Social Media

SocialGov Summer Sessions 2021

Wednesday, August 25, 2021 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM ET

Hosted by Digital.gov and the SocialGov Community of Practice

On August 25 and 26, the SocialGov Community of Practice will bring together experts to share their insights on intellectual property (8/25) and rules of conduct (8/26) in social media.

Both sessions will begin at 2:00 pm, Eastern, and run for an hour on their respective days. 

When registering, please select the session(s) that you would like to attend directly on the registration page to receive the correct Zoom for Government links and conference details.

Please note that this event is for federal employees only.

Session 1: Wednesday, August 25, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, ET

Intellectual Property and Social Media

Do you want to share your agency’s connections to the Super Bowl, or better understand the difference between fair use and public domain? Join representatives from the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the U.S. Copyright Office to learn how to legally and effectively use protected intellectual property in your social media communications. We will take a look at some common examples and provide resources so you can confidently make connections while protecting brand identities and creative works.

In this session you will hear from the following speakers:

  • Becky Oakes, United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO)
  • Whitney Levandusky, U.S. Copyright Office
View the slides from USPTO (Powerpoint, 5.1 MB, 26 pages) View the slides from U.S. Copyright Office (Powerpoint, 5.18 MB, 23 pages)

Session 2: Thursday, August 26, from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm, ET

Rules of Conduct for Social Media

Are you ever unsure about what your agency can and cannot post on social media? This session will explain some key rules about lobbying, political activity, and endorsements in official agency communications. The session will be led by representatives of the Government Accountability Office, the Office of Government Ethics, and the Office of Special Counsel.

In this session you will hear from the following speakers:

  • Charlie McKiver, Government Accountability Office
  • Jackie Yarbro, U.S. Office of Special Counsel
  • David J. Taube, U.S. Office of Government Ethics
View the Rules of Conduct session slides (Powerpoint, 107 KB, 18 pages)

For the Intellectual Property session on August 25th

For the Rules of Conduct session on August 26th