Government publishes 20-page guide to using Twitter

Whitehall urged to read 20 pages of advice before writing 140 characters

Whitehall can Twitter away

The government has published a 20-page guide to explain how Whitehall departments should use Twitter as part of their communications strategy.

The Power of Information taskforce set up by the Cabinet Office has recommended greater use of social networking tools to help broaden government communications beyond traditional routes.

Several departments and some prominent MPs have already set up Twitter accounts, but now Neil Williams, head of corporate digital channels at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has turned BIS's Twitter strategy into a generic template for Twitter strategy.

“You might think a 20-page strategy a bit over the top for a tool like Twitter,” said Williams in a blog post at the Cabinet Office web site.

“But, having held back my inclinations long enough to sit down and write a proper plan for BIS's corporate Twitter account, I was surprised by just how much there is to say - and quite how worth saying it is, especially now the platform is more mature and less forgiving of mistakes.”

Williams said the benefits of such a template include getting buy-in to setting up Twitter accounts; setting clear objectives for doing so; and to make sure Twitter is used carefully and consistently, protecting from “silly mistakes.”

The guide recommends that departmental Twitter accounts are anonymous, and used to promote the departmental identity, rather than any individuals.