However, there are three areas where social media use by Members of Congress does not follow franking regulations and demonstrate franking s limited use for governing digital communications. First, Members communicate both biographical information standard in Facebook profiles and holiday greetings through their social media accounts. Second, Members often mention political parties, but this serves to reference collective legislative or agenda setting which is within the generally accepted practices of congressional communication or to denote an association with their party. Third, out-of-district communications are difficult to apply to social media. Through social media sites, Members distribute messages to a wide audience, including individuals outside their own districts. Determining a follower or fan s location via social media is often impossible, and Members currently do not have the responsibility or ability to limit their followers to constituents. Costs of Social Media Franking regulations allocate a specific amount of money to each office for sending franked postal mail. 88 When considering the costs of social media, however, it is difficult to apply the franking regulations for several reasons. The cost of social media use is difficult to measure though setting up an account on Facebook, YouTube, or Twitter is free, the cost of office equipment, utilities, 86. Matthew Glassman, Franking Privilege: Historical Development and Options for Change. December 21, Congressional Research Service, RL pdf 87. Committee on House Administration. Members Handbook. (April 3, 2012). 88. M. Glassman and Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service, Franking Privilege: Historical Development and Options for Change,

35 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA and staff used to operate social media accounts is reimbursed by taxpayer dollars. 89 Additional expenses, such as targeted paid advertising on Facebook, can be utilized as a tool to attract more followers. Social Media s Influence on Incumbent Advantage The role that official congressional social media accounts play in incumbency warrants further study. Per franking regulations, unsolicited mail privileges are suspended 60 or 90 days prior to primary elections for sitting candidates to mitigate incumbent advantages. 90 Since social media is primarily categorized as solicited, this restriction does not apply. Members may continue to communicate with their followers constituents or not throughout the year. Social media sites also provide Members with a number of built-in advantages. Members can take advantage of userprovided demographic information and platformgenerated insights into the preferences of the Members followers. Members also can provide links to and from their social media pages and official websites a resource not available to challengers running for seats held by incumbents. Established social media accounts also may receive higher rankings in internet search engines, 91 providing an additional advantage to incumbents. The current structure of popular social media sites may mitigate some of this incumbent advantage by providing a low-cost service to political challengers and opt-in follower policies where users must establish their own followers. Nonetheless, a Member s official social media account may provide an incumbent advantage, and future policies should ensure such advantages are fully understood and addressed. Require Electronic Communication Policies for Each Office This regulation would require each office to formulate and adopt an electronic communication policy including how the Member and his or her staff will use social media. This option provides flexibility for individual Members and their offices to use social media as they see fit, but allows each Member to have enforceable, specific guidelines that states how he or she wishes to engage through social media. 89. Committee on House Administration. Members Handbook. (April 3, 2012). 90. Ibid. 91. Google Help. Google Basics Webmaster Tools Help. py?hl=en&answer=70897 (April 3, 2012). Creating and making this official document available on the respective Member s official website would provide the public with information on how and why a Member is using social media and other electronic communication. A policy could assist, for example, in mitigating complaints from citizens who might feel that their messages to the Member have not been addressed. While the establishment and maintenance of a communication policy would require some time and costs, the value of the document may provide long-term value in providing a clear understanding of each office s policies and practices. Link Social Media Sites to A Member s Official Website Based on our research, many Members provide a link from their social media sites to their official congressional website. Requiring Members to provide such a link would ensure that visitors to their social media sites would have access to official information on how to access the Member s office. Likewise, many Members also provide links from their official websites to their official social media accounts, providing the public with an easy way to locate and follow those accounts. Disclaimers on All Members Social Media Sites In our research, Members displayed a variety of disclaimers most often on their Facebook pages. A regulation on disclaimers could require that all Members post a standardized message on their social media sites, detailing policies regarding the use of the site. Members who currently post disclaimers use the text to explain who is posting (staff, the Member, or both), outline appropriate use and behavior by visitors to the page, and some reserve the right to remove content that they find offensive or ban users from their social media page. One example is Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart s (R-FL 21st) Facebook page. In his About Me section, Congressman Diaz-Balart includes a disclaimer that outlines what his office expects in terms of posts and communication. He specifically states that a comment will be deleted if it contains: hate speech, profanity, obscenity, or vulgarity, defamation to a person or people, name calling and/ or personal attacks, comments to sell a product, spam, or other comments that the press team deems inappropriate. Members also may want to distance themselves from sensitive issues or inappropriate comments. Congressman Diaz-Balart includes in his disclaimer that comments and images posted do not necessarily represent the views of Congressman Diaz-Balart. Several Members also reference regulations, outlining that to comply with federal law they must follow two specific rules: do not post anything obscene or related to elections. The following are examples of such posts: 26

