The Federal Government on Tumblr
Increasingly, Federal agencies (like us here at the Bureau of Land Management) are using Tumblr to share photos, science, events, initiatives, and other great content with the Tumblr community. Here’s a list of some awesome Federal government blogs you should be following on Tumblr. It’s probably not exhaustive, but these are the ones we know about that post more than occasionally.
Reblog and help share the word:
America’s Great Outdoors: The Department of the Interior (our parent agency) shares an amazing photo a day of your public lands.
Archivist of the United States: The Tumblr of our “collector in chief” at the National Archives, David S Ferriero.
Bureau of Reclamation: Reclamation, and Interior Dept agency, is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States.
Congress in the Archives: Since the First Congress in 1789, the records of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate have documented the history of the legislative branch. The National Archives helps you explore this history.
Conservation at Work: The Natural Resources Conservation Service, part of the Department of Agriculture, posts photos of conservation on farms and other private lands across the nation.
Fish and Wildlife Service: The Pacific Region of the FWS encompasses extraordinary ecological diversity. Photos, science, and more.
Internal Revenue Service: Because who doesn’t want tax information on Tumblr? Useful tips, videos, etc., straight from the IRS.
My Public Lands: The awesomeness of the Bureau of Land Management, which manages more than 245 million acres of amazing lands, as told by students, interns, and newer employees.
Our Presidents: One space to bring the past 13 Presidents together. Discover behind-the-scenes history here. Managed by the National Archives.
National Archives: News and current events from the United States National Archives and Records Administration whose holdings include the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, military records, Presidential records, and millions of other documents related to the Federal Government.
Peace Corps: Life is calling. How far will you go? Get up close with the amazing work done by peace corps volunteers.
U.S. Department of State: Videos, photos, testimony, and updates from the State Department. Foreign policy updates on Tumblr—how cool is that?
Today’s Document: Highlighting interesting documents the National Archives’ holdings—both the well-known and the obscure—to observe historical events (usually the significant events but sometimes just the curious ones).
USA.gov: Government made easy. On Tumblr. Enough said.
US National Archives Exhibits: Images and stories from the National Archives related to “Searching for the Seventies: the DOCUMERICA Photography Project,” the newest exhibition on display at the Archives’ facility in Washington, DC.
But wait, there’s more!
Preservation at the National Archives: All things preservation at the National Archives and Records Administration. Posts to this site come from all of the Preservation Programs departments, including: Conservation, St. Louis Preservation, and National Preservation Programs.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library: Dedicated to the memory of our nation’s 35th president and to all those who through the art of politics seek a new and better world.
LBJ Time Machine: Taking a trip through time, from the birth of Lyndon Johnson in 1908 through 2013 at the LBJ Library and Museum.
FDR Library: Follow the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum as we count down to the rededication of the Roosevelt Library and the opening of the new permanent museum exhibits.
The Tumblrweed Times from the National Archives at Riverside, CA: We are the National Archives at Riverside—a unit of the U.S. National Archives. Our records document the Federal government in the western states of Arizona, southern California and Clark County, Nevada.
Measuring Success on Tumblr with Today’s Document:
Many of our followers requested more information on our recent presentation at DC’s Social Media Week, so, by popular demand, here are a few excerpts of our 5-minute* Lightning Talk for “Defining and Measuring Success on Social Media for Museums and Arts Organizations:”
Be sure to see the full Storify feed for a great recap of all the presentations from the #SmwMuseSocial panel. Thanks to all the panelists & attendees and everyone who helped to live-tweet the event!
(*undoubtedly we went well over the 5 minute limit but Dana Allen-Greil, our moderator-extraordinaire, was too polite call us on it.)
We had the privilege to share some of our experiences with Today’s Document on Tumblr as part of DC’s Social Media Week this morning.
Our panel, “Defining and measuring social media success in museums and arts organizations” included other great presentations from:
- National Gallery of Art
- Pew Internet and American Life Project
- Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Public Affairs
- National Museum of Women in the Arts
- Smithsonian Institution’s Office for Web and New Media Strategy
- Ford’s Theater
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
- Smithsonian National Museum of American History
- (special thanks to Dana Allen-Greil of the National Gallery of Art for organizing/moderating and inviting us, and the National Museum of the American Indian for hosting the panel!)
We spoke about our success on Tumblr so far but also the challenges in getting to the next level of public engagement. What do you think we can do to meet the “engagement challenge?”
This morning we’re checking out “Social Storytelling Q&A” with Tumblr’s own Mark Coatney as part of DC’s Social Media Week!
50,000 Followers on Today’s Document!
We couldn’t have asked for a nicer early Christmas present, and of course — it’s never too soon for a proper thank-you.
So from the team at Today’s Document, here’s a big thanks to all our followers, fans, & rebloggers — and to all our colleagues at here the National Archives who make all our featured records available.
