STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES FOR CREATING CIA SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06783930
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: July 11, 2023
• Document Release Date: November 29, 2022
• Case Number: F-2014-01985

Approved for Release: 2022/11/07 C06783930
Standard Operating Procedures for Creating CIA Social Media Content
Standards for submitted content (text, images, video, etc.)
Content must be appropriate and approved for public release to national and international audiences.
The CIA.gov Web Team reserves the right to reject submitted content; it consults with OPA's Media
Branch on the dissemination of sensitive media issues.
Before being submitted to OPA, content must be reviewed and approved internally by the submitter's
appropriate chain of command as being of sufficient quality to represent the CIA and by the IRO's for
classification approval.
If the timing of publication is important, the date of desired publication (on or by such-and-such a date)
must be included.
Content files or directions on where the new content is to be posted is living (existing URL, new page,
etc.) must be included.
Format for images for posting: JPGs are the preferred format for images. GIFs will be accepted only if
necessary; no other format will be accepted
See Guidelines for Videos section for acceptable video formats.
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Guidelines for Twitter
What is Twitter?
� Twitter is a social networking tool that allows users to send, receive, and view short messages
known as Tweets.
� All Tweets, to include text for links, must be 280 characters or less.
� You cannot prevent another Twitter user from hashtagging, Tweeting at you, replying to your
Tweets, etc. This is part of the functionality of Twitter.
� CIA has one Twitter account, @CIA, and it is maintained by the Office of Public Affairs.
Twitter Terminology
� Tweet: a comment posted to Twitter that is 280 characters or less (to include URLs and photos)
� Replies: public Tweets posted in reply to another user's message; replies always start with
@username
� Retweet: a Tweet by another user forwarded to you by someone you follow; or, the act of re-
posting another user's Tweet to all your followers
� Messages: private comments from followers; these are received separately from Tweets (@CIA
has been set so that we can NOT be sent private messages)
� Mention: the inclusion another username within a Tweet (Great work, @CIA!)
� Hashtag: the # is used to tag key words or topics in a Tweet, like #CIAK9
� Followers: Twitter users who are subscribed to your account
Your Role
� You will have the opportunity to develop content for your office
� Remember: You're Tweeting as the CIA, not as an individual.
Using Hashtags in Tweets
� The hashtag (#) is used before a keyword or phrase (no spaces) in your message to categorize
your Tweet and help it show up more easily in Twitter searches. Hashtags also take up
characters.
� On Twitter, clicking a hashtagged word in any message shows you all other Tweets marked with
that same keyword.
� Hashtags can occur anywhere in the Tweet�beginning, middle, or end.
� Hashtags can drive public interest in a particular topic or item.
� Hashtagged words that become very popular often become trending topics on Twitter�and
trending topic are featured on the Twitter homepage.
� If you Tweet with a hashtag on a public account, anyone who does a search for that hashtag can
find your Tweet.
� Don't over-hashtag in a single Tweet�best practices recommend using no more than two
hashtags per Tweet.
� Use hashtags when relevant and appropriate.
� Search your hashtag before using it. Users on Twitter may not always be using a hashtag the
way you intend to use it.
Posting an Image to Twitter
Before sending an image to OPA for Tweeting, know that...
� you should give it a short, somewhat descriptive title:
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o bad image titles: DSC_075423.jpg; picture01.jpg
o good image titles: ClAdogLuluintraining.jpg, ClAcar.jpg
� the image quality and resolution should be high
� the image's subject matter must be for a public audience
� Do not send photos of actual employees
� All photos must be approved by your ASO and IROs for posting to public
CIA Twitter Rules
Things to Do...
� Receive IRO approval for any content for posting to public
� Any new content for Tweeting MUST live on CIA.gov. CIA.gov is the official record, not Twitter.
� Write Tweets. in an authentic voice, use common sense and discretion, and keep in mind that
you are representing the CIA.
� Review your Tweets for spelling, grammar, and accuracy.
