crisis comms command post

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

#17: the iRevolution.net website and blog by Patrick Meier

No also ran in my list: honourable mentions top #smem

2011-12-22T20:16:00.000-08:00

When I ran the idea of coming up with a list by Kim Stephens and James Garrow, I figured it would be hard to come up with a definite list. Well, it proved impossible. My list is very personal and so are the lists compiled by Kim and Jim.

Narrowing my own list down to 25 proved difficult. So much so that I decide to dedicate a quick post to "honourable mentions". So here we go (in no particular order and many more could be added here ...)

Christopher Poirier: a rising star in the SMEM world. Made quite an impact in the last few weeks through his blog and twitter account.
Chris Hall, AKA @thefiretracker2 on Twitter. A regular participant in the #smemchat every Friday. Contributes to the general advancement of SM in EM with lots of insight and experience. A trusted voice with opinions!
Sara Estes Cohen: a true SMEM entrepreneur with her fingers in many SMEM pies (and that's a good thing!) from her work with DHS first responders group, sharing on Twitter and on her blog. Her work was highlighted in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene.
The Emergency2.0 Wiki: an Australian project with a global reach with contributors from around the world (including me). The official launch occurred just a couple of weeks ago but the wiki is already proving to be a valuable resource for the public and EM professionals.
Bob Gourley: if you're into cybersecurity, critical infrastructure and national security, his blogs (he has many) are the place to go. Must read, influential and very well informed.

If you're interested in the stuff these people share and many others, you can subscribed to my delicio.us account where I keep a whole series of links on everything even remotely related to SMEM: http://delicious.com/patricecloutier

at #4: an online development tool for Canadian EM and BCP

2011-12-22T13:15:00.000-08:00

My good friend Kim Stephens , beat me to the punch on my choice for fourth place on my list of top 25 smem destinations. Partnerships Toward Safer Communities Online or PTSC-Online is a Canadian site dedicated to the continuous improvement of Canadian emergency management, business continuity and critical infrastructure protection programs.

The site provides tools for on line information sharing and collaboration. These tools include blogs, online training, forums and a repository of BPC and EM information. Sponsored by the Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs, PTSC-Online has a clear focus on emerging technologies and social media.

Under the able leadership of William McKay, the site continues to make valuable contributions to emergency management and BCP practices in Canada. In fact, its readership is from all over the world, which is a pretty good indication of the quality of the information that can be found on the site.

My colleague Barry Radford and I developed a project integrating social media into a crisis communications planning template. A compendium of our efforts can also be found on the site. Barry and I continue to contribute to the blog section of PTSC-Online.

Bill Mackay has done a fantastic job promoting the site on his company's twitter account and using the PTSC-Online account, highlighting valuable contributions. Because of Bill's interest in promoting the use of social media and innovative technologies in BCP and EM programs, PTSC-Online stands at #4 on my list of top 25 social media in emergency management destinations.

The list so far:
#4: PTSC-Online#5: Linkedin Groups ... groups on EM and SM on LinkedIn
#6: Craig Fugate and FEMA
#7: the SocialMedia Examiner website
#8: Emergency Management Magazine
#9: Chief Bill Boyd's blog: It's not my emergency!
#10: SM4EM. org and Cheryl Bledsoe
#11: Jeff Phillips, Los Ranchos EM
#12: Sgt Tim Burrows, Constable Scott Mills and the Toronto Police Service
#13: the weekly #smemchat
#14: 999 Social Media
#15: Brian Humphrey ... a true pionneer
#16: ushahidi ... witnessing change and progress in SMEM

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

#17: the iRevolution.net website and blog by Patrick Meier

Social network for EM professionals ... yes, it's LinkedIn

2011-12-21T20:06:00.000-08:00

It's easy to overlook the importance of LinkedIn as a professional social networking tool. The social media platform has allowed me to make connections, learn, get information and identify emerging practices and exchange views with peers from around the world. In a nutshell, it's like going to a conference every time you sit at your desk and log on. That's why LinkedIn sits at number five on my top 25 smem destinations.

You don't think it's a true smem destination? Well, i beg to disagree ... The groups I belong to, cover everything from situational awareness and interoperability of EM platforms/software, to EM professional organizations, event-specific groups and group for EM researchers and homeland security.

