Software used to manage Science & Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) social media accounts: FOI release

Information requested

“Under the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, please provide:

1. Details of any software/platforms currently used to manage your organisation’s social media accounts.

2. The annual cost of these tools.

3. The contract expiry date(s) for these tools.

4. Details of any software/platforms used for social listening or media monitoring.

5. The annual cost of these tools.

6. The contract expiry date(s) for these tools.

7. The name and role of the person responsible for overseeing these contracts.

Please supply the information in electronic format.”

Response

The answers to your questions are as follows:

1. Details of any software/platforms currently used to manage your organisation’s social media accounts:
SASA currently uses a single social media channel: X (formerly Twitter). The account is managed directly via X’s online portal. Scheduled content is coordinated through a shared access Excel spreadsheet, and staff may also email members of our social media management group to request scheduling of posts.

2. The annual cost of these tools:
There is no annual cost associated with the use of X’s online portal or the internal scheduling process via Excel and email.

3. The contract expiry date(s) for these tools:
As no external software or paid platform is used for social media management, there are no contracts in place.

4. Details of any software/platforms used for social listening or media monitoring:
SASA does not currently use any dedicated software or platforms for social listening or media monitoring. Monitoring of replies and mentions to SASA’s X account is conducted manually via X’s interface. Engagement data is captured using X’s built-in analytics tool.

5. The annual cost of these tools:
There is no cost associated with the use of X’s built-in analytics tool.

6. The contract expiry date(s) for these tools:
As no external software or paid platform is used for media monitoring, there are no contracts in place.

7. The name and role of the person responsible for overseeing these contracts:
As there are no contracts in place for social media management or monitoring tools, there is no designated contract owner. However, the social media management group oversees the operation of the X account.

Additional Note:
While Microsoft Office 365 (including Excel and Outlook) is used within the organisation, it is a general productivity suite licensed for a wide range of purposes and is not specifically procured or used for social media management or monitoring. Therefore, it has not been included in this response.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.