� Be considerate of any timing issues or other sensitivities. Be cognizant of current events.
� Only provide content that can be related to intelligence and the CIA mission.
...Things Not to Do...
� Do not use names or photos of real employees
� Do not provide content that trolls or is inappropriate for a professional account
� Do not provide content that has nothing to do with CIA or intelligence.
Ways to Improve Your Tweets
� Post pictures, images, or graphics. Tweets with graphics do exponentially better.
� Pull content from CIA.gov
� Participate in pop culture anniversaries/"holidays"/events and heritage month like STEM Day,
Womens History Month, ADA anniversary.
� Review what other government accounts are doing for ideas and inspiration.
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Guidelines for Videos
How to prepare videos for posting
OPA Web Team must be contacted in order to post a video on CIA.gov, YouTube and/or Facebook. They
will provide guidance on how to submit the file, as video files generally cannot be sent via e-mail.
Format: The requestor must provide a file in an mp4 format. Additionally, they must provide a close
captioning file in a .srt file format, as well as a title and brief description of the video, and tags.
Transcript of sound recording must accompany video. By law, all videos posted on a�government
website such as CIA.gov and YouTube must include a word-for-word transcript or a description of what
is occurring on screen if there are no spoken words in the video.
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How to request an expanded web presence, i.e. social media pages/mobile
applications/blogs/podcasts etc.
Background: While social media sites are enormously popular and pages are fairly easy to create, there
are a number of issues and rules governing CIA use of web and communicating with the public that CIA
must consider, OPA has the sole responsibility for the Agency's web presence, no matter where it
resides.
Entities must first consider:
--Because of federal accessibility and records laws, all original content (text, pictures, videos, etc.) on
social media sites must first appear on CIA.gov.
--Each social media site has its own terms of service and policies on legal issues such as private sector
advertising, indemnification and defense, applicable law and court jurisdiction, and privacy that the OPA
must resolve before agreeing to set up a presence on a social media site
--Before setting up a presence on social media sites, the CIA must also consider federal procurement
regulations and policies involving the acceptance of free services from social media sites, how the CIA
chooses social media sites, and which employees will represent the agency and manage accounts.
--At the direction of OGC, the CIA currently does not respond to public comments on social media sites
because this would turn these sites into a system of records (like e-mail). As a result, the CIA's social
media sites function as a channel to push out existing CIA content rather than a two-way dialogue with
the public.
--Although social media sites are popular, there needs to be a CIA purpose for being there (not just
because everyone else is). Care must be taken to ensure that all tweeting/posting/etc. is done from a
CIA perspective, not from that of an individual.
--All social media channels and other web presences will be approved and managed only by the Office of
Public Affairs
Process: Requestors must contact OPA to set up a meeting to discuss proposals to create a public social
media site, blog, mobile app, podcast, etc. before registering domain names, contracting for servers,
setting up development accounts, or joining a website. This includes any website that will be set up in
partnership with other government agencies or private sector organizations. OPA will discuss the above
issues and the needs of the requestor to see whether a social media site is the best solution or whether
these needs can be met through existing accounts or other means. In most cases, requestor needs
should be met with existing web resources for legal, policy, or media guideline reasons.
The requestor must submit a business case in writing with the following information:
--Project description: Description of the website/social media/mobile app/blog project to be
implemented, including any social media tools and/or sites that would be employed.
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--Business purpose: Description of the project's intended business purpose and how it supports the
mission of the requestor's component; also why existing resources on CIA.gov are not sufficient to
satisfy the request.
--Site maintenance and security: Description of who will be responsible for maintaining the project,
including authoring and approving content, providing technical support and site security
--Content and moderation: Description of general nature of the content to be posted and whether the
public commenting feature can be disabled (if applicable). If the public commenting feature cannot be
disabled, a description of how comments will be reviewed on a regular basis must be provided, bearing
in mind that two-way communication on outside websites is not allowed, as outlined in section
--Proposed Implementation timeframe: Deployment schedule must be provided and reasons for specific
scheduling needs.
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