Top 10 Primer: What Elected Officials Need to Know about the Use of Social Media

This class was live May 12, 2023. You can register for the recording though October 31, 2023.

Register HERE

Does your use of social media change once the campaign is over and you begin to govern? The answer to that question can be complex. Adding to the complexity is the ever-present likelihood that some of your "communicators" are bots located anywhere around the globe. What is your responsibility as an elected official? What are best practices for using social media to communicate with the public without violating the First Amendment?

The rules and practicalities of social media use for local elected officials are different from those for ordinary citizens. In this 75-minute class you'll learn about some bright lines of good and bad practices and improve your awareness of some of the murky areas around free speech and the First Amendment.       

Our faculty experts for this LIVE ON-LINE class are:

• Shannon Tufts, Professor of Public Law and Government, and Director of the School of Government’s Center for Public Technology  
• Kristi Nickodem, Assistant Professor of Public Law, and Government

Topics include:

1. Is your social media platform public or private?

2. First Amendment issues

3. Blocking users and deleting comments

4. Government transparency

5. Retention requirements

6. Ethics and social media