Using Social Media in Crisis Situations
Law Enforcement has always relied upon traditional news media to relay critical information to the public during crisis situations. But since the advent of social media, in particular Twitter, which allows the media to disseminate critical information directly to the public. The benefit is Law Enforcement controls the message, we create the tone and we are the point of creation in the message.
This was perhaps no more evident use of Social Media in a crisis situation then in the Parliament shootings in Ottawa of 2014. Canadian Law Enforcement has embraced social media and enhanced it with a robust desire to both disseminate information, monitor the messaging for intelligence and situational awareness. The Ottawa Police Service was very instrumental in giving out information, providing messaging to the public about what to do and more importantly what not to do during that critical incident. .
The Boston Marathon bombings and the aftermath revealed yet another wave of the evolution of social media: the unique role social networks play during a crisis. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other forums both worked hand-in-hand with mainstream news media and served as their fiercest critic. Social media updates both helped and complicated law enforcement efforts, helping to spread both relief and panic as news developed.
Regardless of the results, for better or worse, social media is a huge factor in emergency situations. When used responsibly and creatively, social media has the capacity to spread reliable, potentially life-saving information, to raise funds and awareness, and to keep people feeling secure in the most unstable situations. When used recklessly, however, it can make a disastrous situation even worse.
The use of Social Media can be seen both at it’s best and worst during a crisis situation. But the impact that it could have upon the public can reach into the billions depending upon the nature of the crisis. The infographic provided by Social Media Today shows how governments both locally and federally are utilizing this ever-growing set of tools to handle emergencies.
Here are some key points in the use of Social Media in Crisis Situations.
Using, responding and being prepared to act via Social Media in a crisis situation is imperative for Law Enforcement, Emergency Services and Local Governmental Organizations (LGO’s) alike. Their failure to be prepared for these situations can result in others taking the lead via Social Media disseminating information that is counter productive and but can cause irreparable damage to the image and standing of the organization involved. NN
Preparation involves having a sound Social Media Policy, specific persons properly trained to utilize the organizations Social Media Platforms and Presence. Lastly, it requires specific persons designated to be the voice with the permission of the agency to interact across the Social Media Platforms. The outcome if not properly executed can result in accusations, of impropriety cover-up and conjecture of what the agency is or is not doing properly.ECT
This was perhaps no more evident use of Social Media in a crisis situation then in the Parliament shootings in Ottawa of 2014. Canadian Law Enforcement has embraced social media and enhanced it with a robust desire to both disseminate information, monitor the messaging for intelligence and situational awareness. The Ottawa Police Service was very instrumental in giving out information, providing messaging to the public about what to do and more importantly what not to do during that critical incident. .
The Boston Marathon bombings and the aftermath revealed yet another wave of the evolution of social media: the unique role social networks play during a crisis. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and other forums both worked hand-in-hand with mainstream news media and served as their fiercest critic. Social media updates both helped and complicated law enforcement efforts, helping to spread both relief and panic as news developed.
Regardless of the results, for better or worse, social media is a huge factor in emergency situations. When used responsibly and creatively, social media has the capacity to spread reliable, potentially life-saving information, to raise funds and awareness, and to keep people feeling secure in the most unstable situations. When used recklessly, however, it can make a disastrous situation even worse.
The use of Social Media can be seen both at it’s best and worst during a crisis situation. But the impact that it could have upon the public can reach into the billions depending upon the nature of the crisis. The infographic provided by Social Media Today shows how governments both locally and federally are utilizing this ever-growing set of tools to handle emergencies.
Here are some key points in the use of Social Media in Crisis Situations.
- Listen: Use a social media monitoring platform to pull in relevant keywords around your brand across the social web, not just Twitter and Facebook. This can be accomplished by utilizing such sites as hashtagify or Google Analytics.
- Categorize: Be prepared to categorize incoming posts into Priorities . Priority One would for items requiring an immediate response, Two for mentions that need a response but aren't urgent in nature, and Three for items that need no reply, and then route them to team members or departments accordingly.
- Respond: As situations unfold, respond quickly on the appropriate channels. If the crisis is taking place on Twitter, your first response should be on Twitter. You can share your message across platforms/channels as the need arises but your first response should be where the crisis erupted.
- Report: Report on social media mentions, engagement, sentiment, etc. through your social media monitoring platform to keep the stream up-to-date throughout the crisis.
- Be Flexible: Listen to how people are reacting to your responses and update your replies base on that information. If they need more information, provide it. If they need resources, provide them. Most importantly, be prepared to toss it all out at a moment’s notice and change things up to adapt to any situation that may arise.
- Analyze, Measure and Follow Up: Set up a monitoring dashboard for keywords, customer names and user names that will help you follow up after the crisis is resolved. Having that report will help prevent the problem from recurring. Institute analytics that continue to track the crisis, and that alert you to repeat visitors to your site so you can apply techniques usually used in re-marketing, to ensure the crisis is resolved.
Using, responding and being prepared to act via Social Media in a crisis situation is imperative for Law Enforcement, Emergency Services and Local Governmental Organizations (LGO’s) alike. Their failure to be prepared for these situations can result in others taking the lead via Social Media disseminating information that is counter productive and but can cause irreparable damage to the image and standing of the organization involved. NN
Preparation involves having a sound Social Media Policy, specific persons properly trained to utilize the organizations Social Media Platforms and Presence. Lastly, it requires specific persons designated to be the voice with the permission of the agency to interact across the Social Media Platforms. The outcome if not properly executed can result in accusations, of impropriety cover-up and conjecture of what the agency is or is not doing properly.ECT
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