Social Media & Networking Policy and Standards

The Office of Management and Enterprise Services (OMES) provides guidance, with approval from the State Governmental Technology Applications Review Board, for all State of Oklahoma agencies regarding the creation and use of emerging web tools to facilitate collaboration, information sharing, social networking and social media. Below are the social networking and social media policy and standards for all State of Oklahoma agencies, in addition to a list of approved technologies.

OMES and the Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General have been working to renegotiate Terms of Service (TOS) agreements with a broad range of social media providers who offer free services to users. The objective is to resolve issues with the existing standard terms that are problematic to state and local agencies. Having these agreements means that, if a state of local government chooses to use various social networking or social media sites, it won’t have to start from scratch on negotiating a special TOS.

This policy is a part of the State of Oklahoma Social Networking and Social Media Policy and Standards.

While state agencies are encouraged to use commenting features of social media, Web 2.0 and social networking technologies, agencies may disable this functionality if they so choose. When commenting functionality is used, all comments must be moderated by an authorized staff member trained and assigned by the state agency creating or maintaining the agency's social media, Web 2.0 or social networking presence.

State employees and elected officials of the executive branch acting in an official capacity on behalf of an agency shall act in accordance with applicable policies governing official public communications. If you are not authorized to speak to traditional media on behalf of your agency or the State of Oklahoma, then you should not speak in an official capacity for your agency or the State of Oklahoma in any social media, Web 2.0 and social networking comment.

State of Oklahoma agency content and comments containing any of the following forms of information should not be allowed for posting:

• Comments not topically related to the particular content being commented upon;
• Profane language or content;
• Use of harassing language or tone;
• Content that promotes, fosters, or perpetuates discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, national origin, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation;
• Obscene sexual content or links to obscene sexual content;
• Solicitations of commerce;
• Conduct or encouragement of illegal activity;
• Information that may tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems;
• Content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party;
• Promotion or opposition of any person campaigning for election to a political office or promoting or opposing any ballot proposition; and
• Disclosure of information which an agency and its employees are required to keep confidential by law or regulation.

Content or comments of this nature found on a state agency's social networking or social media technology site, should be edited, revised or removed from the site. Only comments that comply with this standard should be approved for posting by approved state agency staff.

Communications made through the social media, Web 2.0 or social networking technology's e-mail and messaging system will in no way constitute a legal or official notice or comment to the State of Oklahoma or its agencies or any official or employee of the State of Oklahoma for any purpose.