You can observe and take what you need or you can take part in the many conversations, polls and online collaborations that are fostered through LinkedIn. Really the choice is yours and that's what's fabulous about it. Many groups are private and you have to request a membership (which are usually granted) or they are open to everyone. But it's worth checking out groups that you might relate to either by area of interest or geographic location.

I know I have been approached by stakeholders in my jurisdiction through LinkedIn, people who've asked for info on social media during emergencies or on how to connect with other professionals. That kind of forum, this online agora, makes LinkedIn valuable to me and so its sits at #5 on my top 25 list of SMEM destinations.

Here's a cool video about LInkedIn Groups:

The list so far:
#5: Linkedin Groups ... groups on EM and SM on LinkedIn#6: Craig Fugate and FEMA
#7: the SocialMedia Examiner website
#8: Emergency Management Magazine
#9: Chief Bill Boyd's blog: It's not my emergency!
#10: SM4EM. org and Cheryl Bledsoe
#11: Jeff Phillips, Los Ranchos EM
#12: Sgt Tim Burrows, Constable Scott Mills and the Toronto Police Service
#13: the weekly #smemchat
#14: 999 Social Media
#15: Brian Humphrey ... a true pionneer
#16: ushahidi ... witnessing change and progress in SMEM

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

#17: the iRevolution.net website and blog by Patrick Meier

Because leadership matters: at #6 Craig Fugate

2011-12-20T20:18:00.000-08:00

As I was sketching the outline of this post in my head (i tend to do that !), a tweet from @cherylble helped me nail it down ... the tweet linked to this page ... Do you need a social media champion?

The power of the "champion", especially one that is in a position of authority cannot be overstated. That's why FEMA's family of websites, social media platforms and Craig Fugate's own personal Twitter account, sit at number 6 on my list of the top 25 social media in emergency management destinations.

What differentiates Administrator Fugate from other top leaders, is his willingness to listen, learn and engage, particularly through his Twitter account. I've witnessed his desire to talk and dialogue with the SMEM community at the NEMA mid-year conference in Washington DC earlier this year. He sat in the audience, talked to folks but mostly listened ... while his deputy gave a speech ... smart ...

His leadership in pushing for the use of social media in emergency management is made evident by all the work done by FEMA along these lines. Yes, money matters and FEMA has lots of it, but without someone to steer the ship in the right direction ... the results might not be as impressive.

Just look at the combination of the Ready.gov website, its informative blog, the FEMA twitter account, its Facebook page and a very complete Youtube channel and you get a fully integrated example of social media as preparedness tools.

What distinguishes Craig Fugate from many other senior executives is his belief that while social networks provide organizations with reliable and effective crisis communications and emergency information tools, they can also play a key operational role by helping enhance an agency's response:

So, the top emergency management official in the US put his organization's online outreach efforts at number 6 on my list. Not bad for a government agency!

The list so far:
#6: Craig Fugate and FEMA
#7: the SocialMedia Examiner website
#8: Emergency Management Magazine
#9: Chief Bill Boyd's blog: It's not my emergency!
#10: SM4EM. org and Cheryl Bledsoe
#11: Jeff Phillips, Los Ranchos EM
#12: Sgt Tim Burrows, Constable Scott Mills and the Toronto Police Service
#13: the weekly #smemchat
#14: 999 Social Media
#15: Brian Humphrey ... a true pionneer
#16: ushahidi ... witnessing change and progress in SMEM

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

#17: the iRevolution.net website and blog by Patrick Meier

At #7: examining the ins and outs of social media

2011-12-20T09:30:00.000-08:00

Social media is about more than tools ... social networks are not communications strategies unto themselves. However, learning how best to select and use social media platforms is critical for PIOs and emergency managers.

One of the most useful sites for me to keep track of the new trends is Socialmediaexaminer.com. The site is full of useful info on emerging tech, tips on the best use of social media ... all useful info that can be adapted by EM folks.

Whether looking at "how to" use SM or describing best practices, the site is a gold mine of relevant info. Have a quick view of the site's founder (Michael Stelzner) talking about which social networks to focus on:

To me, the usefulness of SocialMedia Examiner on getting the basics of social networking and technology, puts it at the 7th spot on my list of the top 25 social media in emergency management destinations.

