SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS Background/rationale Tight economy requires connecting with the public/taxpayer Image is everything Your image is affected in many ways Social media allows for two way connection with instant feedback You already have the experts in-house – just look for the Gen X and Ys Policies are being made by people who don't have insights into how to use social media: bring younger members into social media policy discussions early on What do you want to achieve with social media? One way or two way flow of information with public? Would limitations to interaction be advisable or not? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Who do we officially want or need involved in our Social Media efforts? Where does our intended audience currently gather online? What are we willing to do to interact with our audience? Why should our audience interact with us? How will you interact with your audience? Make sure the answers are congruent with your Agency's goals. Raise awareness of public safety issues, breaking news, local incident trends, emergency planning Raise money, recruit applicants Use social media to set up CPR and fire safety training as online classes are the future of community public safety education 1|Page SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS Sergeant Tim Burrows, of the Toronto Police Services, identifies five resources that all public safety agencies need to consider before and during implementation of a social networking plan. 1. Time: Decide how much time you want to spend on social media outlets before committing to them. Once you start putting information out there on a regular basis, your public might develop expectations. Plan on meeting those expectations. 2. Money: Social media can cost you nothing, or it can cost you thousands. You can decide to forge ahead on your own, or you can hire a PR consultant to develop a social media plan and train your information officers. Don't dismiss social media just because it can be free — in fact, you should be embracing it because of its flexible nature. 3. Equipment: Social media uses simple, inexpensive tools that your department often already has available. Computers, smart phones, and cameras can all cost you under $500. 4. Knowledge: Your department needs to develop policies that help, not hinder, social media interaction. Officers engaging with the public need to listen, communicate, and network so that they know what their public is after. 5. Two-way communication: One of the pitfalls of social media is that some departments use it as a mechanism to self-promote. Recognize that communication has to be genuine and two-way. Ask yourself, "What are we putting out there? How will we respond to backlash or questions?" 2|Page SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS Examples and Success Stories Calgary Fire Facebook recruitment Nova Scotia Facebook meeting notices and photos Various departments post procedure manuals and training videos Baie Verte FD Newfoundland Facebook fundraiser to replace fire hall Forest Service British Columbia (FSBC) Facebook page up to date status of forest fires Burlington Volunteer Fire used social media to raise money for a new equipment carrier The city of Phoenix has added a Facebook page to its options for residents to obtain information about important programs and services. The city also provides information through Twitter accounts and the city’s award-winning website, phoenix.gov. Christmas Tree goes Viral for NFPA – public safety message broadly seen Lethbridge wild fires November, 2011 Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s Push the Button campaign uses YouTube, Twitter and Facebook to encourage the public to check their smoke alarms weekly. Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) has two Twitter feeds: @LAFD for news alerts; @LAFDtalk for direct communications between citizens and the department Mesa, AZ’s Marrisa Ramirez-Ramos, fire and life safety education specialist, utilizes Twitter and Facebook to send out prevention tips Colorado Springs Police Department Facebook of missing elderly people Novato, Calif., Fire Department integrates social media into marketing calendar/segmentation of audiences 3|Page SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS Why Social Media? More than 30 per cent of the world’s population is under 30 years old Ninety-seven percent of kids in their teens and twenties are part of at least one social network Facebook tops Google for weekly traffic in the U.S. Social media has overtaken pornography as the No. 1 activity on the web YouTube second most popular search engine Easy to set up and operate, can be accessed remotely Essential component of incident management is distribution of info Only about 14 percent of departments in the United States have a Facebook page and only two percent use Facebook to deliver public information messages SOPs A strategic communication plan with a social media component Appropriate content, user and administrative rights and office protocol identify a social media spokesperson Identify the most effective platform, whether it’s Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or YouTube Decide what constitutes personal information within social media. Is your organization sharing only information or is it also sharing photos and video? Can members of the social media group