Monitoring social media? I should hope they are…
Monitoring social media? #SydneySiege #Sydney
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Tag Archives: media
The 24-hour media cycle was the biggest challenge #Ferguson #FergusonDecision
The 24-hour media cycle was the biggest challenge in investigating the #Ferguson case, followed by rumors on social media.
Totally true.
Mr. McCulloch-While I appreciate the facts, I don’t appreciate you thrashing social media.
Be cool tonight peeps
Memes I can reference or use anytime #Merica
I’m going to park these right here….so I can reference them later.
And of course this one that might be used several times in presentations I have.
Feeling patriotic tonight. #Merica
Safety-PIO-SM-14-010-Appropriate-for-Social-Media ?
| 14-010: Appropriate for Social Media? | |
| Agency: The back of the ambulance | Topic(s): Posting on SM |
| Date: Fall 2014 | Platform: Instagram |
At times, social media is very emotional and many users like to share intimate moments with all their followers. The reality of social media is great…except when it is done inappropriately. That’s just what Instagram user rnashleeyyy_xx did in the back of an ambulance.
“Love is in the air…” are great lyrics, however, I don’t believe this type of behavior is appropriate for an ambulance. This isn’t a hotel…real patient care occurs in the back of the ambulance! This is a professional environment. Keep it that way.
Also, I am fairly sure Zeus didn’t write that in his SOGs. No matter the justification, people will immediately judge and in the court of public opinion, these actions are not considered professional. And no, the caption/description will not deter or change focus as the visual image hits the news.
So basically, stop making out in the back of the ambulance.
The amount of stuff that happens back here is enough to scare an entire country. Infection control alone should be enough of a deterrent. Think about it.
Any agency on social media should have a social media strategy and a plan that includes guidelines on how employees should use social media and who they interact with. The plan can outline how members should conduct activities on social media as well as identify dangers on how, if used inappropriately, will reflect poorly upon the agency. No matter your threshold of acceptance or approval, monitor your employees use of social media. They are a direct reflection on your agency, your brand, and you.
General social media tips to keep in mind:
- Know what your employees are posting on social media platforms.
- Your employees are a direct representation of your brand/image on social media.
- The disclaimer “My views expressed here do not reflect my employer’s views” will NOT hold up in court.
- Regularly search for your agency’s name to monitor the online discussion(s).
- You work hard to build your brand on social media…Keep it that way.
Time is valuable, so tweet good stuff.
***To download this as a single-page printable format, click this file:
Safety-PIO-SM-14-010-Appropriate-for-Social-Media-a
No complaining-offer solutions-Safety-PIO-SM-14-008
| 14-008: No complaining – offer solutions | |
| Agency: Long Beach Fire | Topic(s): Public Perception and Solutions |
| Date: Fall 2014 | Platform: Twitter |
Complaining or venting on social media is fairly common. However, as an official agency, public displays of affliction does not portray the best image. Long Beach Fire expressed some displeasure on Twitter when discussing the their pilot program.
After reading this tweet, the public’s perception is that if 9-1-1 is called, no ambulances will respond. This is irresponsible and wrong. (Almost all emergency services have mutual aid agreements or memorandum of understandings in place.)
Positioning your agency as a fear mongerer or the Harbinger of Evil will only further distance yourself from people who would be willing to help your cause. Inform them of dangers, but more importantly, engage them publically on social.
If there is internal displeasure with the new staffing models, be proactive and offer transparent solutions in the tweet. Cite websites that provide industry information. Publically share statistical data that supports changes with current programs. These online tactics will help direct and educate the general public on how to be better informed on other program and possible other options yet unexplored.
Additionally you can rally your constituents behind better initiatives by engaging with them publically via social media. It demonstrates that your department’s community involvement is a key part of a better solution.
As an official account, Twitter’s 140-character limit is really no place to moan/groan.
A more effective tweet could have read:
| LBFD resources are maxed out. #Firefighters cannot provide adequate #Paramedic service to our communities. Help us find a solution <insert link here> |
By phrasing it this way:
- You identify that resources are…well…maxed out.
- You use hashtags (#Firefighters and #Paramedic) that will help increase visibility in your tweets.
- You stress the importance of providing dedicated service to your community.
- You provide a traceable/measureable link that informs and helps bring visibility to this critical situation.
Time is valuable, so tweet good stuff.
***To download this as a single-page printable format, click this file:
Your image on social by monitoring your name Safety-PIO-SM-14-007
| 14-007: Your image on social by monitoring your name | |
| Agency: Lakewood Fire | Topic(s): Monitoring your name/branding |
| Date: Fall 2014 | Platform: Twitter |
Monitoring your namesake has been debated for years. But with decreased staffing and less time to do more with less, many agencies are bypassing this critical piece of community relations and image/branding. A good example is when a citizen commented on Lakewood Fire’s SUV parking.
