This past week was historic for the use of social media in crisis. And while many articles have already been written about the use of social media in the Boston Marathon bombing and the fertilizer explosion in West, Texas, I want to focus on the role for the rest of us. If you are in [...]
In the world of emergency management, responders commonly manage teams to complete a variety of missions and tasks. But, for the most part, the people being managed exist “in real life” and communicate via voice, if not face-to-face. And while large companies have been dealing with virtual teams for many years, this concept is still relatively new [...]
Last week, I wrote about “mistake” tweets. And this week, we experienced several situations where agencies made requests or shared information in ways that provoked conversations about whether the action itself was a mistake. Situation #1 occurred during the search for Christopher Dorner when a request was made to the media to stop sharing information [...]
This past week has offered two great case studies in how to use social media. While both situations involve “disasters” of different types, both stories give us a lot to learn. First up, have you read up on the Applebee’s Restaurant Public Relations Disaster? If you haven’t, may I totally recommend this informative blog on [...]
Following every disaster, there is a rush to judgment. And Hurricane Sandy is no different… We all have the ability to observe and evaluate the various stories, experiences and rumors that surface during significant events. But who among us ever has early access to the full story of the hows, the whys and the [...]
A picture should be worth 1,000 words. And, in the world of social media, graphics can help tell a story. This is especially important to both the news media and emergency managers who need to share information with diverse audiences. Sometimes, as an emergency manager, I’m sharing information with operational responders who need very detailed [...]
This is going to be a busy week on social media. With the impending Hurricane Sandy (#sandy, #frankenstorm) and the International Association of Emergency Management (#iaem12) Annual Conference, a number of different platforms are buzzing with pictures and information. And, in the midst of these 2 events, there is still an important election coming up [...]
Have you been watching all of the devastating wildfires in the United States this week on Twitter or other forms of social media? If you have been monitoring the breaking news, you’ve probably also seen a proliferation of hashtags that have not only tracked fires by states, but also by specific names. One practice that [...]
This isn’t a personal question, but rather a question about the data and information that you share as a public safety agency. There is a lot of lip-service given to being open and transparent, but it goes beyond just answering any question that is presented to your agency. Are you proactively sharing information that the [...]
This past weekend, a number of tech-savvy, computer folks gathered to participate in RHoK which stands for “Random Hacks of Kindness.” On their website at www.rhok.org, this group is defined as a “global community of innovators, building practical open technology to make the world a better place.” While I could try talking about what these [...]
