Out with old, in with newsfeed: Arizona department to switch from email to Facebook

PHOENIX — In another attempt to make Arizona government move at the speed of business, the Arizona Department of Administration will be updating their primary form of communication from email to Facebook at Work.

Facebook at Work is an office-friendly version of a personal Facebook page which will allow government officials to work in real-time, on large-scale projects which involve multiple individuals and departments.

The state government is participating in a pilot program of the project.

According to state Chief Information Officer Morgan Reed, email has become too antiquated to keep up with demand of government communication.

“There are more than 5,000 emails sent daily at ADOA and close to 20,000 received, by moving many of these internal conversations to this platform, we can respond faster, in real-time and ultimately be able to serve our customers better,” Reed said in a press release.

Facebook at Work will be used as a type of global address book, which Arizona government has never had before.

The goal is that the streamlined communication will save not only time but money and eventually be used throughout the state.

“This is an example of Arizona using innovation to find private sector technology to solve public sector problems and be more transparent and efficient which aligns with our governors goals,” Reed said.

The social media platform will also allow for greater content sharing, such as pictures and videos, to take place between departments.

Besides improving communication within government, the content will also be accessible to the public via a public information request.

“As we work to continue bringing state government into the 21st century, Facebook at Work will allow state employees to communicate more efficiently and effectively than ever before,” Gov. Doug Ducey said in a press release.

KTAR’s Tyler Klaus contributed to this report.

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