Everyone has a camera these days. We use them not only to capture memories and precious moments, but also for documentation and shaming. I believe Todd was going for the public safety shaming factor here. I am unsure on the previous relationship between Todd and Lakewood, but there was never a response on Twitter back to Todd. Truth be told, these days, unanswered public questions are sometimes perceived as a government agency cover-ups/issues. Similar to the “No comment” – a non-response might even be worse.
How do you monitor your agency’s name or any derivatives? Try these free services: Google Alerts, search columns in TweetDeck or Hootsuite, or frequent basic vanity searches on any search engine or social media platforms.
While Todd’s use of hashtags is fairly standard social media malarkey, a swift response with a timely and direct reply to Todd’s tweet would help stop the perception that LFD is breaking the law or even setting a bad example. Remember, social media is about digital interaction.
The response could also be a teaching point so share with your audience some insight into your normal operations with a simple message on Fire Prevention activities – like hydrant testing. And using the hashtag #FirePrevention pulls up thousands of tweets about educating the public specifically in fire safety.
An effective @reply response to Todd’s tweet could have read:
| @stwrs1974 During an emergency, it’s tough to find safe parking. FYI-we also check/flush hydrants twice a year too #FirePrevention |
By phrasing it this way:
- You immediately address the issue directly with the citizen citing the issue.
- You provide insight into scene safety during an emergency.
- You call attention to your normal operations (in this case-hydrant flushing).
- You use the hashtag #FirePrevention to call attention to…well…Fire Prevention.
- You show the general public you care about your image and want to get the story right.
Time is valuable, so tweet good stuff.
***To download this as a single-page printable format, click this file:
YourImageOnSocialByMonitoringYourName-Safety-PIO-SM-14-007
My first week with ello #SocialMedia #SMEM
As promised, here’s my quick initial review of ello.
It’s only been a few days…so I figured since everyone isn’t on it, this might help show some of the difference between this new emerging social media platform compared to others.
Here’s a quick news package story from the founders of ello.co from Vermont.
Hot Social Network Ello Starts in Vermont
(Love the small town local news)
For those that think this is like Facebook? Nope. The company’s mantra of a simple ad-free platform is as plain jane as can be. Not much there. In fact,
Few initial notes I have on ello:
- Comments are a bit weird as they are currently in a separate box which is unattached to the picture you upload.
- The gigantic fat Noise button – I’m still unclear on what that is. I feel like it’s kinda like the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button on Google.
- No search feature.
- No geolocation feature
- I think more people are talking about ello on FB, Twitter, Insta, Vine, Snapchat, etc….than people actually ON ello.
- No hashtag or category use
- Stop trying to force me to Say Ello…But I WILL say ello with a horrible British accent
- No trending topics.
- After I post an update (or Say Ello…) Why do I have to move my cursor over to the “Post–>” button?
- No popular happenings.
- Finding friends is hard. Not cool. They are my friends.
- No app.
- Feels awfully like Tumblr.
- It’s difficult to find friends because I have to first find them individually on their own page and then follow them. I can not pick them up from a list.
- Kinda google plus-ie eh?
- ello email notifications are simply notifications. It does not include the comment or response. Cannot be used for “documentation”. No point in Email notifications if you don’t notify me of what the message is.
- Description is about the same, but not as prominent as Twitter.
- Website link is there. Hope that ello will add a “preview” of website there.
- Location? Hometown? Where U AT?
- Trending based topics is not searchable (at this time).
- Not having some sort of “rules” for picture posting, the pictures that are posted are either really wide or vertical. Not much semblance in fitting into screen.
- Links to sites do NOT preview. FB does that.
- No info provided on the analytics of views aka shown by the eyeball. Maybe that will come after beta.
- Archiving for security.
- When is ello projected to be out of beta?
- List of people or things that I could follow too? When I find others similar to me, I want to see what they follow. I am assuming that we have similar interests. Hoping a future column to be added later in ello.
- Posted times are approximate. Public safety demands exacts so I hope they put a more accurate time of post rather than “~11h”
- Filters are absent.
- Multiple picture uploads are not happening. Maybe that’s too cluttered for their “clean” layout.
- x5 invites only to a closed social media platform? C’mon-what is this?!? 2003?!?!!?
- @WTF….I mean policies/information tab. Hilarious, but very techy.
- Formatting of posts using ** or * is kinda programmerish. Tron aficionados will love it, but not everyone programs…so this type of lingo isn’t going to fly for very long.
- In the “Say Ello…” box (aka status box) I find it weird that they tell you to Say Ello….when you really are going to write a comment about something else.
- Reposting isn’t as inviting as FB’s “Share” button – and not easy to find.
- On ello, you do not have to use your real name. but in the WTF rules, ello has their rose colored glasses on and “The Don’t impersonate others. Be yourself, or a version of yourself. Please don’t pretend to be someone else.”
- Mobile ello is way better than desktop ello.