36 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA Posts by users do not necessarily reflect those of Rep. Larry Bucshon. Any harassing or intimidating comments, as well as comments regarding campaigns, will be removed by page administrators. (Rep. Larry Buschon) In order to follow federal law, this page has two rules for comments. Please: Don t say anything obscene & please don t talk about elections. Thank you for your cooperation! (Rep. David Cicilline) A few additional examples include: This is Congressman Buerkle s Facebook fan page. Comments are a place for our users to present ideas, issues, and views. The comments posted by users do not necessarily reflect the views of the Member or her Congressional office. We reserve the right to delete user comments that include profanity, name-calling, threats, personal attacks, or other inappropriate comments or material.... By posting a comment on this site, you are agreeing to allow the Office of Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (NY-25) to reprint your comment in all forms of media at any time. (Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle) Congressman Jerry Costello s official Facebook page operates under these guidelines: Anyone may participate. Comments represent the opinion of the person posting them. Offensive/inflammatory material and external links will be deleted. (Rep. Jerry Costello) Any posts that contain offensive language, spam or are campaign related will be removed. (Rep. Scott DesJarlais) Welcome to my Facebook page. Participation is encouraged, but my office reserves the right to remove inappropriate content. If you would like to receive a response to posts, please call my office at or kaygranger.house. gov/contactme. (Rep. Kay Granger) Comments posted by users do not necessarily reflect the views of Congressman Hanna or the Congressional office. We reserve the right to delete user comments that include profanity, name-calling, threats, personal attacks, spam or other inappropriate comments or material at our discretion. So, please be civil and keep it clean. (Rep. Richard Hanna) Pursuant to federal law this page has two rules for comments. 1) Don t say anything obscene. 2) Don t talk about elections. For more information about our official office policy please visit Thanks! (Rep. Jan Schakowsky) Restrict Social Media Access in Certain Environments Congress may choose to regulate when and where Members access social media. Use of social media, for example, could be forbidden on the Senate and House floor. Prohibiting social media use on the floor would appear to be in line with current congressional policy. Advocates of allowing social media use on the floor cite transparency issues, while opponents argue that social media is trivial, and that Members have adequate tools before and after official floor action to express their opinion on a vote or other official congressional activity. Ownership of Followers Concerted strategies, both on the campaign trail and in a Member s office, exist for building social media followers and utilizing social media platforms to send out messages. With social media use, the ownership of followers presents challenges in determining the proper rules and procedures for addressing and deciding who is entitled to certain social media fans and followers. For example, under current rules, campaign and official Member social media accounts must be kept separate. On social media sites, each account has its own website address and set of fans or followers. When followers are accumulated during a successful campaign and a new Member creates an official social media site, should and can followers on the campaign page be transferred to the official page? If not, a Member would need to rebuild his or her follower base from scratch. Further questions regarding social media ownership include: Do the followers belong to the Member or do they belong to the seat? The public may decide to follow a public official on social media for a variety of reasons: to obtain updates on what is happening in their district, to get to know a Member s views or personality, to find out other information about the Member, etc. However, it is likely that followers choose to follow Members for reasons beyond the seat itself. If the individual holding a seat were to change, some individuals may no longer wish to follow the new Member. If followers belong to the seat, it would effectively connect a user s account to that seat s social media site, regardless of who holds it. Could campaign accounts be transitioned into official accounts? If so, Members would have to appropriately edit the account s information to reflect the Member s official , title, and other details. This would mitigate the problem of having to transfer followers or build brand new lists, but it also confuses the clear lines demarcating campaigning and official business by Members. 27

