Two very different tales of social media listening

Over the last few days, I've been thinking about the need for any organization to monitor social media both in routine and in crisis situations. I'd like to highlight two very different approaches ... one that works and the other, well ... that is totally sub-standard.


Let's start with the easy one. I'm a user of the transit system in the Toronto suburb where I live. I've been a transit rider all my life. We have a car but my wife drives it and i don't believe I should get one so it can sit all day at the commuter train station. So, that means I take Oakville Transit ... which in my humble opinion (and I've lived in Montreal, Toronto, Saskatoon, Edmonton and Timmins among other places) has the worst service I've ever experienced.


These tweets show my recent frustrations: 

patricecloutier  There must be a by-law prohibiting hiring smart ppl at #oakvilletransit ... Or those who can tell time or read a schedule

1 day ago  

patricecloutier  idiots at #oakvilletransit never cease 2 amaze me. we sit for 15 minutes and when the next train pulls in, The bus leaves with ppl running

1 day ago  

sail0rchan  Why are most bus drivers asses? Especially when they're late and make you miss your next bus. #OakvilleTransit

1 day ago  

patricecloutier  Yet another day where the idiots at #oakvilletransit are doing their utmost to ruin my sunny disposition ... Worst public service ever ...

Now, you'd think that after a few months of this, someone at Oakville transit would have contacted me ... but nada ... total silence ... and I'd be willing to listen to them too ...So no social media accounts listed on their 1990s era website ... no real engagement ... I can't even tweet back and forth with them.


Now contrast that with Via Rail ... which a few weeks ago dealt with a tragic train derailment that cost three employees their lives. I blogged on this incident in the hours that followed.


I followed the twitter feed as soon as I learned about the accident and commented on it:

Patrice Cloutier ‏ @patricecloutier

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wouldn't you think that #viarail would have info on its website ... no is the answer ... still selling tickets #crisiscommsfail

26 FebPatrice Cloutier ‏ @patricecloutier

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RT alexpetre7: Police now confirming 3 dead #burlington #VIA

Although in took Via Rail about 3 hours to update their website and issue a news release ... they did put out a constant stream of info on their Twitter account ... more importantly, they were LISTENING and engaging in real-time with people all over the world. That helped them keep a good handle on the threat to their corporate reputation:

VIA_Rail ‏ @VIA_Rail

@patricecloutier Not a problem, Patrice! We follow your research and findings very closely, helping us with today. ^RM

 In reply to Patrice Cloutier

26 FebVIA_Rail ‏ @VIA_Rail

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@jerw @patricecloutier Thanks James, very true. The message is being worked on as we speak and should be up on the site soon. ^RM

 So they contacted me directly ...engaged me when they thought they could benefit from it ... by helping me realize that they were indeed "on the ball" ... at least through their use of social networks. In fact, others came to their defense and that's also something we see often:

James Wilkinson ‏ @jerw

@patricecloutier @VIA_Rail can't report until the investigation is filed.

Brad Ross ‏ @bradTTC

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@patricecloutier Can't speak to their website, but follow @VIA_Railhere. They're doing a very good job.

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5:47 PM - 26 Feb 12 via Twitter for iPad · Details

So, I then did the only thing I could do. I amended my original criticism to adopt a more positive tone and recognize they were doing some things right (hey ... I can admit when I'm wrong !):

Patrice Cloutier ‏ @patricecloutier

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Concerned family members of @VIA_Rail passengers can call 1-888-842-7245 they will have a msg shortly, as will their website #Burlington

26 FebPatrice Cloutier ‏ @patricecloutier

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@VIA_Rail working on messaging on #derailment of #via train in#burlington .... they're doing their best ... difficult circumstance

26 FebVIA_Rail ‏ @VIA_Rail

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@getmeoutnews @patricecloutier Hi Patrice, still waiting on updates before we make changes to the site. Please stay tuned for more info ^RM

Patrice Cloutier ‏ @patricecloutier

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@VIA_Rail great stuff and thanks for correcting me so fast ...shows you're on the ball ... will retract publicly .. i know when i'm wrong !

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5:49 PM - 26 Feb 12 via TweetDeck · Detail

 What's the take-away from this story? Engagement pays off ... first and foremost. The benefits of listening on social networks cannot be overstated.


Second, you can't react to a crisis by starting to monitor SM if you don't do it in routine situation ...how can you engage realistically if you're not present most days? would people find you in an emergency? 


Finally, you show that you're genuine, engaged and responsive and generally of good faith and people WILL stand up for you.


Now, that good will can only be counted upon if you're a trusted source and truly social in your use these communications channels.

Follow up: the empowering nature of social media in emergencies

Okay ...I've just come across two fantastic articles on the use of social media during, and after, the outbreak of tornadoes that devastated whole towns in the US Midwest.


You already know from my last post, that I strongly believe that SM can play a role in all aspects/phases of emergency management and all functions of any EOC. Let's look first at how social media helped during the tornadoes according to the National Weather Service: (highlights are mine)

Social media was used to both gather and disseminate information, resulting in a more complete picture for citizens and officials alike, said Toby TenHarmsel, information technology officer for the National Weather Service in Louisville.

He said the National Weather Service used social media to gather “ground truth information,” or first-person accounts. In addition to Facebook, they also followed the Twitter accounts of employees.

TenHarmsel said the National Weather Service doesn’t post warnings or storm-related information for specific areas on its Facebook page, instead providing an overview, but welcomes posts from others. A string of tornado pictures appeared Friday evening, including a dramatic one from Jefferson Co., Ind.

