NASA ranked high in the J.D. Power 2014 Social Media Benchmark Study: Government, released Thursday. In the two focus areas measured, servicing and marking engagement, J.D. Power reports, "Among the government agencies included in the study, only the National Aeronautics and Space Administration performs particularly well in both types of social interactions.

Increasingly, more and more people are getting their news from online sources, and we strive to share our story of exploration and discovery with the public through these digital channels, including social media, said David Weaver, associate administrator for Communications at NASA Headquarters in Washington. As NASA embarks on missions to go farther in space than ever before, we will look for new ways to engage the public and share the experience.

NASA has been at the forefront of social media since 2008, when the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) created the agencys first Twitter account, @MarsPhoenix, for the Mars Phoenix Lander. NASA has since grown and expanded its digital footprint to more than 480 accounts spread across 10 different social media platforms that consistently communicate the agencys mission and engage with followers around the world.

NASA maintains strong presences on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Instagram and other popular platforms. The @NASA Twitter account and NASAs Instagram account are the most followed in the federal government on those platforms.

NASA Socials, formerly known as NASA Tweetups, have brought thousands of people who engage with the agency via social media together for unique in-person experiences of exploration and discovery. Since 2009, NASA has hosted 80 NASA Socials at more than a dozen locations. Attendees have had the opportunity to witness space shuttle launches, spacecraft launches to the moon, Jupiter and Mars, fly an F/A-18 flight simulator and rub elbows with astronauts and NASAs administrator.

NASA Social participants go behind the scenes at NASA facilities, take photos, ask questions and share the experience with their social media followers. Other events have embedded these participants into media events at NASA and given them the same access as professional journalists.

NASA has won three consecutive Shorty Awards for the best government use of social media. The Shorty Awards also recognized NASA's @MarsCuriosity account as Foursquare Mayor of the Year. In addition, the agency won in 2009 for its use of Twitter for the Mars Phoenix Lander mission, and astronaut Doug Wheelock was awarded the Real Time Photo of the Year in 2011 for his "Moon from Space" picture. NASA now has six total Shorty Awards.

In 2013, NASA was also recognized in Forbes Magazine and on Mashable as the 8th most engaged brand on Twitter as calculated by Nestivity, a community engagement platform for Twitter. Also in 2013, NASAs Mars Curiosity won the SXSW Interactive award for a campaign that creatively connects and shares the experience on social media.

Additionally, NASA's social media team received the Space Foundation's Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award in 2012, which is presented annually to an individual, team or organization that has made significant contributions to public awareness and understanding of space programs.

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NASA Ranked High in J.D. Powers Inaugural Social Media Study of Government