37 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA Should new Members be required to build their own social media accounts upon election? This mirrors current behavior among Members and preserves the separation between official and campaign accounts. Should a Member s followers be transferred if a Member is elected to a new seat or a different congressional chamber? Any regulations put in place regarding social media accounts could consider existing rules or regulations that address distribution lists or other databases for electronic communication. Staff Time and Size of Staff As social media becomes a routine part of Members communication strategies, a shift in rules and regulations regarding staff resources may be warranted. As noted in the Congressional Management Foundation s report on communication, constituent communications is a high priority in congressional offices. Furthermore, offices report that they have shifted staff resources to communication in order to manage the increase in volume. 92 As previously noted, Congress has not increased Members office staff size since despite the significant workload increase related to constituent communications, the increase in access and transparency for Members offices, and a shift in the way that constituencies interact with their representatives. Policy changes could encompass a variety of options and considerations, and must address both the need for additional resources with increased pressure to reduce the federal budget. To best allocate existing resources, Members could be required to have at least one person in their offices dedicated to social media communication. This person could either work directly with the Member should the Member prefer to do the posting or within the current rules and regulations to update social media sites in accordance with the Member s communication strategy. Social media is rapidly becoming an integral part of constituent outreach for Members; therefore, having the resources to hire trained staff who can help facilitate and monitor social media may prove as important as hiring an experienced legislative aide or a press assistant. On the House side, the Committee on House Administration is tasked to implement new services for member offices, and to set human resources and management policies for staff and service personnel on the House side of Capitol Hill. 94 The Senate Rules and Administration Committee serves the same function, setting internal policy via legislation. Both committees could play a role in setting new staff policies with the intent of addressing the increase in offices communication needs. One policy option is to increase each Member s staff allotment. Presently, House Members are permitted 18 full-time-equivalent staff and 4 part-time staff. Senate staffs are allocated by state size. Members choose to allocate staff responsibilities however they prefer, but rarely is a staff person assigned to social media work exclusively. Increasing staff budget allotments and developing job descriptions for social media directors or similar positions whether communications or constituent service-focused could be an option to improve a Member s use of resources and engagement with constituents via social media. However, the feasibility would need to be carefully considered, given the limitations posed by the current political and fiscal environments. If staff size expansions were considered, the amount of space allocated to each Member also would need to be addressed. House Members presently have three-room office suites in the Capitol, one of which is reserved for the Members personal office. Limits on available space would prevent sizeable expansions of staff without building an additional House office building. Currently, there is little political will in Congress to finance a large capital project. 92. Congressional Management Foundation. Communicating with Congress: How Citizen Advocacy Is Changing Mail Operations on the Hill. 93. Ibid. 94. Committee on House Administration. History and Jurisdiction Committee on House Administration. (April 3, 2012). 28

38 Future Research Analysis and observations from this study point to future research areas on social media use by Congress. As previously mentioned, future studies could develop an index for calculating a Member s social media popularity. Why do particular Members have more followers on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have they run for President or are they in major leadership positions on congressional committees? Follow-up research also could be conducted to determine if changes in party power in Congress alter social media usage trends. When Republicans have a majority in the Senate, do the types and tone of their messages change? What about when a Republican is elected President will the Democrats in Congress have greater message discipline if they are in the minority? Throughout the data collection and coding phase of the project, we observed several trends in the content of the Facebook posts and tweets. Because this report focused on the types of messages Members of Congress send via social media not on content analysis of these postings these trends were not explained in detail in the findings section of the project. Four observations stood out as important topics for future research: 1. Evidence of conversations sometimes extensive existed between Members of Congress and their followers. 2. Many posts could be characterized as negative or even vitriolic, particularly from Republican Members directed toward the President. 3. In contrast to Democrats, Republicans seem to have greater message cohesion. 4. Distilling a message to 140 characters seems to be difficult for some Members. Other avenues for future research include the effect of social media on the institution of the United States Congress. For example, is Congress changing because of social media? Also, will congressional committees use social media in the future to inform the public on policy issues? Is social media opening the legislative process to the public, versus the current system of involvement by lobbyists and special interest groups? Does the use of social media by Members of Congress place Members at additional risk of violating open meeting regulations? Another approach to this study is the effect of advocacy on social media does social media crowdsourcing direct policymakers and help them reach compromise on difficult policy issues? The findings of this report can be useful for future studies on these related subjects.