also post their personal information? Establish how this information can be used and who has access to it. Develop privacy settings and make sure your participants know how to use them. Use social networking platforms that are reputable and gain a good understanding of their privacy policies. Outline what information can be shared, including identifying details such as locations and dates Social media accounts are communication assets to your organization the same way your radio or telephone are. They should be included in asset inventories and in equipment disbursement charts. Include their usage in both your standard everyday communications plan as well as your emergency communications plans There should be a set of communications guidelines for what can and cannot be automatically disseminated Confirm information before disseminating, but approval by command personnel is not a necessary step if you have guidelines in place Establish a social media team so back up is available Model policy issued by the IAFC (member log in only) Try an internal page first before you go public 4|Page SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS Pitfalls of Social Media for Fire Departments & how this can be effectively controlled o Misinformation o Source of bad PR o Legal problems Logo wear Private versus public life Encrypted scanner technology – iPad apps for bad guys BANGOR, Pa. 08/19/2011 — A Pennsylvania firefighter may face discipline for wearing fire department equipment in a dating website photo. Liberty Fire Company No. 2 volunteer Firefighter Ernest Hase III, based in Bangor, posted a picture of himself wearing a firefighter helmet while topless with the word "PLUGGER" written across his chest in red. The photo is one of several that violate the volunteer department's policies to use any department-issued gear for anything other than department business, according to Liberty's fire chief. MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis firefighter who posted Facebook comments disparaging Frayser has resigned from his union position, officials announced Monday. Robert Kramer, who has served on the executive board of the Memphis Fire Fighters Association for six years, submitted his letter of resignation Monday. It officially takes effect today. In an Aug. 18 post, Kramer said he noticed a rainbow on his drive to the Frayser area, then says in an apparent reference to the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow, "The only gold in Frayser is in people's mouth." In an Aug. 25 post, Kramer talks about going to "one of the retarded schools in Frayser tomorrow." DC fire-EMS halts use of Twitter to get handle on data WASHINGTON — The D.C. government has temporarily halted use of one of its most popular Twitter accounts in order to get a tighter handle on information disseminated about emergency operations. The District's Fire and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Twitter account has been on hiatus since Aug. 30, when the communications officer who ran it went on vacation, officials said. The account, which provided real-time information on emergency incidents in the city ranging from traffic accidents to fatal shootings, has been suspended as officials decide what information is safe to put online. 5|Page SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS Close to 11,800 tweets have been issued through the fire department account, run by department spokesman Pete Piringer, since it was registered in February 2009. The tweets typically relayed information passed over fire department scanners about ongoing incidents. A firefighter in Georgia took graphic cell phone video of a fatal crash that was shared with other firefighters, patrons at a bar and was later received by the father of the woman who died. The firefighter has since been placed on "investigatory suspension." I fear that technology has eroded our sense of what is right and wrong behavior. With the multitude of stories that are coming out about poor behavior from our ranks, we are rapidly losing the public's trust in our ability to be professional, compassionate care providers. And yes, that means we police ourselves. There were at least TWO people involved with the recording of the death scene, and at least TWO providers involved with its spread on the Internet. Employers: If you do NOT have a policy surrounding the use of recording technology and social media, or you are NOT enforcing the policy, you are open to potentially serious liability. HIPAA regulations forbid the disclosure of protected, identifying information about a patient. Isn't the video recording or photograph of a patient or a location "identifying?" 