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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!

Have you heard what Washington DC Fire EMS (DCFEMS) have been up to? Their leadership suspended the departments Twitter account (@DCFireEMS) for 22 days.

The account reportedly stopped activity August 30 when the employee responsible for its content went on vacation. The accounts break was extended as the department investigated some of the content that supposedly placed Federal Agencies in “danger”. No specifics on the offending content were offered but Communication Director Lon Walls’ feelings about Twitter were made clear when he said, “Social media is for parties. We ain’t givin’ parties.”

Walls and the department came under intense scrutiny by both new and old media, specifically citing the lack of transparency that Mayor Vince Gray had promised would improve. The account returned to activity September 22, only a day after the suspension had been widely reported across multiple media platforms. However, the account will now be “filtered” with content requiring the approval of Lon Walls.

This situation has a number of issues that can easily be avoided if an agency takes the time to properly plan and implement a social media presence in a responsible manner. Here are a few things to help avoid making those mistakes:

• Have a communications guide for
• Include social media accounts in your communications plan
• Include social media accounts in your Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP)
• Establish a social media team
• Utilize social media in tabletop and full blown drills
• Read our blog considering we’ve already covered all these things!

Don’t let yourself or your agency become a casualty like DC FEMS where your transparency and trustworthiness are called into question by the public.

There has been a lot of talk over the changes made at Facebook. Change is not necessarily a bad thing, and has in fact become a necessity in the way we do things. It is important to understand how change will in fact effect you and your agency when the changes are made.

Undoubtedly spurred on by the coming changes,over the weekend I noticed an inordinately high number of friends who posted this message (or one similar to it) into their Facebook status:

FACEBOOK JUST RELEASED THEIR PRICE GRID FOR MEMBERSHIP. $9.99 PER MONTH FOR GOLD MEMBER SERVICES, $6.99 PER MONTH FOR SILVER MEMBER SERVICES, $3.99 PER MONTH FOR BRONZE MEMBER SERVICES, FREE IF YOU COPY AND PASTE THIS MESSAGE BEFORE MIDNIGHT TONIGHT. WHEN YOU SIGN ON TOMORROW MORNING YOU WILL BE PROMPTED FOR PAYMENT INFO…IT IS OFFICIAL IT WAS EVEN ON THE NEWS. FACEBOOK WILL START CHARGING DUE TO THE NEW PROFILE CHANGES. IF YOU COPY THIS ON YOUR WALL YOUR ICON WILL TURN BLUE AND FACEBOOK WILL BE FREE FOR YOU. PLEASE PASS THIS MESSAGE ON IF NOT YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE DELETED IF YOU DO NOT PAY

The actual factual truth is that Facebook is NOT charging. They even say so directly on the homepage that you use to sign in:

It is important to try and verify the actual facts before redistributing a status or a story. Neither you nor your agency want to be viewed as an unreliable source of information. Why?

As for those friends of mine who posted the status update? I have now placed them on the Acquaintance list and will no longer see their updates unless I choose to look at them. As for those organizations that helped to perpetuate the falsehood, I un”Like”d them. I don’t have the patience or the time to deal with untrustworthy friends and even less tolerance for untrustworthy organizations.

I am not the only one who feels that way, which is why its important to verify information as best you can before disseminating it. By not being a trusted source of information you risk any support you may have gained in social media.

Do you verify everything you share? Have you ever not shared something because you couldn’t verify it?

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In this episode of our award deserving podcast, Greg and Dave are joined by content and communication strategist Carissa Caramanis O’Brien to talk about the results of a Pew Research Center project concerning who uses social networks in the US. Hear us as we discuss:

• The myth busting revelation about age and social networking
• Why the gender demographics aren’t that surprising
• Diversifying social media formats across networks
• The importance of owning your own content
• Why its important for organizations to understand this data for effective messaging

Want to listen while you’re on the go?

Thanks for listening!

What do you think of the research? Please leave your thoughts in the comment section…

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has unveiled the new National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) that replaces the old color coded Homeland Security Advisory System. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano noted that the color coded system provided “little practical information” when she announced earlier this year that it would be replaced.

NTAS Alerts are being piped out through a number of different channels, including Social Media conduits Twitter and Facebook. The alerts will warn of either an Elevated Threat or an Imminent Threat. Each alert will provide information about the threat including a potential the geographic region, mode of transportation, or critical infrastructure possibly affected by the threat. Additional information where available will include protective actions being taken by authorities and action items that individuals and communities can take to protect themselves and their families in an attempt to help prevent, mitigate or respond to the threat. A long form sample alert can be found here.

