This paper aims to investigate the utility of local SNS to local government employees and how they are managed by local governments. Recently, local SNSs have decreased. According to GLOCOM's research, the number of local SNSs reached about 500 as of 2010, but as of 2013, the number of local SNSs declined to 300. This decline is not only seen in local SNSs: for example, electronic meeting rooms followed similar pattern of decline. However, existing surveys of the reasons why local government close down their social media. In this research, interviews with 14 local government employees were carried out from three points of view: the management structure, utilization for official work by employees, and private use by municipal employees. The results show that most local governments did not participate in the administration of their SNSs. Furthermore, regarding the points of view surveyed, the following observations were made. First, management structure: there are two style of management structures: first, maintenance and management department, second, public relation's department. Second, utilization for official work by employees: most local governments only checked irregular remarks or complaints, but they did not use local SNS as a communication tool. Third, private use by municipal employees: only a few municipal employees use local SNS in their private life for fear of causing a scandal. Finally as for merit and demerit for municipal employees: as a merit, they can utilize SNS as a tool of public hearing, on the other hand, as a demerit, they need to correspond for a lot of inquiries from a citizen.

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The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of interactions by e-mail with non-kin others among seniors living in Japan. The internet survey was conducted to 835 seniors aged 65 years or older in April 9-23, 2009. The major findings were as follows: (1) the majority of the respondents had interactions by e-mail with non-kin others, (2) more than 10% of non-kin others were whom they knew only names because they were "friends through hobbies or leisure activities" and "(former) friends at their work.," (3) the interactions by e-mail with non-kin others were likely to be superficial and limited to companionship, and there were a few instrumental or emotional support, and (4) females were maintained emotional ties with friends by e-mail via mobile phones than males.

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Here we as young researchers in SSI will report the history of the activities of young researchers to empower young researchers themselves (BJK) in Society of Socio Informatics (SSI). The origin of our activity can be back to Nagoya Forum 2006 which was held by JSIS & JASI together. In this tradition, "PC study club for Rebuilding Yamamoto" which is successively explained by Dr. Hattori, and Dr. Matsumoto in this volume was planned and carried out by BJK in cooperation with Nifty, Kahoku Shinpou, and JSIS research promotion unit. I hope this tradition will grow and continue to promote researches by young researchers and to activate the studies widely executed in our society SSI. I am very thankful of all supports given to us BJK.

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In 2012, the members of the Society of Socio-Informatics (SSI), including me, who have been engaging in the reconstruction assistance from the earthquake and massive tsunami on the day of March 11th 2011, cooperated with the program for promoting ICT in Yamamoto Town Office. In the program, we challenged to revitalize the vanishing local communities of the disaster area by using local SNS. This paper is based on the reports at the SSI Symposium I on June 8th 2013, of which the title is "Challenge of Socio-Informatics to Introduce a Local SNS in the Local Community of the Disaster Area." They were presented by Mr. Takeda and Mr. Kato, who are employees of the Yamamoto Town Office, and Mr. Ooizumi, who is a journalist from Kahoku Shimpo. The paper describes the results and problems of the ICT program.

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"The Disaster Recovery Support Team" of The Society of Social-Informatics (SSI) implemented a project that supply education course. The project was a public undertaking of YAMAMOTO-cho, Watari County, Miyagi Prefecture. The courses consisted of PC and internet literacy, SNS etc. The goal of the project was not only upskilling support for people in YAMAMOTO-cho, but also place ICT in ways of disaster recover. The Disaster Recovery Support Team made a presentation of their activities at the SSI Symposium on June 8th, 2013. The contents of this paper is one of the presentation of the symposium titled "Needs for ICT of Inhabitants of Disaster Areas - "Voice" of Them at PC Classes" by the author of this paper. This paper is a revised version of the presentation.

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