6|Page SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS October 11, 2011 -- A veteran Los Angeles murder detective is under scrutiny for tweeting a crime scene photo showing a dead body covered by a sheet - but the cop says the photo was harmless. "Guess where I'm at??? It never ends," LaBarbera posted using his @LAMurderCop twitter handle, along with a photo of a shooting scene in south Los Angeles. The photo showed a dead body covered by a white and red blanket lying next to a blood-stained curb, surrounded by police tape and yellow numbered bullet-casing markers. The male victim's black pants and gray sneakers are sticking out from beneath the blanket. LaBarbera, a native New Yorker who has been on the LAPD's gang and homicide squads for more than 25 years, is a prolific and savvy tweeter who often gives shout-outs to his beloved Giants and Yankees. LaBarbera declined to comment for the Daily News, but he told CBS that he often tweets about crime scenes to raise awareness about gang activity in the area. "That's the same exact photo the news folks would have taken," he tweeted. The LAPD didn't give a specific comment about its investigation, but said it doesn't have a policy regarding cops using social media. Nicole White’s heart wrenching tale about bad treatment at the hands of the Transportation Safety Authority, placed on her blog, picked up and retweeted. However, TSA was on the ball and put out their immediate response which showed closed circuit camera footage that contradicted her allegations. Now if the TSA did not have a Social Media Presence, chances are they would have remained largely unaware of the situation. They in fact have a Twitter account and a blog that are managed by a team. The TSA Blog Team did not just stop there. They then sent numerous Twitter messages to users who had retweeted the previous story with a link to their own. Thanks to their quick response and their initiative in using Twitter to directly contact those who had retweeted the original story, the TSA avoided a reputation damaging story from festering throughout the weekend. 7|Page SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS Best conduit for Emergency Services o o o o o o o Facebook Twitter You Tube Micro-Blogging Broadcast Text Messaging Podcasts/radio Others Firehouse.com Fire/EMS Bloggers on Twitter (Blog url – Twitter User url) The Happy Medic.com – @TheHappyMedic Inspector911.com - @Inspector911 EMSEdUCast.com – @EMSEducast PIOSocialMediaTraining.com – @PIOSMTraining EPS411.com – @gfriese VAFireNews.com, VAEMSNews.com, VirginiaFireEMSJobs.com – @FireFleitz STATter911.com – @Statter FireNews.net – @FireNews Mediccast.com - @PodMedic FireDaily.com - @FireDaily FireGroundVideo.com – @FireGroundVideo FirefighterCloseCalls.com – @TheSecretList HoopieWorld.com – @HoopieWorld EverydayEMStips – @everydayemstips Which is better o o Fire Department Social Media independent of Corporation Social Media through Corporation channels only or If you call yourself a social media expert, don’t even bother sending me your resume. No business in the world should want one on their team. They shouldn’t want a guru, rockstar or savant, either. If you have a social media expert on your payroll, you’re wasting your money. Being an expert in social media is like being an expert at taking the bread out of the refrigerator. You might be the best bread-taker-outer in the world, but you know what? The goal is to make an amazing sandwich, and you can’t do that if all you’ve done in your life is taken the bread out of the fridge. Social media is just another facet of marketing and customer service. It’s also about brevity. You know what the majority of people calling themselves social media experts can’t do, among other things? THEY CAN’T WRITE. Good writing is brevity, and brevity is marketing. 8|Page SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS Legal Issues Free speech defence - TBC WICHITA, Kansas — Is it okay to tell employees they cannot Facebook or use social media? Wichita firefighters are now under new restrictions. And one of the points the fire department makes with the new rules and regulations includes interference with job duties. The policy says employees will be prohibited from using the internet and social media in seven key areas. "Members are prohibited from accessing social networking sites, internet dating sites, and sited that host weblogs while on duty that affects the efficiency and productivity of the Wichita Fire Department." Fire union officials have no official comment on the new restrictions, but say they have taken the issue to attorneys to check the language. One point of contention could be a segment of the policy that talks about no posting derogatory comments about the Wichita Fire Department. "Members shall not post any material on the Internet that may adversely affect the efficiency or integrity of the Wichita Fire Department." Some firefighters say that could infringe on freedom of speech. Fired by Facebook COLLETON COUNTY, S.C. — A firefighter-paramedic has been fired over a video he posted on Facebook of an exchange between two cartoon characters at a hospital. LAS VEGAS — A Las Vegas firefighter goes on Facebook about wanting to shoot Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak “in the groin” 9|Page SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS Social Media Advice for Firefighters Here are 10 helpful principles that can help you avoid any issues with your department or agency about what you post on Facebook or other social networking media. If followed, these principles can help keep your face on the company roster: 1. Don't post inappropriate pictures or images It may go without saying, but your employer, community or public officials do not want to see pictures of you in an intoxicated state or doing really stupid things. Beyond the pictures you would not want your parents or family members to see, seemingly innocent pictures of your personal life may not help to support the image you want to present in your professional life as a firefighter. Certainly you should not post pictures of patients or post comments about them. Nor should you post images of accident scenes or company equipment, documents, or personnel without the permission of the company. This includes images taken around the station of equipment and other staff members during downtime while on duty. (Would you like a Facebook "friend" posting a picture of you at work sleeping on the couch with your mouth wide open without your permission?) 