King County's government agencies have long been avid users of social media tools like Facebook and Twitter. Now county councilmembers are making sure these tweets and status updates conform to public disclosure rules.
The King County Council adopted legislation Dec. 13 that requires the King County Executive to appoint a Social Media Advisory Group, which will develop a report on social media policy options and report back to the Council by March 31, 2011.
The goal is to ensure public record requirements are met and to increase transparency and trust in government.
"The use of social media is an easy and cost-effective way to keep the public informed, but we must be proactive to make sure they are being used in accordance with laws governing retention of public records," Council Chair Bob Ferguson, who sponsored the legislation, said in a statement.
Representatives of the County's Public Records Committee, the Office of Information Resource Management, Risk Management and the Prosecuting Attorney's Office, will be included in the group, along with "experts in social media."