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40 Conclusion The increased adoption of social media by Members of Congress in recent years creates a dynamic where prolific use remains mostly unregulated. Furthermore, the constant introduction of new features within current social media platforms, as well as the creation of new platforms, contributes to an ever-evolving world of political communications. Consequently, questions arise regarding the purpose of social media in Congress and the policy implications of Members various uses of these platforms. Given the rapid change in social media, flexible policies could be established that cover the broad range of platforms while remaining effective and enforceable. Conversely, social media use in Congress could be completely deregulated where no violations or penalties exist. Other options include a guide of best practices, as well as social media training and education for all Members of Congress and their staffs. Various options exist for how to manage social media and its use in Congress. The ephemeral nature of social media necessitates both discussion and decisions to address social media and its connection to Congress.

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42 Bibliography Associated Press. Google buys YouTube for $1.65 billion Business US business msnbc.com. U.S. Business. T3ihp79bX7A (accessed March 21, 2012). Committee on House Administration. History and Jurisdiction Committee on House Administration. cha.house.gov/about/history-jurisdiction (April 3, 2012). Committee on House Administration. Members Handbook. (April 3, 2012). Congressional Management Foundation. Communicating with Congress: How Citizen Advocacy Is Changing Mail Operations on the Hill. (April 2012). Congressional Management Foundation. Congressional Management Foundation About CMF. congressfoundation.org/about-cmf (April 3, 2012). Congressional Management Foundation. Congressional Management Foundation 21st Century Town Hall Meetings. congressfoundation.org/projects/town-hall/term/ summary (April 3, 2012). Congressional Management Foundation. Social Congress: Perceptions and Use of Social Media on Capitol Hill. (April 2012). Days in Session Calendars 112th Congress 2nd Session, THOMAS, Library of Congress, home/ds/h1122.html, (accessed April 2, 2012). Days in Session Calendars U.S. Senate 112th Congress 2nd Session, THOMAS, Library of Congress, html, (accessed April 2, 2012). Department of Energy. Social Media Department of Energy. social-media (April 2, 2012). Department of Justice, Victoria, Australia. Department of Justice Social Media Policy for Employees. our+values+and+behaviours/social+media+policy/ (April 9, 2012). Facebook Glossary. Facebook. (accessed April 29, 2012). Facebook Pages: Mission control for your business on Facebook, Facebook. ads/facebookads/pages_product_guide_ pdf (accessed March 21, 2012). FAQs about Verified Accounts. Twitter Help Center. com/groups/31-twitter-basics/topics/111-features/articles/ about-verified-accounts. (accessed March 21, 2012). Federal Chief Information Officers Council. Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media by Federal Departments and Agencies. (April 9, 2012).Glassman, Matthew, Franking Privilege: Historical Development and Options for Change. December 21, Congressional Research Service, RL RL34274_ pdf Glassman, Matthew, Jacob Straus, and Colleen Shogan, Social Networking and Constituent Communications: Member Use of Twitter During a Two-Month Period in Congress. February 3, Congressional Research Service, R Goldschmidt, Kathy and Leslie Ochreiter, Communicating with Congress: How the Internet Has Changed Citizen Engagement Congressional Management Foundation. communicating-with-congress/how-the-internet-haschanged-citizen-engagement. Google Help. Google Basics Webmaster Tools Help. py?hl=en&answer=70897 (April 3, 2012). Government Accountability Office. Information Management: Challenges in Federal Agencies Use of Web 2.0 Technologies. (April 3, 2012). Government Online. Pew Research Center, Internet and American Life Project. Reports/2010/Government-Online.aspx (accessed April 17, 2012). Hopkins, Jim. Surprise! There s a third YouTube co-founder USATODAY.com. News, Travel, Weather, Entertainment, Sports, Technology, U.S. & World. usatoday.com/tech/news/ youtubekarim_x.htm (accessed March 21, 2012). House Committee on Ethics. New Employee House Committee on Ethics. schedule/new-employee (April 3, 2012). HowTo.gov Helping agencies deliver a great customer experience. Implementing Federal Web Requirements Examples HowTo.gov. agency-examples (April 2, 2012).