The list so far:
#7: the SocialMedia Examiner website#8: Emergency Management Magazine
#9: Chief Bill Boyd's blog: It's not my emergency!
#10: SM4EM. org and Cheryl Bledsoe
#11: Jeff Phillips, Los Ranchos EM
#12: Sgt Tim Burrows, Constable Scott Mills and the Toronto Police Service
#13: the weekly #smemchat
#14: 999 Social Media
#15: Brian Humphrey ... a true pionneer
#16: ushahidi ... witnessing change and progress in SMEM

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

#17: the iRevolution.net website and blog by Patrick Meier

Essential reading for emergency managers: EM Mag at #8

2011-12-19T20:14:00.000-08:00

My choice for the 8th spot on my list of top 25 smem destinations is a bit unlike my previous selections. The online Emergency Management Magazine is not purely an SMEM entity. However, the growing role of SM in EM is prominently featured on the site.

What makes the magazine particularly interesting to me is the great roster of bloggers in its pages. Whether looking at mobile technologies and social networks as part of the alerting/notification array of tools (Rick Wimberley and Lorin Bristow), or looking at the impact of mobile tech and social networks on crisis communications (Gerald Baron), the bloggers always have something relevant to contribute.

In addition, well-respected Eric Holdeman holds forth on many topics related to disaster management: from leadership, to the impact of new technologies. He's never afraid to express an opinion.

Finally, the latest addition to this impressive group of writers is Adam Crowe who now specifically comments on the applications of SM in EM.

For the many conversations spurred by these contributors, and for offering the latest news on current EM trends and technologies, Emergency Management Magazine is eighth on my list of the top 25 SMEM destinations.

The list so far:
#8: Emergency Management Magazine
#9: Chief Bill Boyd's blog: It's not my emergency!
#10: SM4EM. org and Cheryl Bledsoe
#11: Jeff Phillips, Los Ranchos EM
#12: Sgt Tim Burrows, Constable Scott Mills and the Toronto Police Service
#13: the weekly #smemchat
#14: 999 Social Media
#15: Brian Humphrey ... a true pionneer
#16: ushahidi ... witnessing change and progress in SMEM

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

#17: the iRevolution.net website and blog by Patrick Meier

At number 9 on the smem list: a command view to fit the "bill"

2011-12-17T20:39:00.000-08:00

You don't necessarily have to be a prolific blogger or contributor to journals to be influential. A case in point, is my choice for #9 on my list of top 25 smem destinations. Chief Bill Boyd of the Bellingham Fire Dept in Washington State.

What Bill (or Chiefb2 on Twitter) lacks in quantity, is more than made up in quality. The impact of his pronouncements on his blog are felt throughout the entire SMEM community and among first responders from many areas. Here's one taken from his latest post:

Respectful
Don’t diss your customers (listeners)…Period. The customer is always right…. Unless they are a criminal. Then, book ‘em.

His latest post, published earlier this week, caught the attention of many, including that of Sgt Tim Burrows of the Toronto Police Service, himself a noted social media authority (as noted via his standing on this list). Here's what Sgt Burrows had to say about Chief Boyd's post, which he included in its entirety on his own blog:

So here is what got me so excited this morning….not changing a word, comma, spelling. It is just too awesome just the way it is!!

When Bill talks about social media in emergencies ... he gives his views from a command and an operational perspective and that's very valuable and makes his blog a true destination. To him, the integration of social media into incident management is not something that should wait for official doctrine to catch up ... it's an issue that every first responder and emergency management agency should face head on and address so that they can bridge the gap between the expectations of the public and their own policies and capabilities.

You'd better hear it from the man himself:

Now, that's a refreshing incident commander's take on social media and its imperative to listen, learn and engage ... that's the kind of thinking that has landed Chief Boyd's blog and twitter accounts on the ninth spot on my list of top 25 destinations in the world of smem.

The list so far:
#9: Chief Bill Boyd's blog: It's not my emergency!
#10: SM4EM. org and Cheryl Bledsoe
#11: Jeff Phillips, Los Ranchos EM
#12: Sgt Tim Burrows, Constable Scott Mills and the Toronto Police Service
#13: the weekly #smemchat
#14: 999 Social Media
#15: Brian Humphrey ... a true pionneer
#16: ushahidi ... witnessing change and progress in SMEM

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

#17: the iRevolution.net website and blog by Patrick Meier

the mother of SMEM ? in the 10th spot: SM4EM and Cheryl Bledsoe

2011-12-16T17:42:00.000-08:00

If my choice (Jeff Phillips aka LosRanchosEM) for the 11th spot on my list of top 25 smem destinations can be called the "daddy" of the SMEM movement ... then my choice for number 10 can be called (I hope she forgives me!) the "momma".

