Communication Working Group/Volunteer Manual/Channels
The channels CWG can use
Using Channels
Posting
New content and translations of new content is posted to multiple channels. This can be done channel by channel by CWG members who use official accounts, or by using software, such as Buffer, which can post the same message to multiple social media accounts.
Amplification
A significant part of the CWG's work is amplifying content contributed by others. CWG members can do so by liking, responding, reposting, and sharing content from local chapters, individual mappers, partner organisations, and other working groups. CWG can also amplify content from the broader OSM community that aligns with the content pillars. Use official accounts or personal accounts.
You do not need to produce original content to make a meaningful contribution through amplification, and WeeklyOSM, the OSM community Mastodon, and the OSM diaries are all good sources of material worth sharing.
The OSM Community Forum
(community.openstreetmap.org)
The OpenStreetMap Community Forum is a Discourse forum operated by the OSM Foundation with General chat and 46 local communities. Discourse is designed like a traditional bulletin board where topics are organized, searchable, and indexed by public search engines like Google. It functions as a permanent knowledge base rather than an ephemeral chat room. The CWG can post content to the Forum including content that points to other social media channels. The Forum is also worth monitoring to see what discussions are currently occupying the attention of the community.
The OSM Blog
(blog.openstreetmap.org)
The OSM blog is the CWG's primary publication and carries the official voice of the Foundation. Posts are substantive, typically somewhere between three hundred and eight hundred words, and are translated into multiple languages by the OSM translation volunteer community before or shortly after publication. The blog is permanent and indexed, and it carries considerably more weight than anything published on social media, so it deserves proportionally more care. A blog post that is wrong or poorly worded is a great deal harder to correct than a social media post. See Section 4 for the full posting process.
Mastodon
(@openstreetmap@en.osm.town)(https://en.osm.town/public/local)
Mastodon is the CWG's preferred federated social channel. The OSM community is genuinely active on Mastodon and engagement there tends to be real and substantive. Tone can be slightly warmer and more conversational than the blog allows. The OSM Mastodon server is administered by former OSMF Board and CWG member Amanda - user @amapanda on Mastodon
See this blog on Mastodon. https://blog.openstreetmap.org/2022/06/28/open-social-media-at-openstreetmap/
X / Twitter
(@OpenStreetMap)
X remains a significant channel for reach. The CWG maintains a presence here because a substantial portion of OSM's external audience, including journalists, developers, and institutional partners, still uses it, and OSM content is largely mirrored across X and Mastodon.
(facebook.com/OpenStreetMap)
Facebook reaches a somewhat different audience: more casual users, local mapping communities own many Facebook pages, and people who are less likely to be on the other social media platforms. Content that works well here tends to be visual and accessible rather than technical.
(@openstreetmap)
Insta is the most visual of the channels the CWG manages. Maps, imagery, community photos, and short-form content all perform well, and if you have an eye for visual content this is the channel that most rewards that kind of attention.
Many OSM related groups have chat rooms on WhatsApp. OSM Africa is an example with 404 members. It has been reported that over 90% of OSM organisations in Africa have a local WhatsApp group.
Telegram
Many OSM related groups have chat rooms on Telegram.
Slack
The OSM USA Local Chapter uses Slack for chat.
Signal
There are a few groups using Signal for OSM chat.
(OSM group, and a separate OSM company Page) LinkedIn reaches a professional and institutional audience including potential corporate members, government contacts, academic researchers, and journalists. The tone here should be more formal than on other channels, and new corporate membership announcements and Board-level communications tend to land particularly well.
Blue Sky Social
@OpenStreetMap.bsky.social
There are a few OSM accounts on Blue Sky. @OpenStreetMap.bsky.social appears to be ours. It is infrequently used. Blue Sky claims to be growing as users leave X but there is not a lot of OSM content on the channel.
Threads
There is no visible OSM presence on Threads. Some analysis of the reach of Threads is required before CWG starts posting to Threads.
Posting OpenStreetMap Foundation (OSMF) content to Reddit can be highly effective if you target the right community and respect their subcultural norms. The core OSM community on Reddit values governance transparency, project sustainability, and open-source data ethics. The dedicated channel r/openstreetmap: is the primary target. It is the largest hub for general mappers, developers, and active contributors. Foundation topics like board elections, Working Group updates, licensing debates, and the Active Contributor Program perform well here. OSMF board members have historically used this subreddit to host Ask Me Anything (AMA) threads.
https://www.pinterest.com/openstreetmap/
The movement maintains a Pinterest presence. Low priority relative to other channels but worth knowing it exists before assuming it doesn't. It is not clear who owns the account.
TikTok
OpenStreetMap (OSM) content posted by users is available on TikTok. The platform features a growing community of geography, cartography, and urban planning creators who use and discuss the open-source map. To explore this specific community, search for terms like #openstreetmap, #cartography, or OpenStreetMap Site Analysis on the platform.