1. Social Media and
Records Management Challenges
Kevin Kim, CIPP/C, CIPP/IT
September 19, 2012

2. Agenda
• Overview & Definitions
• Challenges
• Best Practices
• GOA Example
• Q&A

3. AlbertaVan 2010

4. What is a record?
“record” means a record of information in any form and includes notes,
images, audiovisual recordings, x-rays, books, documents, maps,
drawings, photographs, letters, vouchers and papers and any other
information that is written, photographed, recorded or stored in any
manner, but does not include software or any mechanism that
produces records. - as defined by the Freedom of Information and
Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP Act)

5. What is Records Management?
Records management is a “field of management responsible for the
efficient and systematic control of the creation, receipt, maintenance,
use, and disposition of records, including the processes for capturing
and maintaining evidence of, and information about business activities
and transactions in the form of records” – ARMA RIM 101

7. What is social media?
• Social media is media used for social interaction, using highly
accessible and scalable communication techniques.
• Social media is the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn
communication into interactive forums, weblogs, social blogs, wikis,
podcasts, social bookmarking as well as sites for sharing
photographs, pictures and videos. – Wikipedia

8. What Social Media Looks Like
Web Publishing Social Networking File Sharing/Storage
Microblogging Social Networking tools Photo Libraries (Flickr,
(Twitter, Yammer) (Facebook, LinkedIn) Picasa)
Blogs (WordPress, Social Bookmarks Video Sharing (YouTube,
Blogger) (Delicious, Digg) Vimeo)
Wikis (Wikispaces, Virtual Worlds (Second Storage (Box, DropBox,
PBWorks) Life, OpenSim) Google Docs)
Mashups (Google Crowdsourcing/Social Content Management
Maps, popurls) Voting (IdeaScale, (SharePoint, Drupal)
Chaordix)

10. Social Media Use
• Time sensitive alerts
e.g. Alberta Health Services on Twitter
• Public relations
e.g. Travel Alberta on Facebook
• Education activities
e.g. Edmonton Public Library on Twitter; and on Facebook
• Customer service
e.g. St. Albert Public Library on Facebook; and on Twitter

11. Challenges #1 - Privacy
• Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP Act)
• Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA)
• Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
(PIPEDA)
• Health Information Act (HIA)

12. Challenges #2 - Security
Example of Government of Alberta
Corporate Information Security Office has developed a set of ten Information
Security Management Directives, including Asset Management; Physical and
Environmental Security; Access Control; and Compliance.
Not specific to security of social media, but…

13. Challenges #3 – Records Management
“Best Practices Study of
Social Media Record
Policies”
by American Council for
Technology and the
Industry Advisory Council

14. RM Challenge #1 Declaration
• Difficult to define as a record or non-record.
o Key question: “What social media content is record material?”
• A record is a record, regardless of physical form or
characteristics.
• Medium doesn’t matter.
Content is key.

15. RM Challenge #2 Social Media Capture
• How to manage social media content as records when the platform
is not under control of us?
• Most departments are not yet capturing social media records.
• Departments should “…evaluate which of the various components of
a social networking profile, and/or other interaction with the public
should be retained as records.”
• Fully automated archiving services emerging
(e.g. Nextpoint)

16. RM Challenge #3 Social Media Metadata
• Difficult to tag content for retrieval by applying metadata.
• Now mostly adding metadata manually for social media content.
• Many organizations tend to retaining all social media content:
costly, inefficient, unsearchable.

17. RM Challenge #4 Social Media Scheduling
• Lack of control causes scheduling and disposition of records difficult.
• If existing records schedule is media-neutral, social media
records might be sufficiently covered.
• How long should I keep social media records?
o Medium doesn’t matter
o Content determines how long to keep; destroy
or archive after retention period.

18. RM Challenge #5 Staffing and Education
• Implementing social media records policy.
• More records management staff and improved capabilities for
providing records training to the staff.
• Modifying existing records management
program to incorporate new media types.

19. Social Media Recommendations
• Don’t block social media because of perceived risks; but do control it
from a governance perspective.
• Develop Communications between social
media team and records management.
• Develop social media policies that address security, privacy, and
communications issues, as well as records management considerations.
• Implement records management for social media as part of enterprise
content management

20. Records Management Recommendations
• Review and revise records management policies to address social media.
• Evaluate the social media tools used to determine
if actions taken by users will result in a record
(e.g. “liking” a post or “re-tweeting” a tweet).
• Associate the records with the current records schedule—if a
new record category will be produced, determine the retention period.
• Institute a process to capture records and associated metadata and
manage them during their entire retention period.

21. Examples
GOA Administrative Records
Disposition Authority
(ARDA)
• Electronic Communications, Social Networking and Website Records
• Electronic Communication and Social Networking Records Retention Sc
hedule

22. Human Resources Recommendations
• Develop and conduct training for all users and send regular
awareness communications regarding policies and risks.
o specify how employees can use department images, logos, intellectual
property, and other digital assets in their online presences.
• Training programs must address appropriate
and inappropriate use of social media technology.
• Penalties for misuse of social media must be included in the social
media policy and in the employee training program.

23. • GOA Social Media-Web 2.0 Policy
o Governing social media use for GOA business
and personal use.
• GOA Social Media Strategy
o All uses of social media for GOA business use
must be cleared with ministry communications
directors.
• GOA Social Media Handbook (draft v. 1.0).

24. Reference
• 10 Things to Know About Preserving Social Media [PDF];
• A records and information management guide to social media;
• Best Practices Study of Social Media Records Policies [PDF];
• Facebook Key Facts;
• NARA Bulletin 2011-02: Guidance on Managing Records in Web 2.0/Social Med
ia Platforms;
• How Federal Agencies Can Effectively Manage Records Created Using New Socia
l Media Tools [PDF];
• Social Media Policies in the Public Sector;
• Social Networks and Their Impact on Records and Information Management [P
DF];
• Tools to Help Companies Manage Their Social Media (NYT).

25. Questions?
Comments?