Social Media 101:Getting To Know The Platforms

Agenda:– New FEMA Social Media Initiatives– The Importance of Social Media in 2014– Platform Analysis- Facebook & Twitter– Open discussion of Best Practices & Examples

FEMA Digital Platforms• FEMA Facebook • Twitter

• @FEMA• @FEMARegion4

» All regions» Ready.gov» Live account» FEMA espanol

• FEMA Smartphone App– New Disaster Reporter

• YouTube Channel• Web

– www.fema.gov– m.fema.gov

• Social Media Hub• FEMA Blog• LinkedIn• Text Messages

FEMA Disaster Reporter

1. Individuals in a disaster area upload a photo using the FEMA App. All photos must have GPS coordinates tagged to it.

3. Approved photos are displayed on FEMA.gov using the FEMA GeoPlatform.

2. Photos are moderated to ensure they are disaster-related & not spam.

FEMA Social Hub

Live Social Hub

Why Social Media is Important

• It happens in REAL time• Opportunity to LEAD the conversation• Opportunity to direct traffic• “Push and Pull” of information• Receive and answer questions on a mass scale

Why Social Media is Important

• It’s still growing…quickly• It’s a global conversation about local issues

– First hand accounts are just a small part of the whole conversation

Why Social Media is Important

• The public uses social media to share important recovery information.

Facebook VS Twitter

• Overview of capabilities and pitfalls• Which one should you be on? Both?• How to start from scratch- building a digital

strategy

TwitterAnalogy - You are a person with a megaphone,

surrounded by millions of other people with megaphones.

What we WISH Twitter was. What Twitter feels like at times.

Twitter • Get info in 3 ways

– From the people or organizations that you follow

– By searching a topic (aka #hashtag)

– By creating or subscribing to Twitter Lists

Twitter • Benefits & Features

– When something happens, the fastest way to get (right or wrong) information is on Twitter.

– Communications are instant, sometimes from eye witnesses.

– Has been fully adopted by traditional media.– Can embed photos and 7 second videos.– Great way to drive traffic to your website.

Twitter • Why You Should Use It

– It’s the fastest way to put accurate, up to date information out to everyone.

– People are going to fill that information gap if you aren’t there anyway, and they could be wrong.

– Twitter is becoming a widely accepted source of news for the public.

– Traditional media look at social media for potential stories.

Twitter

• How it Can Go Horribly Wrong– Putting out information on social

media is the same as speaking to a reporter.

– Tweets multiply, they don’t die. Deleting a tweet after sending it doesn’t get rid of it.

– Avoid engaging with “trolls” on Twitter. You will only bring attention to them.

Twitter Content 101

• Learning the Lingo – Tweet is a message of 140 characters or less – @ Twitter Handle, i.e. @FEMARegion4– # Hashtag creates a searchable topic– Retweet (RT) someone else’s message you repost– Followers someone who subscribes to get your updates; your

message shows in their feed– Following the organizations or people you follow who appear in

your twitter feed– DM Direct Message non-public messaging

Twitter Content 101WORST PRACTICES

• Lost in Translation: – RIV’s IMAT is deployed to the RRCC for the RISC mtng w/ SBA.

• Death By Hashtag, Part 1: – #FEMA is #here speaking at #Montgomery #County in AL.

• Death by Hashtag, Part 2– #IStartedUsingSocialMediaAndIDontUnderstandHowHashtagsWork

• Huge links:– Learn more about disaster preparedness at

https://ready.gov/disasters/disaster_preparedness/are_you_still_reading/this_link_is_now_half_the_tweet/less_is_more_sometimes

Twitter Content 101BEST PRACTICES

• Date Stamp Time Sensitive Info: – ALDOT: As of 5 am (4/1), all roads in Montgomery County are passable #ALwx

• Use @ to Tag Partners in a Post: – Speaking today @AlabamaEMA ‘s emergency management conference, discussing social

media & emergencies #smem

• Research Your Hashtags: – Use #Alwx when talking about forecasts. See what public is using & adopt. Don’t start you own

hashtags

• Shorten hyperlinks: (Bitly)– Be a force in your community. Learn more about disaster preparedness at bit.ly/1lPmWvx. – Many link shortening services allow you to track the number of clicks.

TwitterWhat You Need to Know Before Signing Up

• How much time do you have to invest?– Develop a communications plan based on how much time you

have.– A simple plan for 15 minutes a day can be a great start. – Start with one message a day that you either write or retweet.– Keeping the account active, even with minimal content, will

build your credibility.

• How will you use the account in an emergency?– Who will run the Twitter account?– What type of information will they put out?– How will they verify information before Tweeting?

TwitterWhat is Your Social Strategy?

• During normal operations– encourage the public to prepare– Engage with local community partners (chats, FF)– Make your community familiar with your accounts– Build your following

• During emergencies– Tweet out community specific info– Retweet response partner messaging– Highlight public resources (DOT maps, shelter locations,

etc)

Facebook

Analogy - You are the ruler of a tiny digital village that is surrounded by millions of other villages.

What managing a Facebook pageis like when something bad happens.

What managing a Facebook pageis like when things are going well.

Facebook • Get info in 2 ways

– News Feed updates from people you “friend” or groups/organizations you “like”

– From comments directed to you by users of your page

Facebook • Benefits & Features

– Like Twitter, information moves fast on Facebook. – Communications are instant, sometimes from eye

witnesses.– Has been fully adopted by traditional media.– Can embed photos and videos up to 20 minutes. – Great way to drive traffic to your website.– 63,206 character limit VS 140 for Twitter– Unlike Twitter, it is a great format for having a group

conversation

Facebook • Why You Should Use It

– Provides instant communication with your subscribers.– Great conversational tool to engage with an invested

audience.– Most popular social media tool in the US.

• 24.4% of adults 24-34 (44 million)• 31.1% of adults 35-54 (56 million)• 15.6% of adults 55+ (28 million)

– Traditional media look at social media for potential stories.

Facebook

• How it Can Go Horribly Wrong– Sharing incorrect information. Fact

check your information.– Getting into an argument with a

person who is “trolling”– Always. Maintain. Professionalism.

Facebook

• How to deal with adversity– Recognize who is seeking information/expressing

frustration vs someone who is “trolling”• Try to find out if they live in the affected area• How did they get their information• When in doubt, take their accusations seriously

– The best weapon again misinformation is timely, accurate information.

– Use the ability to ban people as a last resort

FacebookWhat is Your Social Strategy?

• During normal operations– Encourage the public to prepare.– Share information from other EM accounts- state, ready.gov, etc. – Make your community familiar with your accounts by promoting your work.– Pictures are worth 1,000 words.

• During emergencies– Write posts with community specific info.– Share emergency related messaging from state, local, federal and non

profit partners. – Highlight public resources (DOT maps, shelter locations, etc).– Be prepared to engage with public/answer questions on your Facebook

page.

Contact Information• Brian Glaviano, FEMA Region IV

– Brian.glaviano@fema.dhs.gov– 770-220-5250