43 Congress + SOCIAL MEDIA HowTo.gov Helping agencies deliver a great customer experience. Social Media HowTo.gov. howto.gov/social-media, (April 2, 2012).Lawrence, Jill. Congress Launches Official Channels on YouTube. On Politics. post/2009/01/ /1 (accessed March 21, 2012).Lazer, David, et. al., Online Town Hall Meetings: Exploring Democracy in the 21st Century Congressional Management Foundation. congressfoundation.org/index.php?option=com_ content&task=view&id=294. Newhauser, Daniel. Franking on Facebook May Run Afoul of Founders. Roll Call. 2 May com/issues/56_114/franking-on-facebook-may-run- Afoul-of-Founders html Office of Environmental Information: EPA Information Procedures. Representing EPA Online Using Social Media. (April 3, 2012). Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives Art & History Art & History Home. Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives Art & History Overview. history/archival-research/ (April 2, 2012) Pages Overview. Facebook. ads.ak.facebook.com/ads/facebookads/pages_overview.pdf (accessed March 21, 2012). Protalinski, Emil. Facebook has over 845 million users. Technology News, Analysis, Comments and Product Reviews for IT Professionals. com/blog/facebook/facebook-has-over-845-millionusers/8332 (accessed March 21, 2012). Roll Call. Members Tweeting at their Own Risk. (January 18, 2012). #Social Congress: Perceptions and Use of Social Media on Capitol Hill Congressional Management Foundation. documents/cmf_pubs/cmf-social-congress.pdf Taylor, Chris. Social Networking Utopia isn t Coming. Featured Articles. tech/limits.social.networking.taylor_1_twitter-usersfacebook-friends-connections?_s=pm:tech (accessed March 21, 2012). Terms of Service. YouTube. terms, (accessed March 21, 2012). The Christian Science Monitor CSMonitor.com. Social media: The Wild West of marketing CSMonitor.com. preneurial-mind/2011/0217/social-media-the-wild- West-of-marketing (April 2, 2012). Twitter. Michael McCaul. (accessed April 3, 2012). Twitter 101: How should I get started using Twitter?. Twitter. articles/ twitter-101-how-should-i-get-started-using-twitter (accessed March 21, 2012). U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the Chief Information Officer. Policy on the Approval and Use of Social Media and Web 2.0 (SM/W2.0) gov/itpolicyandprograms/policy Standards/ PROD01_ (April 9, 2012) U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. HHS on Facebook. (April 9, 2012). United States Navy. Navy Command Social Media Handbook. ep/risk_com_documents/appendix_f_navycommand- SocialMediaHandbook.pdf. (April 9, 2012) Use of Social Media by Members of Congress. LBJ School of Public Affairs. August 25, 2011 to October 25, YouTube Essentials. YouTube. about_essentials (accessed March 21,

44 Appendix A: Glossary of Terms Facebook Terms Like: Clicking Like is a way to give positive feedback and connect with things you care about. 95 Page: Pages allow businesses, brands, and celebrities to connect with people on Facebook. Admins can post information and News Feed updates to people who like their pages. 96 Post: Facebook is a social networking website that was originally designed for college students, but is now open to anyone 13 years of age or older. Facebook users can create and customize their own profiles with photos, videos, and information about themselves. Each Facebook profile has a wall, where [people] can post comments. 97 Profile: Your profile (timeline) is a complete picture of yourself on Facebook. 98 Profile picture: Your profile picture is the main photo of you on your profile (timeline). Your profile picture appears as a thumbnail next to your comments and other activity around Facebook. 