Social Media Strategies

Community members of all ages and backgrounds are increasing their use of social media tools as a way to connect to each other and the issues they care about. Not surprisingly, cities, counties, and special districts are also increasing their use of these communication channels to reach residents. These articles and tip sheets can help local governments navigate the operational and policy issues that may come up while using social media for community outreach and engagement.

Legal Issues Associated with Social Media

What legal issues do public agencies face relating to their use of social media? This paper chronicles a number of them. It also offers “DOs and DON'Ts” advice for reaping the benefits of social media while minimizing the pitfalls.

What legal issues do public agencies face relating to their use of social media? This paper chronicles a number of them. It also offers “dos and don’ts” advice for reaping the benefits of social media while minimizing the pitfalls.

A version of this paper was delivered to the May 2010 City Attorneys Spring Conference.

Related Files

Social Media Legal Issues

Sample Social Media Policies

(Last updated: February 2026)

A collection of social media policies from cities, counties, special districts, and other levels of government. We have organized these social media policy samples for you based on the complexity of the policy so you can better determine which example might best fit your agency's needs. Whenever possible, we have tried to provide example social media policies from within the past five years, to ensure coherence with an ever-changing social media environment.

Comprehensive Policies