The space agency recently began using Google+ Hangouts to broadcast conferences, shuttle launches and meetings to anyone with an Internet connection. "It kind of humanizes what's going on with your government organization," said Jason Townsend, NASA's deputy social media manager. "A lot of people think we're nameless, faceless, big, behemoth entities, and so we're able to go out there and say no, we're a collection of individuals trying to accomplish big things."

NASA broadcast its first Google Hangout on Feb. 22, 2013. "It was a huge success," Townsend said. "We had about 1,500 people directly connecting with the space station at one point in time…usually it's however many people we can fit in a room."

Read more: https://fcw.com/articles/2013/08/01/government-social-media.aspx