- Louisville, Courier-Journal, March 3, 2012 


A couple of things support the growing trend toward the democratization of emergency management and the participation of citizens who no longer just want to be victims:

• "a more complete picture ..."  
• "ground truth information" 
• opening their FB page to info from people on the ground 

Now, let's look at how social media is helping the people of one small town in Kentucky recover. A real example of community resiliency enhanced by mobile technologies and social networks.

With phone connections spotty as emergency workers tried to repair downed power lines and clear debris, Facebook pages -- accessible by cell phone, mobile device, or computer -- have proven a go-to source for communities to assist one another.

In Morning View, Kentucky, Piner Baptist Church member Bea Angel turned to a Facebook group coordinating help in northern Kentucky to ask for flashlights, baby bottles, baby juice, sippy cups, newborn diapers and other items the church was collecting.

"A gentleman at our church lost everything on Friday and only has the clothes on his back. Looking for men's size 46 pants and XXL shirts," Jennifer Farwell Jewell of Independence, Kentucky, wrote on the page. Community members responded immediately with offers to purchase or donate clothing.

"This type of care and concern is what makes Facebook, and the internet well worth having!" said Timothy Anneken of Fort Wright, Kentucky, on the Facebook page.

 - Reuters, March 4, 2012

A couple of thoughts: 

• social networks have again proved their resiliency in a disaster when other channels may not be available ... key platforms like Facebook and Twitter provide a lifeline
• Mobile technologies is a game changer ... every single agency should have the ability to reach their audiences how they increasingly prefer to be reached: via mobile devices.

A final thought ... those officials who are still weighing the benefits of the use of SM in EM better get on board soon. The reality is that their own people are realizing the essential roles of these tools and mobile tech ... Pilot projects and studies are excellent ... but don't let the train leave the station and leave you stranded ... 

Irrelevance is too high a price to pay for emergency management organizations and authorities at all levels of government.

A whirlwind of thoughts on the usefulness of SMEM

March 2, 2012 ... a day that featured a thunderous outbreak of severe weather and tornadoes in many US states. Trying to follow the path of the storm systems was almost impossible ...but as I kept an eye on the Twitter feeds ...some thoughts came to mind about the useful nature of social media in emergencies (yes I know ... I'm fully drenched in the SMEM cool-aid ...).

Seems to me that one could really make a valid point about the potential, and in many cases, the daily use of SM in all aspects of EM and all sections of the EOC.

Let's look at the EM pillars .... In Ontario, we have five ...

Prevention: social networks (accompanied by supportive web and print materials) can help disseminate all sorts of risk communications and damage-avoidance products.

Mitigation: again, using SM and building on lessons learned, perhaps shared on Facebook or on Youtube, can help lessen the impact of disasters by maximizing message reach on zoning, building practices and defensive measures..

Preparedness: all I can say is: Zombies ... look at the effective mix of web and social media by the CDC or look at the Ready.gov campaign ... if your message reaches people on the tools they use, in the format they like and at their leisure ... greater are the chances your key messaging will stick ...or at least be heard.

Response: hey, if it's so essential to Craig Fugate's thinking, who am i to argue? It's simple, if you have a better picture of what's going on out there because you have all sorts of data coming through citizens and volunteers via social media, crisis mapping and crowdsourcing, you'll be better at allocating strategic response resources.

Recovery: well, we've seen in the recent past, phenomenal examples of communities coalescing online through social media to help speed up recovery. More than simple morale boosters, the efforts of the people behind the Christchurch Recovery Map, the Rebuild Joplin and Tuscaloosa.  Often enough, it started through a Facebook page such as the Student Volunteer Army in New Zealand and the same for Joplin.

What about in the EOC ... well, let's take a look ...

For command ... well, how about getting a better grasp of the whole situation ... looking at a mosaic of user-generated pictures (no longer common operating picture). Here's Chief Bill Boyd (@chief2b on Twitter)

For the LO: social media can provide quick and easy, constant and effective communications channels with all levels of authorities ... especially on the political side of the equation.

For the EIO/PIO: social networks provide immediate, direct access to all sorts of audiences impacted by any incident. They provide an answer to the changing requirements of the PIO's job. 

For the SO: i can imagine check-ins and mobile apps being used to monitor the well-being of on-scene responders ... 

For Ops: again, a critical element to make informed decisions on the ground depend on the availability of data and how it's visualized. Social networks, crowdsourcing and crisis mapping have changed that process ... along the ever growing presence of mobile devices. The Boulder/Four-mile Canyon Fire of a couple years ago was probably among the first field application of these emerging technologies. The future points to all responders soon wearing cameras, sporting some sort of tablet and being able to easily visualize all sort of info as they attend to an incident.

For Plans: again, it's about going well beyond mere assumptions and using the data provided via social networks, crowdsourced and often put on a map by digital volunteers:

For logistics: I think we could use QR codes for tracking needs and equipment, orders for supplies, use apps for check ins and the such. This happens organically, we saw it today on Twitter after a tornado hit Henryville in Indiana. As seen on this screenshot from Monitter with #henryvilleneed on the left and #henryvillehelp on the right.

For Fin/Admin: there are multiple mobile apps and software that support field NIMS/ICS events ... they usually have a fin/admin component ... 

now add the ability to communicate in a defined environment and with a group of designated people, using Yammer for example, and it could speed things up. Especially when other communications means could be impacted.

Okay ... a bit of a wandering post ... but in a way, it's kind of an SMEM manifesto ...

I could be completely off base ... but i think we're no longer looking forward to tomorrow regarding the use of social media in emergency management ...we are in the era of "social convergence" ... mostly for the simple reason that's where the people we serve already are ...

Comments welcome as always !