Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Web 2.0 lives on

OK, so CDPHE's experiment in monitoring social media during the inauguration wasn't terribly revealing. We had hoped that we might find valuable information on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or Flickr.

What we found was A LOT of information, but we didn't really know how to make it "valuable."

For example, at least two times that I know of, someone tweeted that a person in the crowd had a heart attack and needed assistance or that paramedics were already responding. We did not have a way to ask questions, such as the location or current status. If we had, we may have been able to help get assistance to the people who needed it.

In spite of Web 2.0 being interactive, sometimes it is one-way communication. The limits seem to come up when it is an application/tool that requires the user to set their own restrictions on who has access to them. So, I can't write back to the person who tweeted unless he/she has already given me permission to follow him/her.

What does this mean for emergency response?

First, it means we all need a hell of a lot more training and experience. Here is an awesome tool I intend to review, maybe tonight:
http://en.calameo.com/read/0000043394d0ae4b1e4af

The author has a nicely designed and easy to follow guide to Web 2.0, though I am sure things have changed since it was posted. (I also am in awe of how she is presenting the electronic edition - how did she do that?!!)

Second, we need to start using these tools. No longer do they belong only to the college kids or 20-somethings. They are evolving, and there are agencies and organizations all over that are figuring out how to make the tools work for their messages.

Third, we need to market what we are doing. Yesterday, we had a Web 2.0 overview from our friends at GroundFloor Media in Denver. They are in the PR business and are doing well with adapting these applications for their own use and for their clients. Check them out at www.groundfloormedia.com. They have a good blog, too.

In our marketing, we have to convince some of the more traditional media folks that what we are doing is worthwhile. During the inauguration, a contact in D.C. said he only wanted to know about emergencies we came upon if we could provide a reputable source. A little frustrating, knowing that we were monitoring social media...

Sometimes, it is hard to be patient. When we are doing the peoples' business, there's rarely enough time to try all these new things. So, as always more to come on this.

2 comments:

Greg said...

Reminds me of facebook. SATool might still be more practical for those that are SN averse. The profile, filesharing features are more visually integrated and Groups like PPHR would find them beneficial for document sharing. On the whole I agree that a new "training" might be a difficult proposal for those still learning Word 2007.

Greg said...

Type Health into Calameo's document search field. I was able to upload but DID have difficulty.