Cheryl Bledsoe (@CherylBle) has done more than almost anyone else to embody the progress, and potential of, the integration of social media into emergency management programs. She's played a big part in making the Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency (CRESA) a recognized leader among municipal agencies that spearhead the adoption of social media. For more on that, see this post by Kim Stephens on CRESA, as part of her own top smem listing.

Whether through her twitter account and her participation in #smemchat or through her site http://www.sm4em.org/, a true reference, Cheryl helps guide the amorphous smem family through its growing phase. Her tireless efforts to promote the use of emerging technologies to emergency managers is making a difference in many areas. In her "free time" she organizes community events such as the #140 conferences:

For making SM4EM. org a true reference and tweeting so effectively, Cheryl Bledsoe ranks 10th on my list ... and frankly, as with Jeff Phillips, the SMEM movement could not have better parents ...

The list so far:
#10: SM4EM. org and Cheryl Bledsoe
#11: Jeff Phillips, Los Ranchos EM
#12: Sgt Tim Burrows, Constable Scott Mills and the Toronto Police Service
#13: the weekly #smemchat
#14: 999 Social Media
#15: Brian Humphrey ... a true pionneer
#16: ushahidi ... witnessing change and progress in SMEM

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

#17: the iRevolution.net website and blog by Patrick Meier

At #11 ... from the land where "apple juice" flows: Los Ranchos

2011-12-15T20:01:00.000-08:00

I've met few people who really inspire me to do more. Jeff Phillips, AKA Los Ranchos EM is one of those individuals. Whether tweeting from his own account or as official representative of the Los Ranchos, NM, Emergency Management, Jeff is one of the most trusted voices in SMEM.

The accomplishments speak for themselves. He was a key player behind the SMEM camp at NEMA in Washington this year. A meeting that led to a recent report which sets the stage for greater things for the integration of social media into emergency management programs.
Here's Jeff in action with Heather Blanchard (@poplifegirl) from CrisisCommons and another SMEM luminary:

Perhaps his greatest contribution is his untiring work in laying out and promoting the concept of Virtual Operations Support Group/Team. The VOST/VOSG is being recognized as a key development in the whole SMEM movement:

The Virtual Operations Support Team (VOST) is an idea that is currently in the development stage and is designed around this concept of outsourcing. The brainchild of Jeff Philips, a SMEM thought-leader, the VOST is designed to help with the tasks of monitoring, archiving and cataloging social media content during a crisis. One great thing about monitoring social media is that you do not have to be physically co-located with emergency response personnel; monitoring can take place from anywhere, including from a home personal computer. The team Jeff has assembled, via social media of course, have been testing this concept during conferences with large amounts of twitter traffic (such as the 140 conference).

-- Kim Stephens, IDisaster2.0 Blog post, June 2011

For all his contributions (and he's nowhere near done !) on his own Twitter account or as LosRanchosEM, Jeff Phillips cracks the elite dozen among the top Social Media in Emergency Management destinations.

The list so far:
#11: Jeff Phillips, Los Ranchos EM#12: Sgt Tim Burrows, Constable Scott Mills and the Toronto Police Service
#13: the weekly #smemchat
#14: 999 Social Media
#15: Brian Humphrey ... a true pionneer
#16: ushahidi ... witnessing change and progress in SMEM

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

#17: the iRevolution.net website and blog by Patrick Meier

Toronto Police Service: the social media beat #12 on my list

2011-12-14T19:30:00.000-08:00

Most leaders are often unassuming and lead via influence and example. The Toronto Police Service (TPS) can count on not one, but two, internationally recognized pioneers in social media in law enforcement.

Sgt Tim Burrows (@T_Burrows) and Constable Scott Mills (@GraffitiBMXCop) have helped make the TPS a source of inspiration for many police services around the world. The service now offers formal training on social media to officers at its police college. The courses have met with great success and acclaim. This experience was carried to fruition through the support of Deputy Chief Peter Sloly (@DeputySloly on Twitter), himself a keen user of social networks.

Sgt Burrows really came to prominence as the driving force behind the TPS Traffic Services social media initiatives, particularly on Facebook and Twitter. This has become a model in terms of engagement with audiences by police on social networks. Tim now blogs as well.

