Social Media at NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration John Yembrick and Jason Townsend, Office of Communications

Social Media Foundation at NASA According to the National Aeronautics and Space Act (Pub. L. No , 124 Stat [Dec. 18, 2010]): Sec (a) The Administration, in order to carry out the purpose of this Act, shall— – (3) provide for the widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof National Aeronautics and Space Administration

NASA Social Media by the Numbers National Aeronautics and Space Administration 100+ account managers 10 NASA Centers: each with social media leaders 2 full-time leads at one center 11 part-time leads at other locations 2 full-time social media managers 467 social media accounts and counting…

What all has this resulted in? 4 National Aeronautics and Space Administration

5 National Aeronautics and Space Administration 2008, 5 th most popular Twitter account ~75,000 followers

2009: First Tweet from Space 6 National Aeronautics and Space Administration 3 rd mst popular Twitter account - ~75,000 followers

2009+: Integration into NASA Websites 7 National Aeronautics and Space Administration

2009+: Integration into Mobile Apps 8 National Aeronautics and Space Administration

2010: First Live Tweet from Space 9 National Aeronautics and Space Administration

2010: First Foursquare Check-In from Space 10 National Aeronautics and Space Administration And a Foursquare badge earned by visiting NASA- related locations right here in your daily lives

So what happened? on Twitter ~1,000 followers Today - ~3.38 million followers 44 astronauts on has 1.2 million followers NASA Page on Facebook ~150,000 likes Today - ~1.64 million likes NASA Page on Google – Didn’t exist! Today – We’re in ~325,000 circles Astronaut Ron Garan is in 2+ million circles NASA on Foursquare 2009 – Didn’t exist! Today - ~450,000 followers National Aeronautics and Space Administration

How did this happen? Provide GREAT content that will get people talking. Social media is a conversation – spend as much time listening as you do speaking. If you start a conversation, participate in it; don’t start it and walk away. Ask for and enable feedback – respond to mentions on Twitter, comments on blogs, Facebook, etc. National Aeronautics and Space Administration 12

We Keep it Simple: Use Existing Ways to Engage 13 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Webchats Ustream chats Tweetchats Google+ hangouts Comment forums Web Streams News Conferences Ask a scientist events Public Events/Outreach activities Tours and open houses Online contests and submissions Expert interviews on other media and social media sites Hashtags Etc…

We Take it Offline: NASA Socials NASA has had great success with inviting our social media fans to in- person, behind-the-scenes opportunities at NASA centers, facilities, and events We ask participants to communicate the events hashtag so users can follow and join the conversation online. 14 National Aeronautics and Space Administration #NASASocial

We Promote Successful Online Conversation at Events 15 National Aeronautics and Space Administration Physical Reminders Hashtags Speakers

Our Successful Events Rock Logistics Soundbites & Tweetable Takeaways Conversation Topics Incorporate Your Online Audience Take Questions & Answer Back 16 National Aeronautics and Space Administration

But how where we able to do all this? Pre-coordination and proactively planning places for engagement – Getting out in front of the news is important – People will talk. If you give them a hashtag or a place to chat, they will generally use it. Make it relevant – We use the NASA Flagship accounts for the aggregating the best of the agency and the program accounts for more depth and detail National Aeronautics and Space Administration 17

Two different approaches… National Aeronautics and Space Administration 18 Both approaches work but speak to different audiences, thereby amplifying your exposure.

But Why? How does this help? Spreads the word as widely as possible by going directly to members of the public to tell your own story As news organizations cut staff and trim coverage, we get more news coverage… …in more places, especially smaller, local outlets The diversity of participants helps connect us to non- traditional audiences to further share our message We get impactful in-person AND virtual participation leading to significant levels of worldwide… ENGAGEMENT National Aeronautics and Space Administration

But Why? It Moves Followers From… Fans, Followers, Consumers ADVOCATES, AMBASSADORS, CREATORS, COLLABORATORS National Aeronautics and Space Administration

“You may not have a spaceship, but your company has a fan base. They won't think of themselves as fans until they're in a room with like-minded people. They won't think of themselves as members of a community until YOU bring them together.” -David (group VP, Makovsky + Company) National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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