Social Media Policies and Recomendations
Which tool is right for you and your office? Take a look at the minimum requirements and recommended practices for each to get a better idea of what it takes to use each tool. Once you have identified the tool that is right for you, fill out the account request form and email your Social Media Manager.
Whatever the tool, whether it's for official Service communication or an employee's personal use; we use social media in accordance with Department of the Interior social media policy and social media guidelines.
Approved Use
Headquarters, Field Stations, Regional Offices
Posting Frequency
Recommended: Daily or more
Minimum: 3 - 5 posts each week
Post Content
Recommended: Photo plus 2 - 3 short sentences and a link to more information
Possible Interactions
Like, comment, share
Content Accessibility
Visible to public
Account required to interact
Resources
Management Plan (PDF)
Account Request Form (DOC)
Approved Use
Headquarters, Field Stations, Regional Offices
Posting Frequency
Recommended: Daily or more
Minimum: 3 - 5 posts each week
Post Content
Recommended: 140 characters or less with a link to more information
Possible Interactions
Reply, retweet, like
Content Accessibility
Visible to public
Account required to interact
Resources
Management Plan (PDF)
Account Request Form (DOC)
Blogs
Approved Use
Headquarters, Field Stations, Regional Offices
Posting Frequency
Recommended: Daily
Minimum: Weekly
Post Content
Recommended: 500 words and photos
Possible Interactions
Comment, share
Content Accessibility
Visible to public
Account not required to interact
Resources
Blog Policy (PDF)
Flickr
Approved Use
Headquarters, Regional Offices
Posting Frequency
As content is available
Post Content
Recommended: Photo with caption, credit, description and tags
Possible Interactions
Favorite, comment, share
Content Accessibility
Visible to public
Account required to interact
Resources
Management Plan (PDF)
YouTube
Approved Use
Headquarters
Posting Frequency
As content is available
Post Content
Recommended: high quality video 3 minutes or less with closed captions and bumper
Possible Interactions
Like, dislike, comment, share
Content Accessibility
Visible to public
Account required to interact
Resources
Management Plan (PDF)
(FWS only) Bumper | Lower Third
Approved Use
Headquarters
Posting Frequency
Daily or more
Post Content
Recommended: Photo with short caption, credit and hashtags
Possible Interactions
Like, comment
Content Accessibility
Visible to public
Account required to interact
Resources
Management Plan (PDF)
Tumblr
Approved Use
Headquarters, possible future expansion
Posting Frequency
Daily or more
Post Content
Recommended: Text with photo and caption and a link to more information
Possible Interactions
Like, reblog
Content Accessibility
Visible to public
Account required to interact
Resources
Management Plan (PDF)
Account Request Form (DOC)
GitHub
Approved Use
Headquarters
Posting Frequency
As appropriate
Post Content
Code projects
Possible Interactions
Follow, download
Content Accessibility
Visible to public
Account required to interact
Resources
Management Plan (PDF)
Repository Request Form (PDF)
Our Strategy
Facebook: Facebook is our primary tool for interacting with citizens, and it is driven by geography. Individual refuges, fish hatcheries and field stations maintain their own pages where they discuss wildlife sightings, station news, interesting information and community events. Our eight regional accounts share the best news and stories from individual stations as well as partner organizations. We also have program pages for issue-based news, such as Migratory Birds or International Affairs. Finally, our headquarters account provides a national scope, publishing and sharing the best stories and news nationwide.
Twitter: All eight regions and headquarters maintain active Twitter presences. There are also issue-specific accounts, such as White Nose Syndrome in bats. We use Twitter the way it was intended: we speak, but we also listen. We regularly tweet our press releases, interesting wildlife and habitat facts, event alerts, emergency response news, and other stories of interest. We'll also reteweet and share third-party content we believe is relevant to our audiences.
Flickr: As an organization dedicated not only to protecting wildlife but also to connecting the public with nature, we maintain a robust catalogue of public domain photos from all eight regions and headquarters. Our photostreams are among the highest quality, free-to-use collections of wildlife and habitat photography on the web! Our photographs have been used worldwide in textbooks, documentaries, news publications, and more. All we ask is that if you use one of our photos, please credit the photographer and our agency.
Instagram: As an extension of our enthusiasm for wildlife and habitat photography, we maintain an agency Instagram account. This account is updated daily and features some of our favorite photos from around the country.
YouTube: We have one national YouTube channel that houses all of our online videos from around the country. Our content ranges from quick clips of wildlife or daily agency operations to full-produced pieces.