99 Subscribe: Subscribe is a way to hear from people you re interested in, even if you re not friends. The Subscribe button is also a way to fine-tune your News Feed to get the types of updates you want to see. 100 Wall: Your Wall is the space on your profile where you and friends can post and share. 101 Twitter Terms Follow: [S]ubscribing to [someone s] Tweets as a follower Facebook Glossary. Facebook. com/help/glossary. 96. Ibid. 97. Facebook. Definition. 14 Jan techterms.com/definition/facebook>. 98. Facebook Glossary. Facebook. com/help/glossary. 99. Ibid Ibid Ibid FAQs About Following. Twitter. Follower: People who receive your tweets. 103 Hashtag: A tag embedded in a tweet using the # symbol that identifies the keyword or topic of a tweet and makes a tweet searchable as part of a larger conversation. 104 Mention: Any tweet that contains the Twitter handle of the user in question. Mention is an umbrella term that includes replies, retweets and static tweets. 105 Reply: A tweet that begins with symbol. These are only visible to users who follow both users the user mentioned, and the user tweeting. 106 Retweet: A tweet that repeats the message of another user. Retweets are denoted with the phrases or They are visible to all of a user s followers and can also be posted via Twitter s retweet button. 107 Tweet: A message that is 140 characters or less, using the social network Twitter. Twitter Town Hall: An online meeting where constituents pose questions to the Member and the Member responds, through the Twitter medium. Unfollow: Unsubscribing to a person s tweets. Other Terms Application Program Interface (API): A language and message format used by an application program to communicate with the operating system or some other control program such as a database management system (DBMS) or communications protocol Ibid Edelman Digital. Capitol Tweets: Yeas and Nays of the Congressional Twitterverse. (April 2012) Ibid 106. Ibid 107. Ibid 108. Definition of API. PC Mag. Web. < com/encyclopedia_term/0,2542,t=application+progra mming+interface&i=37856,00.asp>.

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46 Appendix B: Sources for Existing Social Media Policies Agency/Source Chief Information Officers (CIO) Council Department of Justice, Victoria, Australia Environmental Protection Agency State of Californa Texas State Employees UK Parliament US Army Corps of Engineers Jacksonville District US Department of Commerce US Department of Defense US Department of Energy US Department of State US Department of Transportation US Health and Human Services US Navy White House Title of Document Guidelines for Secure Use of Social Media by Federal Departments and Agencies Department of Justice Social Media Policy for Employees Internal Usage Social Media Standard Texas Social Media Policy Social Meda Policy Social Media User Guidlines Use of Social Media/Web 2.0 in the Department of Commerce Memorandum for See Distribution Social Media Web Guidelines Social Media Policy FHWA Social Media/Web 2.0 Management HHS-OCD Policy for Social Media Technologies Loose Tweet, Sink Fleets Social Media, Web-Based Interactive Technologies, and the Paperwork Reduciton Act Link Guidelines_for_Secure_Use_Social_ Media_v01-0.pdf comm_internal.pdf IT_Policy/pdf/SIMM_66B.pdf social-media-policy.aspx FOI-2011-parliament-social-media-policy- F pdf JaxDistrictSocialMediaUserGuidlines.pdf socialmedia pdf social-media organization/ pdf directives/orders/ htm policy_ _-_ocio.html USNavySocialMedia/navy-commandsocial-media-handbook-web default/files/omb/assets/inforeg/ SocialMediaGuidance_ pdf

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