5th Anniversary 11/11/15
The table is nearly set.
And you have a formal invitation to join us on 11/11/15 as we celebrate the 5th Anniversary of the first use of the #SMEM hashtag (which stands for Social Media in Emergency Management).
In recent weeks, Ive been working on drafting social media policies for several new organizations that I work or volunteer with. And while each organization uses social media differently, one common thread has been evident in each organizational training:
User Responsibility
While an organization can easily say here is how we will engage in social media, it is important to realize that your employees, your volunteers and your social media administrators will all contribute to your agencys reputation in the social space.
But you cannot assume that all of your employees or volunteers understand how to most appropriately engage in social media. This is why training and orientation to your social media policy is of serious importance.
Here are some basic guidelines to consider:
You may think that Ive disappeared from the #SMEM scene as of late, thanks to the lack of updates on this blog. However, that is not the case.
What is true is that Ive been busy working on a number of projects which have been just a little more behind the scenes, but now is a good time to resurface for a brief moment and chat about these endeavors.
I am a huge fan of social media and an even bigger fan of emergency response.
And, as capabilities expand in the realm of social media, Im beginning to struggle with the role of big data in emergency response.
Yes, every day, we have increasing access to types of data as emergency response agencies.
We have GIS data layers that cover many different types of layers from critical infrastructure to vulnerable populations. We have cameras that monitor public spaces. We have river sensors that report flooding. You name it, a data layer can be created for it.
The problem is our humanity. How much information is too much? What is the span of control on the human brain? What decisions will require human-level involvement versus decisions that can be automated?
I work in a 911 facility where our dispatchers already monitor at least 5 large screens of data (and that is simply to manage voice-based communications coming over telephones and radio traffic). In most public service agencies, we have a customer service model that answers each individual 911 call and seeks to provide direct response.
In the future of data management, a 1:1 response ratio will be impossible to maintain in our emergency service structures. No agency has the resources to manage this type of customer service model. And when there are conflicting demands on resources from differing types of data inputs, how will we prioritize the true threats occurring in any incident?
While I see a lot of emergency response programs interested in mobile apps that aim to engage the community in emergency response (like Red Cross and PulsePoint), the emergency response community must begin to have serious conversations about how to unify around several applications, because as the app market continues to proliferate (being over a million apps today), it wont help any agency to have 1000 people using 100 different apps. There needs to be some unity of message and use among emergency response agencies so that we can collectively learn to act together during a response and not all be off doing different things. That risks replication of work across the board.
Here are a couple of thoughts that we need to consider as these conversations evolve in a variety of disciplines (most notably, 911 and Emergency Management):
Yes, this blog has been quiet.
No, that doesnt mean Ive wandered away from social media.
For the past 2 months, Ive been living behind a Facebook Page alias and supporting a local political campaign.
And, if you really want to know what managing an emergency might feel like on social media, join a locally controversial political campaign. It can be difficult to simulate the amount of traffic, engagement and rumors when you are preparing to handle emergency events, but politics can provide an excellent microcosm of a crisis environment.
Some of the key things that you will learn are:
This past week, I had the opportunity to chat with a community group who wanted to learn more about how to spread its message on Facebook.
And, for most emergency situations, we dont ever worry about how to spread our messages because people actively crave information during times of crisis.
This means that good information about emergency responses spreads quickly, but how does one spread messages on Facebook when there isnt an active emergency? What about those public education campaigns about preparedness? Do you ever feel frustrated that your non-emergency messages arent seeming to get much traction?
Lets chat about a few ways to ensure that your messages will reach as many people as possible.
First and foremost, if you are administering a fan page on Facebook, spend some time building your Facebook community.
Then, as a follower of a page, there are 4 basic actions that you can take:
Today, we sit on the eve of September 1st which is the 10th Year of..
This month is focused on getting people to think about and take action towards becoming better prepared.
For many emergency service organizations, event planning is underway for various community events, CERT trainings and open houses to put services and activities on display.
And although being prepared is EVERYONES RESPONSIBILITY, there are still just a handful of events that everyone can participate in through the avenue of social media.
They include.
The American Red Cross has some creative partnerships this year that are creative as well for National Preparedness Month. They include:
FEMA also has some helpful tools for local programs to honor National Preparedness Month.
This past week was pretty incredible.