2. Don't complain about your job, supervisors, or co-workers in a public forum Any negative comments about your department or co-workers (even if not specifically named) should generally not be posted. These comments reflect poorly on you, the organization, and the persons that you criticize. Examples of inappropriate postings may range from a comment about the competency of your supervisor, to a comment about how your coworker always shows up late and you were stuck staying over. We may complain about work and co-workers to a friend or family member now and then, but doing so in a public forum where it can be easily read by others who may not be so close to you is not a wise move. Negative and derogatory comments can also lead to claims of defamation and slander. 3. Don't post inappropriate "statuses" Avoid any status updates that discuss patient care situations, your department, or other staff members, or that may implicate unprofessional conduct. You should avoid statuses like "I plan to call in sick tomorrow so I can go to the beach," or "I'm tired of transporting annoying old people from nursing homes," or "Sarah is watching the championship soccer game online at her desk". Statuses that imply you or others are unreliable, dishonest, deceitful, or unprofessional may jeopardize your employment status. 4. Be particular about your "friends" and associations You can't control what your friends post to your profile (although you can remove it once you see it), nor what they post to their own profiles or to those of mutual friends. But you can control if they are your friend in the first place, or delete their postings from your page. For example, pictures your friend has tagged you in where he is falling down drunk, and you look intoxicated as well reflect poorly on you, even if you are not the direct focus of the image. You are who your friends are! Take a look at everything connected to your profile — including your friends list — and keep an eye out for anything you wouldn't want to show your parents or others. If a "friend" uses profanity or posts improper images, you might want to think about removing that person from your "friends" list. 10 | P a g e SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS 5. Check your privacy and security settings and know their rules Privacy and security settings on social networking sites can be confusing and hard to deal with. It is now possible to customize lists of friends and decide what each list can and cannot see. But many people do not fully understand these settings, or don't bother to check access levels. If you are going to use Facebook professionally, and even if you aren't, make sure you take the time to go through your privacy options. At the very least, your profile should be set so that people who are not your friend cannot see any of your pictures or profile information. You should also become familiar with all privacy settings as well as the "terms of use" and "privacy policies" of the social networking application that you are using. 6. Consider establishing a "professional" profile page The best advice is to lock down your personal profile so that only friends you approve can see anything on that profile. Another practical suggestion is to consider creating a second, public profile purely for professional use. This profile functions like an online resume, and should only contain information you'd be comfortable telling your employer face to face. www.linkedin.com Having a social networking profile is a good thing — it presents you as technologically and professionally savvy. Just make sure your profile is helping to present your best side — not the side that got drunk at your friend's party last week. 7. Don't use social networking while engaged in work activities Access to social networking sites on your personal device should only occur in absolute down time as you would use a personal cell phone when on duty (if this is permitted by your department). It is inappropriate to post statuses or to view social networking profiles while with engaged in company work activity. 8. Don't misrepresent yourself or others You should be careful that what you post about your training and education is accurate and consistent with information you have given to your employer. Your department or agency has the right to check out statements you may make from a variety of sources, including your social networking profile. For example, if you call in sick and later that day you post a status that says "Off to the beach for the day to go skiing" and the department is made aware of it, you can expect them to investigate this further and initiate corrective action where appropriate. Or if you claim on your job application that you have a college degree but your online profile states that you did not yet obtain a degree and are still going to school, your employer may question the accuracy of the information you supplied them. 9. Be who you are Some posters and bloggers work anonymously, using false screen names. That is usually not a good