Facebook has announced that on March 30, 2012 all Facebook Pages will be switched over to the new Facebook Timeline design. Right now Facebook is giving you an opportunity to preview how your page will look with the new design prior to the conversion date.

Here’s a video from Facebook regarding these changes:

Here’s a few of the things I see as a benefit to the new Timeline design for agencies

• A more visual layout focusing on photos
• The ability to document your agencies history
• The possibility of putting Events more front and center
• A better admin area
• Using the Cover Photo as a billboard to recognize your extraordinary responders

What do you think of the new Facebook Timeline design? Let us know your thoughts in the comments…

Pitch your local media to feature your agency as the Facebook News Story of the Day. This video combines Facebook reader comments, news reporting, and interviews with paramedics.

The United Kingdom’s Northwest Ambulance Service is providing citizens with a ride-a-long experience with paramedics via their Twitter account this week. During this week long endeavor the service’s Twitter feed will focus on a different ambulance crew each day to cover the five counties the agency covers.

Our patient is in labour – could this a be our first ‘tweet’ baby? #nwamb999

— NWAS NHS Trust (@NWAmbulance) January 30, 2012

While citizens are often made aware of the motor vehicle collision or murder victims through traditional media, this provides a way for the service to communicate ALL the different types of calls it handles. By communicating the variety of calls and patients the agency services increases their perceived value in the eyes of the public.

Huge kudos to Northwest Ambulance Service for taking this initiative. What is stopping you from taking this type of campaign directly to your communities?

Does your Social Media Policy Allow Photos of Members in Uniform or With Apparatus?

Headline: Jackson MS Fire Chief “No Social Media Pix in Uniform.”

Read the full article.

1. It is good to have a social media policy.

2. I am always leery of any policy that will be difficult to enforce and especially difficult to enforce consistently and swiftly.

3. The underlying assumption of a restrictive policy is that social media is a nefarious tool for evil.

4. No uniform/no apparatus policy eliminates opportunities for photos and posts that reflect pride in work, colleagues, and equipment.

5. I always wonder what is the causes of the embarrassment and worry about social media pictures of personnel in uniform. I like to ask, “Are you embarrassed by the low quality uniforms your organization has selected?” Or “Are you embarrassed by the people you have recruited, selected, hired, trained, and retained?” Or “Are you embarrassed by both?

If you are proud of your people and the work they do let them share it with the world. If your personnel work hard training, caring for equipment and one another, and serving the community use social media to shout to the world.

It has never been more important than now for emergency response organizations to share their value to their community. Don’t hide from view with a restrictive social media policy.

Instead create a social media policy that  puts you in the public eye as a high quality organization.

What do you think? Should policies restrict social media pictures in uniform? 

It’s that time of year again (being near the end) when we look into our high definition monitors and attempt to predict what’s coming up for the next year in every imaginable category.

David Armano from the Harvard Business Review Blog Network named his Six Social Media Trends for 2012 as it relates to businesses and brands. He makes some good predictions, but what about for organizations and agencies that don’t necessarily view themselves as the typical capitalist business?

Here are my own six predictions for what we can expect to see from the first responder/emergency management agencies in 2012:

• Increased emphasis on content – The CDC proved that innovative content remains king, and I think agencies will take note of that and place a greater emphasis on creating valuable content specific to their communities. I think the progressive agencies who maintain their own content hub will see the value in having a Chief of Content who will bolster and unify their message across both platforms and mediums, thereby growing their presence and influence
• Increased app developement – We’ll see agencies follow the lead of the San Ramon Valley Fire District and begin developing their own apps as a way to connect deeper with their communities and provide more value in their service
• Increased emphasis on influence – There’s going to be an increased emphasis on the influence a department has with its constituents. This is the Return On Investment (ROI) that most businesses are looking for and that doesn’t change for the safety/health sector
• Increased agency presence – Progressive agencies that have embraced social media are already here, but for every 1 that is I’d venture to say there are 5 or 10 that aren’t. We’re going to see growth in that number, especially when agencies start realizing their neighbors influence is greater than their own due to social media
• New emphasis on presences within an organization – There’s going to be a new emphasis on individual departments and stations having their own presence. This will not be restricted to national or regional agencies, but any agency where there is two or more stations or locations
• Decrease in draconian social media policies – With the NLRB settlement earlier in the year I think a lot of agencies have rethought their draconian social media policies. Progressive agencies will have already recognized their responders as their greatest allies and will have brought them into the fold to help increase the agency’s influence. Agencies who have failed to do so will once again take note of the positive effects, realize the positive outweigh the potential negatives, and will follow suit. Admittedly, I may be overly optimistic about this, but that’s why it’s a prediction

