Social media has been in the news a lot lately, and I have been involved in a few fire hall discussions on the subject. In the past we have talked about a lot of positive aspects of this technology. We have shown how social media can be used to track major events before the main stream media picks up on the story. We have also shown how you can communicate, and pass time critical information to the general public without traditional media filters. The folks over at the EMT Spot have even talked about how a potential employee can be affected by an unflattering web presence. The question for today revolves around agencies and entities.
I’m normally a big proponent of open public dialog based communications. I feel very strongly that a well managed web presence can pay huge dividends for an agency. The public wants to see what their dollars go towards. They want to see what their responders are up to, and they want the warm fuzzy feeling that they get when they see you in action. That action may be working at a fire, a rescue, or an EMS call. The action might be training both academic, and hands on, or the action may be a well placed account of your crews resting, sleeping, or socializing. Many might think that down time activities should not be displayed, but I disagree.
The biggest criticisms in the fire service come when the public doesn’t understand our world. They don’t know why the fire engine is at the grocery store every morning at 0800. Social media can be used as a window into our world. A well placed blog post showing all ten members of the crew, the amount of food that is prepared, and the number of calls that get toned out during the meal hour. This information can actually clear up some public misperceptions. On top of that if a well organized meal brings in part time, volunteer, or off duty staff you can very publicly document how the simple act of conducting a station meal actually increases public safety without costing the tax payers a dime.
With all of this in mind how do you write a policy that catches all the loose ends of the current computer age while still allowing your staff to use the modern tools that are at their disposal?
1. Have a policy. If you don’t have a policy that covers these types of issues you will not be in a position to address problems when they arise.
2. Consider existing policies that govern time, computers, or equipment use.
3. Get your attorney involved. Employment, and constitutional law are very specialized fields, and these types of policies are frequently challenged and overturned
4. Consider an overall marketing/public affairs policy. How should your entity be displayed regardless of the platform, or media?
5. Most importantly allow your employees the opportunity to provide a positive image of your agency, department, or company.
Have fun.
Its suppose to be a dialog after all.