- DYK: ello.com is different than ello.co
- Advise your SM followers to turn off autofill or muscle memory of “co” vs “com”
- Funny fact: Someone created a Mark Zuckerberg profile on ello.com – and it wasn’t Zuck.
- Circle profiler picture is neeto, but I think I like square.
- The ello logo is kinda creepy w/ no eyes right?
Forgot your password? I tested their forgot password send. The emailed reminder is hilarious, but NSFW. This kind of email would (obv) not pass work computer filters.
Testing browsers, I found a few interesting non-compliant issues.
- Desktop CPU / Windows-7 / Internet Explorer: Picture upload and layout/formatting issues
- Desktop CPU / Windows-7 / Chrome: Friends take up too much screen real-estate in widescreen format.
- Desktop CPU / Windows-7 / Safari: Too wide – again with the wide screen look (Maybe I’m too used to the vertical FB?)
- Desktop CPU / Windows-XP / IE: Picture uploading issues
- Desktop / Apple / Safari: Spread out (widescreen awkward formatting)
- iPhone-5 / Safari: MUCH better layouts
- iPad-Air / Safari: Better screen formatting and (my guess) it looks like it was designed for tablet.
- Blackberry browser….who am I kidding. I haven’t seen one in the wild for 2 years now.
Ello’s HQ sent an email last night touting their recent successes. Cool.
I do enjoy the quick simple emails with picture.
But let’s be honest, most of the ello participants that are already on ello, were drawn to the line in the email last night…”
The use of “thingy” has me worried…and of course excited. Thanks Matt.
Well, since this is in beta, I’m sure there will be more good things to come. But at this time, I am doubtful will hold (DWH).
Not even close to ready for use during disasters or emergencies.
Because of the low participation and beta, this platform is not useful for preparedness or response or recovery or intelligence.
Special thanks to @schnick for the invite.
Maybe more good stuff from ello.co on the horizon.
Sports heroes? Celebrities? Nope. These are the true heroes #NatlPrep #Prepared2014
It’s Saturday in the fourth week of 2014 National Preparedness Month.
“Be Disaster Aware, Take Action to Prepare”
Who’s watching football on TV?
This week’s theme is consistent with FEMA’s National Preparedness Campaign: Practice for an emergency
#27: Sports heroes? Celebrities? Nope. But these heroes will always come through in an emergency #Prepared2014 #NatlPrep
Share with your entire family today what a real hero is like. Share your emergency plans with your entire family.
Friday night lights? Saturday College Football? Sunday NFL? None of that matters.
Look, you may not be famous…
…or get paid zillions of dollars per minute. Who cares!
Your preparedness and planning efforts will come back ten-fold because it’s your family. Family is everything.
Be your family’s hero today.
Technical jargon and giving actionable information Safety-PIO-SM-14-006
| 14-006: Technical jargon and giving actionable information | |
| Agency: Chicago Fire Department | Topic(s): Industry codes / Actionable info |
| Date: Fall 2014 | Platform: Twitter |
Industry speak or technical jargon is part of what we do every day. But using technical terms on a social media platform will be confusing to those who are NOT in the fire service. That’s what the Chicago Fire Department did yesterday at their big 3-alarm fire when they tweeted technical jargon.
The use of technical jargon is rampant in emergency services but when speaking to the media or the general public, we need to remember that everyone did not grow up with a VOX alarm or SCU tones. In this case, a “311” or 3-11 alarm means that there are 11 engines, 5 Trucks, 2 Tower Ladders, 6 Battalion Chiefs, 1 Rescue Squad, 2 Ambulances, 2 Paramedic Chiefs, Deputy District Chief, Deputy Fire Commissioner, and the 1st Deputy Fire Commissioner are onscene. There is no way to include all that information in a tweet, but using more simple terms will help your audience understand the scale of your ongoing incident.
Before you post images, make sure your pictures are rotated correctly. I know accuracy is sometimes overlooked in lieu of speed, but it takes less than 5 seconds to orientate/rotate a picture (In this case, it was going to be a long operation). And note, by just rotating a picture does not equate that you are “doctoring up” photos. But a correctly posted photo will help media repost and format your information quicker to the masses.
During an emergency situation, your constituents need the information pushes to be actionable and specific to your audience. Not only inform them of the danger, but tell them what they can do about it.
A more effective tweet could have read:
| Chicago Fire: Large 3-alarm fire at Harrison St x Fifth Ave. Traffic delays-avoid the area. (insert two pictures) |
By phrasing it this way:
- You cite the authority having jurisdiction and established incident command presence.
- You generally described the size/category of the ongoing incident and critical information to media.
- You identify the exact location of the incident.
- You describe the delays in the area and give actionable information to your constituents.
- You still have lots of room to push properly orientated pictures with your informational tweet.
Time is valuable, so tweet good stuff.
***To download this as a single-page printable format, click this file:
TechnicalJargonAndGivingActionableInformation-Safety-PIO-SM-14-006
Where is @rusnivek? 