Social Media and Local Governments: Navigating the New Public Square

Social media offers tremendous opportunities in the public sector. Governmental entities can use it to communicate with the public, interested stakeholders, and each other. The promise of greater transparency and public participation, however, is not without risk. Local governments must consider the reliability and source of posted information, professional ethical obligations, and a host of other legal issues. Social Media and Local Governments provides practical information to government attorneys and officials in their use of social media in the government context. The authors provide concrete examples of how communities across the country implement social media; explore First Amendment issues, Sunshine Laws, and copyright and privacy concerns, among other legal considerations; examine public employee usage of social media, whether at or away from the workplace; and explore ethical issues faced by public officials. The book concludes with sample social media policy forms and a checklist for creating and implementing a new social media policy.