What about the social networks? How will they fair? Here are my predictions:

• Facebook – there will be an increased emphasis on the leading social network since that is where the majority of users are with no true competition in its immediate future
• Twitter – there will be a decreased emphasis on the popular mobile micro-blogging platform due to both the increased mobility of other networks and its failure to address the consistent problem of information overload
• Google+ – there will be an increased interest in the network as it continues to develop and gain traction with the public
• LinkedIn – there will be an increased interest in the network as agencies look to recruit talent from afar
• Ning – the complicated use, chunky user interface, and failure to innovate has brought this spattering of networks to its death bed
• Dysphora – it needs to launch publicly first, but it may still be a contender for next year
• MySpace – really? It’s still around? Now we know what that smell is…

What do YOU think we’ll see in 2012? More importantly, what do you WANT to see? Share your thoughts in the comments…

David and I were both quoted in this article, Social Media Provides Direct Channel to Engage the Public. The other experts provide timely and interesting advice. I was struck by the contribution of the legal expert that follower comments and remarks on an organization’s page could be protected by 1st amendment rights and removing those comments might be a violation.

I also advocate for not removing user comments, questions, or complaints. Instead try this strategy.

1. Try to resolve the complaint publicly. Provide information or links to other online resources that resolve the complaint or question. Other readers/users/fans may also aid in your defense with their own successes having questions answered and complaints resolved.

2. Next (or this could be done first) provide information on how the comment writer can privately contact you by phone or email at their earliest convenience to discuss the matter further. When the comment writer or another fan uses this contact information respond to them promptly.

3. Simultaneous to either of the above actions contact the comment writer privately. If the comment was on your Facebook page send them a private Facebook message, Google for their other online contact information, or (gasp) look them up in the local phone book. In your message invite them to contact you to resolve their complaint.

Generally, your organization should have a method for handling customer complaints regardless of how they are heard. What do you do when you receive a hand written letter complaining about service? That should give you guidance on how to handle the online complaints.

Start a New Conversation

Don’t let the unsatisfied customer and exchange of complaints linger at the top of your Facebook feed.

• Post other content of recent events, training completed, or links to useful resources.
• Add photos as those draw interest and traffic.
• Ask fans questions that will facilitate a positive question.

Most Facebook visitors don’t scan through all of your posts. They just look at the most recent. Provide content that is useful, relevant, timely and interesting on a regular basis. Invite interaction rather than shying away from it. Most people are satisfied with the service you provide. Give them opportunities to share that satisfaction.

How does your organization handle complaints on your Facebook page? Share your lessons applied in the comments. 

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will conduct the first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) on Wednesday, November 9 2011 at 2:00pm (Eastern). The test may last up to three and a half minutes and will be broadcast simultaneously across all broadcast systems.

The public will hear a message indicating that “This is a test.” The audio message will be the same for both radio and television. It is imperative that we alert our communities that this is a test, and only a test, to avoid an unnecessary flood of calls into our 911 call centers and panic amongst the public. In order to help agencies get the message out FEMA published a National EAS Test Toolkit.

Here are a few things to do using content from the toolkit to help prepare your communities:

• Write a blog post about the Emergency Alert System
• Create a short video announcing the Emergency Alert System test. The video can easily be created using Screenr to show your agency logo with a voice over
• Share your blog post and video through social networks like Twitter and Facebook. Encourage your subscribers to share the link as well
• Schedule messages to go out via Twitter every 4 hours using tools like CoTweet or HootSuite
• Update your agency Facebook Page with information about the test the night before, the morning of, and one hour before the test is scheduled to begin
• After the test, us the opportunity to refresh interest in any preparedness content you may have previously published such as emergency kit information, emergency planning tips, and emergency medical information. Share those links through the social networks and encourage your community to be prepared for when it is not a test

This is a great opportunity for your agency to connect with the community as a trusted and valued source of information. Don’t let it slip by!