He's sought after as a speaker and presenter. Here's a link to a recent presentation he gave to police chiefs in Vancouver. You can hear and see how Sgt Burrows looks at the use of social networks by police in this webcast interview.

Constable Mills has also made a significant impact in building relationships with audiences in many Toronto communities. Working with schools, Crime Stoppers and other organizations, Scott takes the concept of community policing into the age of social media. A brief piece on Scott below:

For all the reasons above, the social network accounts/blogs associated with Sgt Burrows, Constable Mills and the Toronto Police Service, collectively take the 12th spot on my list of the top 25 destinations for social media in emergency management.

I know I feel safer because of what they do!

The list so far:
#12: Sgt Tim Burrows, Constable Scott Mills and the Toronto Police Service
#13: the weekly #smemchat
#14: 999 Social Media
#15: Brian Humphrey ... a true pionneer
#16: ushahidi ... witnessing change and progress in SMEM

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

#17: the iRevolution.net website and blog by Patrick Meier

Lucky #13 ... you hear the chatter ?

2011-12-13T19:36:00.000-08:00

Up to this point, most of my choices of the top 25 social media in emergency management (SMEM) destinations have either been websites, blogs or Twitter accounts ... or a combination of all these.

Today, my choice is not a person or a group. It's actually a conversation that's been going on for more than a year now. The #smemchat held practically every Friday at 12:30 eastern time, is in my opinion, the best way to spend lunch at work at the end of every week.

More importantly, it's the most comprehensive forum for the exchange of views, opinions and emerging practices on social media in emergency management and crisis communications around. PERIOD. Just take a look at the relevant conversations that occurred last Friday, the day after the shootings at Virginia Tech. For a larger sample of conversations, check out SM4EM.org's page on the chat. It's importance in the advancement of SMEM is unequaled.

The exchanges are often inspiring (as noted in this blog post by Chris Poirier) and the weekly Twitter chats involve some of the true luminaries pushing the envelope in terms of adoption of social media in emergency management programs. They are too numerous to list all, but they include: @kim26stephens, @thefiretracker2. @EmrgncyTraffic, @greerjacob, @mkelly007, @mpLASD, @_JSPhillips, @CherylBle, @firefighterjp, @garytx ... My apologies if you don't see your twitter handle here ...

To me, the #smemchat is a must ... without a doubt the most significant contribution of the greater #smem community in advancing the cause of social media in emergency management programs as tools to promote preparedness, improve response, speed up recovery and enhance organizational and community resilience.

For these reasons, the #smemchat ranks at 13th on my list of top smem destinations ... Hope to see you on the chat this Friday ...

The list so far:
#13: the weekly #smemchat
#14: 999 Social Media
#15: Brian Humphrey ... a true pionneer
#16: ushahidi ... witnessing change and progress in SMEM

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

#17: the iRevolution.net website and blog by Patrick Meier

#14 on the top smem list. Social media Who are you gonna call?

2011-12-12T18:59:00.000-08:00

Very few sites have done more to help first responder agencies worldwide get acquainted with the reality of social networks than 999 Social Media. From Manchester, in the U.K., Sam Thomas of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service has propagated examples and best use of social media by organizations across the world.

Either from its website, the blog or its very useful Twitter account, 999 Social Media is always informative and points the way to lessons learned and interesting tips.

999socialmedia 999 Social Media

Social media should play role in emergency warnings: Vic Flood Review: ow.ly/7VKUh thanks to @policetrainers for the link

16 hours ago Favorite Retweet Reply

999socialmedia 999 Social Media

Social media should play role in emergency warnings: Vic Flood Review: ow.ly/7VKUh thanks to @policetrainers for the link

16 hours ago

For that reason, it sits at number 14 on my list of top 25 destinations in social media in emergency management.

The list so far:
#14: 999 Social Media
#15: Brian Humphrey ... a true pionneer
#16: ushahidi ... witnessing change and progress in SMEM

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

#17: the iRevolution.net website and blog by Patrick Meier

at number 15: a "torch bearer for SMEM"

2011-12-11T19:59:00.001-08:00

At spot number 15 on my list of top #25 destinations for social media in emergency management, sits a true pioneer in the use of social media by first responder agencies.

Brian Humphrey (@BrianHumphrey on Twitter) has helped make the Los Angeles Fire Department a recognized leader in the use of SM. More than that, leading by example, Brian has enabled other first responder agencies to get over their initial suspicions of social media.

