While feds avoid social media, their agencies log on

Federal agencies increasingly are using Twitter to connect with the public, but government employees see less value in social media sites, according to a new study from National Journal Group.

The study, which looked at Washington insiders' media consumption habits, found that more than half of Capitol Hill staffers, federal executives and employees of corporations, lobbying firms, nonprofits and other private sector organizations view Twitter as "pointless babble." Nearly a third called the service a "passing fad."

"There's so much buzz on Twitter -- nationally, it's Twitter this, Twitter that," said Bernadette Ryan-Leduc, director of research at National Journal Group, a division of Atlantic Media, Nextgov's parent company. "Yes, fine, great, if you want to reach the outside-the-Beltway audience. The people using Twitter inside the Beltway are those responsible for informing those outside the Beltway."

One federal employee called the microblogging site a "useful tool for passing information quickly to large audiences," but another said, "I don't get Twitter. Who cares what everybody else thinks about unimportant things?"

Hill staffers, who were younger than the federal and corporate executives surveyed, are more likely to Tweet than other Washington groups. Almost 20 percent of congressional employees said they use Twitter on a daily or weekly basis, but only 6 percent of feds do so, and 85 percent of them do not Tweet at all.

Still, federal agencies use Twitter and social media sites to broadcast news, increase transparency and communicate with constituents. GovTwit, a directory of federal, state and local Twitter accounts, as well as nonprofit and media users, currently counts 2,675 accounts and 545 of those are tagged in the agency category. Some agencies maintain just one Twitter handle, while others, such as NASA and the Defense Department, have 50 or more. The White House has 1.7 million followers, while the Justice Department has more than 300,000.

"NASA has a pretty popular loyal following. But for the most part . . . the most popular [agency Twitter accounts] are as popular as the second-tier Congress people," Ryan-Leduc said.

The study also found that only half of federal executives visit social networking sites in general, compared with 82 percent of Hill staffers and 67 percent of private sector employees. Congressional employees report the highest level of personal use, and private sector respondents had the highest rate of using the sites for professional purposes.

While Twitter is mostly an outside-the-Beltway phenomenon, Washington still values social networking tools such as Facebook and LinkedIn, Ryan-Leduc said. But the tools primarily are used for personal communication because federal employees aren't sure how to rely on social networking in a professional context, she added.

Survey respondents included 411 federal executives, more than 75 percent of whom were GS-14 or higher. Nearly 60 percent were older than 50, and 70 percent had been in public service for 15 years or more. By contrast, more than half of Hill staffers surveyed were 30 years old or younger.