The current Iceland volcano issue, as Kellisa stated in her blog post "When disaster strikes" is an interesting example about how the Internet informs but also connects people who are locally separated by natural catastrophes.
Think about all the people sleeping at airports far away from home and don´t even know when they will see their relatives again. The Internet builds bridges in times people are separated locally.
And even after a catastrophe: How do you get together with your family again? How do you know who is alive? Today: via Internet, via Social Media.
Social Media and the WWW do not only build bridges between countries and seperated people, they build bridges of emergency and help.
A case, showing this power of the Internet together with Social Media as the new emergency media, were the Australian bushfires in 2009.
Some web 2.0 tools were used to assist communication, but a model for strengthening their use as part of operational planning is currently being devised by the emergency services. The key principles that inform the communications approach still make for compelling reading, however.
They include:
• An approach that is based not on spin, but providing information communities need to put in place safe behaviours
• Messaging that builds on the 9/11 model used by Rudy Giuliani:
What we know
What we don’t know
What we are doing
What we want you to do
• Ensuring messages use a ‘call to action’
• Being realistic, real‐time, disciplined and two‐way in communication
• Taking the view that resilient communities are informed communities.
Amber Brodecky, Director Communities and Media Relations, for the Victorian Office of the Emergency Services Commissioner (2009) said that Social media were an important link in emergency management chain and they were viewed as partners, rather than a group that need to be managed. Similarly, local communities were also viewed as partners, playing a key role in their own safety planning.
The emergency services were also transparent in updating the public on fatalities and losses, with the view that an open, honest approach is best.
Eva (evesaintlaurent)
Reference:
Pearce, C., & Frost, G. (2009). Frocom’s 2nd Annual Crisis Communication & Social Media Summit 2009: Conference report. Retrieved, April, 10, 2010, from https://www.frocomm.com.au/cc2009/pdf/Frocom_CRISIS_09_D8.pdf
A case underlining how Social Media can work as emergency bridge, reducer of incorrect rumours and preventer of scare is the swine flu issue.
ReplyDeletePorter Novelli (PN) applied social media tools to help Australian Pork Ltd (APL) in its management of the communication dimension of the swine flu epidemic last year.
PN’s corporate and crisis practice principal, Campbell Fuller, said social media was used to monitor conversations about swine flu and pork consumption and assess awareness and key message enetration. The challenge for APL and PN was to convince consumers that pork was safe to eat and the flu could not be contracted through eating pork, thus arresting falling meat sales. One of their major ideas was to engage active social media participants and make them advocates for pork. Social media participants swiftly responded and corrected negative and incorrect information without any involvement from APL, posting links to mainstream sources.
To evaluate the project, Porter Novelli used consumer surveys to measure changes in sentiment toward the purchase and consumption of pork. Within a month, negative sentiment was almost zero and pork sales had returned to almost pre‐crisis levels.
Shebley said..
ReplyDeleteHi Eva..yes the internet builds bridges in connecting people at all time. Metaphorically, when there is “connection” there will also be “disconnection”. When “disconnection” occurs, people will then have to move back to the traditional media in delivering the messages and it will certainly involve with time consuming factors.
I still remember the incident occurred few weeks ago in our campus when the internet connection was on its “Easter break”..Everyone was having trouble to hand in their assignment before 9.00am. This is what I meant by “disconnection”. My question is, how can we ensure that the internet will always be available for everyone in terms of the internet speed and availability?