A look at the LAFD's news and information section of their website is pretty revealing: a pretty good integration of blogs, info, and social media accounts, in addition to audio and video content. Of particular importance to me, are their two Twitter accounts ... the first is to provide incident-specific info and the second, is all about engaging with audiences which shows a real desire to listen and learn from the people the LAFD serves.

That sure sign of maturity in an organization is telling of the influence of Brian Humphrey in promoting the acceptance of social media by fire, police and EMS, but also by many other types of agencies. For that reason, he occupies the 15th spot on my list.

The list so far:
#15: Brian Humphrey
#16: ushahidi ... witnessing change and progress in SMEM

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

#17: the iRevolution.net website and blog by Patrick Meier

At 16 on the top 25 SMEM destinations: witness to progress

2011-12-10T18:35:00.001-08:00

Born in the aftermath of a violent election in Kenya, Ushahidi amply merits the #16 spot on my list of top 25 online destinations social media in emergency management. If Patrick Meier (who sits at #18 on my list) can be considered a guru of crisis mapping, then Ushahidi is the grandfather.

The founders of Ushahidi and the team that supports the multiple deployment of the platforms around the world, have given crisis mapping and crowdsourcing during emergencies their "lettre de noblesse" ... their title of legitimacy of sorts.

Whether in Haiti or in Japan, the use of the Ushahidi/Swiftriver/crowdmap set of tools has made a real difference in the response and recovery phase. If social media is about empowerment of the citizens ... turning witnesses and victims into participants, then Ushahidi is about giving them the tools to make a valuable contribution that can be legitimized and integrated into emergency management programs around the world.

Of particular interest for emergency managers is the analytical tools offered by Swiftriver that allow real-time evaluation and validation of social media and other info.

For its key role in advancing the use of social media, crowdsourcing and crisis mapping in disasters, the Ushahidi nexus ranks at 16 on my list.

The list so far:
#16: ushahidi ... witnessing change and progress in SMEM

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

#19:ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs

number 17 on the SMEM list: a revolution in disaster and humanitarian response

2011-12-08T19:52:00.001-08:00

Few people havehad a bigger role in shaping the future of evidence-basedhumanitarian and disaster relief as the man behind the website/blogwhich sits at #17 on my list of top 25 SMEM destinations.

PatrickMeier, scholar, crisis mappers and humanist, is making history.Through his engagement with Ushahidi (moreto come on that topic later in our series), he's helping blaze atrail of innovation, participation and crowdsourcing that's making adifference around the world.

WhenPatrick blogs on iRevolution.net peoplelisten, particularly when he raises issues such as datavalidation on social media for crisis mapping andcrowdsourcing, or helping with the monitoringof flawed elections in Russia, his blogposts become authoritativestatements.

Formost, that would be more than enough, but Patrick Meier is alsoco-founder of the International Network of Crisis Mappers (CrisisMappers Net) and the StandbyTask Force, two of the most important organizations/networks incrisis mapping and crowdsourcing. To give you an idea of where thisall leads, consult some crisismapping highlights.

For his ideas andfor setting new horizons in the use of social media in disasters,Patrick Meier's iRevolution.net is #17 on my list.

Watch and learnwhat motivates him.

The list so far:

#17: theiRevolution.net website and blog by Patrick Meier

#18:the Recovery Diva

#20:ConnectedCops and SMILE

#21:The American Red Cross

#22:Humanity Road

#23:2BeeReady.org

#24:the CDC and the zombie apocalypse

#25:Hal Grieb

Seriesintroduction

#18 on the list. If content is king, then the diva is queen!

2011-12-07T18:46:00.001-08:00

I'm a blogger ... that's what I like to do: share my observations. So, to me, providing well thought out content is crucial to success and relevance. There are few more relevant blogs out there on emergency management than the one written by Claire Rubin, "the Recovery Diva".

The Diva focuses on an often neglected facet of emergency management. Since most of it is long-term, recovery is not as sexy as disaster response or preparedness even. There are no zombies in the recovery promotion biz ...

What Claire offers though, is a critical take on the need for partnerships, whole-of-community approach and leadership in the recovery process. Whether lauding the role of the private sector in spurring efforts and working with governments, or highlighting lessons learned, content always prevails.

For that reason, the Recovery Diva blog is #18 on my list of top 25 SMEM destinations.

The list so far:

#18: the Recovery Diva

#19: ESRI's public safety and disaster relief blogs