1. Set the scope
Complete this with the governance or records officer before treating an account as ready for official use.
Record the office, jurisdiction, policy link/version and reviewer.
List each account URL, owner and intended use: official, personal, campaign or mixed. The label alone does not decide the status of individual records.
Record roles/contact routes for records, communications, IT and urgent escalation.
2. Prepare accounts and records
Use approved administration and recovery arrangements. Do not enter passwords, recovery codes or private correspondence here.
For each account, record authorized administrators, backup access, MFA check date and recovery owner.
Record what needs assessment, who captures it, the approved storage location and a review interval agreed with records staff.
Record the approved account description, contact route, response expectations and link to moderation rules.
3. Work through three scenarios
These are original fictional exercises for discussion, not universal legal answers.
What is the approved referral route? Who assesses the record? Do not paste the resident’s details here.
Who will review the mixed use and advise on handling? Do not assume every item has the same status.
Who owns recovery and how will any capture gap be investigated?
4. Agree next actions
Use this as the closing agenda for induction.
List each gap and the person accountable for completing it.
Record ready / ready with restrictions / not ready, reviewer and review date.
5. Confirm the local records workflow
Complete this with the city clerk or records officer. Keep the policy references and review decisions with the pack.
Identify the state, city/county or other public body, responsible records custodian and approved request channel.
Record the applicable schedule title/version and classification decision. Ask the authorized reviewer whether any request, dispute or hold affects proposed deletion.
Agree a sample date range, account, conversation and export. Record who checks completeness and who reviews material before release.
Identify who resolves mixed personal/official account use and disputed moderation decisions. Record approval and unresolved questions; do not infer permission from this checklist.
Completion checklist
Record evidence or an open action beside each item. A checked list is not legal approval.
Before using this pack
This original working aid supports discussion and documentation. It does not replace your policies, legal advice, retention authority or an authorized decision. No fixed retention period or universal permission to remove content is supplied.
Start with your state and office
Confirm the applicable public-records process, retention schedule and account-use policy with your city clerk, records officer or counsel. Federal guidance does not determine local requirements.
Explore Brolly’s guides for all 50 states and follow the official sources for your jurisdiction.
Washington: social media records
Use the state archives guidance to discuss capture and records-management responsibilities with your team. This reference applies to Washington.
Florida: public-records management
Use the state handbook to identify records-management questions for your office. Confirm the applicable schedule and procedures with the records custodian; do not apply Florida requirements to another state.
Federal offices: transition guidance
For federal context, consult NARA’s guidance for political appointees and senior officials. Local offices should use their own state and agency requirements.