Elevated Threats warn of a credible terrorist threat against the United States. These will be the broadest threats with no true specifics.

Imminent Threats warn of a credible, specific, and impending terrorist threat against the United States.

Full alerts can be found posted at DHS.gov/Alerts and there are a number of web resources for developers to display the latest information on their sites.

What do you think of the new National Terrorism Advisory System and its ability to provide information through Social Media channels?

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In this episode of the PIOSocialMediaTraining.com podcast we chat with Sgt. Timothy Burrows of the Toronto Police Services Traffic Safety Division about his innovative use of Social Media to engage with his community to lower traffic related collisions, injuries, and fatalities.

We specifically discuss how Sgt. Burrows uses Twitter quizzes to spread traffic safety messages. Sgt. Burrows shares several keys to success, best practices for using hash tags, and the importance of having fun while engaging with his community. Blog post about the Traffic Safety Quiz.

Sgt. Burrow’s social media secret, “Talking and engaging with his social media community.” and “Always follow back.”

Show links:

• @TrafficServices
• Facebook.com/TrafficServices
• Facebook.com/TimBurrows
• @104KDrive
• TrafficServicesTPS.Blogspot.Com

It is my firm belief that the future of Social Media for agencies is hand in hand with the increasing mobility of our technology. As more members of our communities consume content on a mobile platform we need to be able to adapt and develop both a delivery system and a system that can pull information we can use to improve our service. Had you asked me a time frame for that to happen, I would have told you its a matter of 3-5 years away.

Then I saw this PSA video about a new feature for an iPhone app…

… and the future is here.

The app was developed by the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District as an enhancement of their existing application that provided district dispatch information. App users who indicate that they are CPR trained are alerted to calls nearby based on geo-location that may require CPR. This type of two-way integration based on geo-location is something, in my opinion, that all agencies should be seriously looking at as a way to increase both their profile in the consciousness of their communities as well as the service they provide. Right now the app is only available for the iPhone.

The San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District is working with the IAFC in the app development and are accepting inquiries from agencies interested in deploying a similar solution. App development inquiries for interested agencies can fill out the form here.

One of the challenges we face is effectively getting a message out to the audience that will benefit the most from it. One of the things Social Media enables us to do is to be able to get a message out using multiple different types of media beyond plain text but also through audio and video formats. With so many choices, ultimately it is up to us to pick the right media format for the message.

I came across this great example of using the right media format to the get the message out in a way those that need it can easily receive it on the Fire Department Of New York City’s YouTube channel:

This is really a great video on many levels because it addresses a problem in a media format that is understandable by the audience it is focused at and it is easily shared through the ability to embed the video.

Obviously this video took quite some time to produce and some special snazzy editing equipment was used, but don’t let that deter you from doing something along the same lines! Develop the message you want to communicate, read our 5 Video Production Tips for PIOs, and go out and make that video!

The prospect of social media is overwhelming for many organizations. After a long period of dismissal and denial the first tentative step is to assign [Insert Name] to be the organization social media person. Meanwhile, [Insert Name] continues to have all the same duties they had before this new assignment. Thus [Insert Name] is faced with either doing less of the things they already know how to do well to step off a cliff into social media or to keep doing their usual tasks and flirt with social media a bit while the boss forgets about social media.

You can observe this phenomenon in lots of Facebook pages, Twitter accounts, Blogs, and Podcasts. An initial burst of posting is followed by long periods of inactivity.

Social Media can be Everyones Job

I just read this interesting article, Why the NY Times eliminated its Social Media Editor Position. The times doesn’t need a social media person anymore because social media is everyone’s job. Other members of the organization are actively participating in social media.

Do you have a customer service person?

Or is everyone’s job customer service? Sure you might have someone at your organization that is in charge of customer service or maintenance, but everyone in the organization is expected to provide customer service and perform basic cleaning and repair tasks.

Demobilize [Insert Name] as Social Media Person

Many of your employees are already using social media and probably frequently using it related to work. How can you stand down your social media person and empower everyone to use Social Media?

Last month I spoke about social media and networking at the EMS World Expo in Dallas. These are the slides I presented. During the session I utilized audience response pads to poll the audience about their experiences and opinions. I was really surprised by some of the audience data. The audience, about 40 people, included training officers, educators, state EMS office directors, field supervisors, and just a few field personnel.

Which results surprise you? Why?