Facebook's Public Option

Some 23 federal agencies already have Facebook pages, according to the blog FederalComputerWeek, but we can expect still more to sign up now that the social media site has launched a new Facebook and Government page (nearly 500 friends already!) to help timid bureaucrats reach out to the public. Among its inaugural Wall postings were an unveiling of NATO's own new Facebook pages, a primer on the administration's "White House Live" app, which allows video streaming of events, and a military media link heralding 20,000 fans for US Forces Afghanistan's Facebook page—an item that was already a bit stale, since USFA boasted more than 28,500 fans as of yesterday. There was also a link to a blog post by the Army's Director of Online and Social Media, entitled "Connecting and Sharing the Army Way," and another to the Army policy for Wall comments: No graphic, obscene, explicit, abusive, hateful, or racial comments, or "comments intended to defame anyone or any organization."

Apparently some federal agencies already know precisely how to reach America's young people—well, at least until they enroll.

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