idea. Transparency and honesty are the best policies to follow. Hiding behind a "handle" name may embolden you to post things you would not ordinarily post (and against your better judgment!). Nothing gains you more notice in the online social media environment than honesty — or dishonesty. What you post may be forwarded and viewed by many, so consider the content carefully. If you blog, consider using a "disclaimer" that states your postings are your own personal opinions and do not represent the opinion or position of your employer(s) or agencies you work with. 11 | P a g e SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS 10. Respect copyright and fair use laws For your employer's protection as well as your own, it is critical that you respect laws governing copyright and fair use of copyrighted material owned by others, including your department's copyrights, logos or images. You should never quote more than short excerpts of someone else's work. And it is a good general practice to provide a "link" to the original source of your posting. And a few more thoughts: 1. Check your privacy and security settings and know their rules Social networking blurs many of the traditional boundaries between internal and external communications. Be thoughtful about what you post — particularly on Facebook or other external networks. You must make sure you do not disclose or use confidential information or proprietary information about your department in any online social network. For example, ask permission before posting someone's picture in a social network or publishing in a blog or status a conversation that was meant to be private. 2. Respect your audience and your coworkers Your department or agency is a community service organization that is always "under the microscope." Don't be afraid to be yourself, but do so respectfully. Avoid any ethnic slurs, personal insults, harassing comments, or obscenities. It is fine to disagree, but be careful about using your blog or Facebook page to air your differences in an inappropriate manner. 3. Don't pick fights or argue back and forth When you see misrepresentations made about your department by the news media or by others, you may want to respond. But it might be safer to notify your agency first before you react with your own posting. If your department wants you to respond, always do so with respect, and stick to the facts and identify your affiliation with your agency. Avoid unnecessary or unproductive arguments. Online "brawls" may draw traffic and comments, but nobody wins in the end. Don't try to settle scores or goad competitors or others into inflammatory debates. 4. Correct your mistakes If you make an error in fact or misstate information you post, be up front about your mistake and correct it quickly. In a blog or posting, if you choose to modify an earlier blog or post, make it clear that you have done so. 5. Use your best judgment and apply 'common sense' Remember that there are always consequences to what you post. If you're about to post something that makes you feel a bit uncomfortable, review the suggestions outlined and think about why you feel uncomfortable. What your gut tells you initially is often correct. If you're still unsure, and what you want to post is related to your department, you might want to discuss it with a supervisor or a trusted friend first. Ultimately you have sole responsibility for what you post to your blog or publish in any form of online social media. References: IBM Social Computing Guidelines, www.ibm.com/blogs/zz/en/guidelines.html 12 | P a g e SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS Fire Department Social Media Policy Austin Fire Department The Austin Fire Department (AFD) was one of the first departments in the City of Austin to establish a social media policy. Prior to creating this policy, both the AFD Code of Conduct and Computer Use policies had not been updated since the 1970s. “Members of the Austin Fire Department shall not criticize or ridicule the Department, its policies, its officers or other members by speech, writing or other expression, when such speech, writing or expression: 1. is defamatory, obscene, slanderous or unlawful; and/or 2. tends to interfere with the maintenance of proper discipline; and/or 3. damages or impairs the reputation and/or efficiency of the Department or member. “This includes, but is not limited to, written, auditory and/or visual messages communicated via or on Department resources or via personal devices, such as cell phones, PDAs, etc., and/or social media (Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, etc.). Any written, auditory and/or visual messages communicated by a member that are relative to the Austin Fire Department in any capacity are the sole property of the Austin Fire Department. This includes, but is not limited to, any written, auditory, and/or visual messages communicated via or on Department resources or via or on personal devices and/or social media.” Added Protection AFD’s social media clause provides the department with added protection by stating that any information communicated via social media that’s relative to the AFD is the sole property of the AFD. This includes intellectual property, such as logo, name, uniform, equipment, etc., as well as photos and written content. This added protection is crucial because employees aren’t always mindful of how they use social media