If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you know already that I was in Washington D.C. with a host of other friends and folks for the White House Innovation Day. You should read my friend, Kevin Surs post about this rather incredible experience. Another post from Kyle Richardson is available at this link.
@maryjofly & @cherylble
Rather than recount similarly, I thought Id blog today on the messages both shared and observed throughout this trip of a lifetime.
The purpose of our visit was clear: To identify and evaluate the existing challenges surround the use of collaborative technologies and big data in emergency response.
Simply? Why arent every day first responders using social media and data to inform key decisions?
And, over the course of 36 hours, I was able to sit in meetings at the White House, FEMA, Senate, House of Representatives and at our #DC Tweetup that was attended by #SMEM friends, contractors and tech agencies who were discussing these same issues in-depth, resulting in these key messages:
Whole Community Needs Refinement:
While Ill be the first to tell you that I firmly believe in the notion of whole community because I believe that it is everyones responsibility to engage in emergency response, public agencies still struggle with how to incorporate the voice of its residents and digital technology providers. We still see many technology providers aiming to fit their products into the disaster services sphere without the direct involvement of emergency service providers. And, while often, we can see some decent applications of technology, it occurs more by happenstance and not by direct intentional engagement. In order to be effective, the idea of whole community needs to be defined such that it provides quality roles for public safety agencies, other government entities, students, volunteers, private sector, and NGOs.
Rather than Creating Technology Solutions, Government Should Develop Trust & Meaningful Engagement with Tech Developers
Emergency responders should not be making technology and conversely, technology providers should not be leading the emergency response. For years, we have seen public agencies recreate the technical wheels of ideas that were often first birthed in the private sector. For example, government has attempted versions of social networks and damage reporting tools that look similar to both Facebook and Instagram, but few of the public apps have ever caught on in the public sphere like the ones more widely accepted. We have to develop trust and meaningful engagement between both groups so that people can lend their expert perspective into the development of technology and so that we are truly solving problems in a meaningful way.
Resistance to Social Media is Primarily Cultural & Resource-Based
While we still encounter people who are simply opposed to social media, the primary reluctance is often a deficit in the time & space to learn how to use collaborative technologies. And while those of us who use social media know that it allows us to become situationally aware more quickly, to the emergency manager who doesnt yet use social media, the perception still exists that it is one more thing to learn or manage. And, perceptually, this remains a barrier.
Writing a social media strategy does not have to be long and complicated.
I am always surprised when people tell me that they have no strategy. And while it seems comfortable to a fair number of businesses to wing it and see what comes naturally, that rarely works for long.
Initially, people will have ideas for their social media posts, but after a while, they grow tired or become unsure about what types of messages to post on their social accounts.
A simple exercise can step you through the basic questions that all leadership teams should consider as they draft their social strategy.
These questions are:
I spent some time recently writing a social media strategy for my current agency, so here is a sample of how easy this can be.
Who Are Your Target Audiences?
What Are Your Communication Goals?
What Types of Messages Further Your Communication Goals?
About a week from now, a number of #SMEM folks will be converging on Washington D.C. to attend the White House Innovation for Disaster Response & Recovery Day on Tuesday, July 29th.
And, if youve ever met me, you know that I love to meet folks that Ive only chatted with on Twitter or other social media platforms. Because, while chatting over Twitter is great, its only the beginning of our potential friendship. There are connections, memories and just plain awesome things that happen when youre able to share a hug over your favorite beverage.
So, we cant let this opportunity go by without aiming to connect as many #SMEM folks as possible. If you are heading to Washington D.C. or you live close enough to visit us tourists, fill out the following form so that I can get a headcount of who all might be available to get together. Its also tremendously important for making restaurant reservations since group dining in D.C. can be a little bit tricky.
Once I have some reservations in place, Ill jet an email to everyone who has RSVPed. Of course, if you dont RSVP, you can likely catch up with us on Twitter on the 28th or 29th, but it might be standing room only for you.
Hope to see you there! If not, Im sure you can watch us all tweeting under whatever hashtag organically comes to be. I know Ill have #GirlInTheCity going and I suspect #WHsmem or something else will get cross-tweeted to the #SMEM tag so yall can join the fun from wherever you are.
Thanks!
Cheryl Bledsoe (@cherylble)
5th Anniversary 11/11/15
Research & References of 5th Anniversary 11/11/15|A&C Accounting And Tax Services
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