In George Orwell’s dystopian novel Nineteen-Eighty-Four, he described a society that was constantly being monitored through pervasive government surveillance. While we have seen some similar governmental initiatives, such as New York City’s own “ring of steel“, the existence of a Big Brother entity overseeing us all remains largely elusive.

With the proliferation of smartphones, social media tools, and the near instantaneous ability to create media the fact is we are working and living in an age of Little Brother. This is where the average person can create media that can garner wide distribution that previously was reserved for those with vast resources that required large amounts of money to maintain.

Here are 5 ways that we as agencies need to change the way we operate in this environment of Little Brother:

• Establish An Official Presence – Every organization needs to establish an official presence if for no other reason than to ward off impostors
• Personal Accountability – We must stress that every member of the organization is a representative of the organization and must be personally accountable for their actions both on and off duty
• Respond To The Negative – Every agency should be prepared to respond to social media that can place them in a negative light just as the TSA did
• Provide Education – Every agency must provide education and guidance to its members as to what is acceptable and what is not acceptable both online and offline through clear policies and educational opportunities
• Provide Accurate Information – The easiest way to squash the rumor mill is to provide accurate information in a transparent fashion

If you haven’t begun preparations in dealing with this new environment, what are you waiting for? Still not a believer? Luckily I’ve got a webinar for you…

Free Webinar: 5 Reasons and Methods For PIOs To Develop and Distribute Social Media Webinar on 11.11.09 at 10:00am EST

Related posts:

1. How The TSA Responded To Reputation Damaging Criticism In Social Media