sites when sharing information about the AFD, but they need to realize that the information they share could be used in ways they haven’t considered. For example, a firefighter could innocently tweet about a call he’d been on recently, but that information could be passed to an attorney who’s suing the city over the incident. Or a firefighter could post a photo from a call she ran on her Facebook page only to find out later that a third party copied and pasted the photo to an adult website. There are too many “what-if” type situations like those described above, which is why the AFD thought it best to establish a property ownership caveat. Truthfully, it’s as much for the employees’ protection as it is for the department. But just as danger hides in seemingly innocuous places on the emergency scene, the law also holds a variety of traps for the unwary. A poorly drafted social media policy can create unexpected sources of liability. The goal of a social media policy is to promote privacy, both that of the people we serve and of our fellow responders. These policies attempt to cut off the dissemination of sensitive or embarrassing information by prohibiting people from posting or otherwise sharing it. 13 | P a g e SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS Stated somewhat differently, social media policies attempt to regulate a person's ability to speak or express themselves in various media channels if expression includes sensitive information. that Avoid overbroad policies So what should a department do? First, avoid overbroad policies and those that make distinctions based on subject matter or viewpoint. For example, "firefighters may not post anything critical of the department or fellow firefighters" or "firefighters may not post anything about the city" are both susceptible to First Amendment challenge. (Canadian context TBC) Similarly, consider multiple polices to specifically identify what conduct is prohibited. "Social media" is a slippery term. It encompasses a variety of mediums, including blogs, both those organized by private individuals and those organized by departments themselves, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, and discussion boards. Each of these channels presents different types of risks and by using multiple policies, a department can prohibit only the conduct that is most troubling. Second, be sure to have an identifiable and well-articulated rationale for why using social media in a particular way is prohibited. The fact that a speech is annoying or offensive, without more, is not an acceptable rationale. On the other hand, a policy designed to prevent speech that interferes with a department's efficient operation is more likely to withstand challenge. Finally, consult a lawyer before actually disciplining or terminating a responder because of something they said or posted on social media. A small investment upfront can save huge litigation costs later. 14 | P a g e SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS How To Do It (this is where your rookies will come in handy) Monitor: You must know who is talking about you and what they’re saying Set up auto inform search parameters on Google and YouTube Know how to use Google searches most effectively Know how to follow hashtags in Twitter Use Tweetdeck or Hootsuite Site/Blog: Make sure web stats/analytics are installed and configured Check site for broken links (and fix them!) Review/update text (make sure nothing it outdated or old info) Update photos Add personalization for your department (names/photos/ranks) Create a plan to keep site fresh and updated on a regular basis Make sure you have a plan in place to review web stats regularly Create a plan to post articles regularly Make sure your Blog is properly configured with the latest and best plugins (keep up with the new updates and new technologies) Make sure you have a good strategy for using Keywords/Tagging/Categorizing on posts Make sure your Blog is properly connected to your various social media sites Twitter: Make sure your custom background is created and compelling Take some time to be sure your goals and objectives are outlined (you’ll get more out of Twitter if you know what you are doing and why) Create a plan to build followers Review how often you are tweeting and what tweets you are getting results from Follow your feed and see follow any/all interaction with your profile Facebook: Take some time to be sure your goals and objectives are outlined (you’ll get more out of Facebook if you know what you are doing and why) Set up a strong Facebook fan page Create an action plan to increase Fans and promote page Make sure your FB badge is placed on your site and you are linking from sig line in emails etc. Create an action plan to network and engage friends/fans Create an action plan to keep content updated LinkedIn: Make sure your profile is set up and complete Request endorsements Participate in Questions and discussions Connect your profile to your other social media accounts Youtube: Create an account and personalize it Upload videos and footage of your department Make the videos embeddable Tag the videos 15 | P a g e SOCIAL MEDIA CONSIDERATIONS/QUESTIONS Use the videos on your blog/site and link to it on twitter! Other social media sites: Find other relevant industry social media sites Create your profile and create an action plan for the social media platform 16 | P a g e