Apparently it’s now ok for employees at federal agencies to communicate with their clients and customers using a variety of social networking tools.
The General Services Administration has signed agreements with Flickr, YouTube, Vimeo and blip.tv that make it possible for federal agencies to use new-media tools while meeting their legal requirements, GSA officials announced today.
Under the agreement, agencies can immediately begin using new-media tools that let people post, share, and comment on videos and photos on the Web. Individual agencies must decide which tools their employees may use and how they may use them.
Agencies are already free to use Twitter because GSA found its standard terms of service compatible with federal use.
Of course, someone at those agencies will need to teach those employees how to properly communicate using these tools.
Since that’s not something they’re likely to learn in school where many of them are blocked.
[Thanks to Tom for the link. And for getting my blood pressure going this morning.]