1. Social
Media
as
a
Tool
in
Crisis
Communication
by David J Mistick CPM, CBRM
Crisis
communication
is
an
essential
part
of
any
corporate
or
institutional
communication
plan.
Today
social
media
plays
in
increasingly
important
part
of
it.
Property
owners
and
managers
must
be
cognizant
of
this
fact,
and
embrace
its
utility
as
a
tool
in
the
organization’s
overall
enterprise
risk
management
program.
The
speed
and
ease
of
use
take
the
value
of
social
media
beyond
being
a
headline
banner.
This
methodology
requests
assistance,
identifies
access,
ties
to
mapping
resources,
provides
safety
check-­‐ins,
and
provides
a
vehicle
for
relief
and
fundraising.
For
business
organizations
and
institutions
it
is
an
important
component
of
business
resilience
communication.
It
moves
these
groups
beyond
call
trees,
800
numbers,
and
chat
boards.
Directing
and
maintaining
social
media
for
these
organizations
has
now
become
an
identifiable
responsibility
in
the
overall
disaster
or
business
resilience
program.
The
value
of
social
media
as
a
disaster
tool
is
evidenced
in
recent
research
compiled
by
Best
Communication
Company,
LTD,
a
provider
of
social
media
packages
in
Japan.
This
research
was
performed
pre-­‐and
post-­‐the
March
11,
2011
earthquake.
The
study
reports
that
after
the
earthquake
the
use
of
traditional
communication
–
i.e.
telephones
and
e-­‐mail
–
increased,
but
not
at
the
rate
of
social
media.
This
research
identifies
and
uptick
of
66-­‐70%
following
the
earthquake.
This
usage
includes
both
public
media
as
well
as
internal
corporate
or
organizational
social
tools.
Data
collected
confirms
that
70%
of
those
surveyed
used
Twitter,
37%
used
Facebook,
16%
You
Tube,
16%
intranet,
and
12%
MIXI
(a
Japanese
social
network.)
In
our
consulting
practice
we
have
long
counseled
clients
of
the
importance
of
having
a
single
spokesperson
to
address
the
news
media
to
assure
a
single
cohesive
message
to
be
delivered
to
the
public,
clients,
customers,
suppliers
and
employees.
Today
we
add
managing
social
media
to
the
responsibilities
to
that
spokesperson
or
their
primary
assistant.
Utilizing
social
media
effectively
requires
these
groups
to
develop
strategies
that
put
it
into
play
all
along
the
disaster
continuum
–
pre-­‐disaster,
during
the
event,
and
post-­‐disaster,
communicating
both
externally
and
internally.
Corporately,
social
media
managers
must
also
be
alert
to
external
reports
about
their
businesses.
As
we
have
seen
in
major
disasters
for
decades,
competitors
will
use
misinformation
to
damage
or
re-­‐direct
the
market
share
of
companies
in
disaster
impact
zones.
Now
more
than
ever,
scouring
the
Internet
for
damaging
or
misleading
information
is
an
essential
part
of
any
company’s
resilience
plan.
Prompt,
thoughtful
response
to
un-­‐factual
posts
about
your
business
by
others
is
required
to
maintain
business
stability.
Social
media
should
be
incorporated
into
an
organization’s
overall
business
continuity
strategy.
As
such
it
should
be
exercised
like
any
part
of
the
BCP.
During

2. gaming
or
exercising
events,
the
crisis
communication
coordinator
should
be
posed
with
questions
as
to
how
the
entity
would
utilize
social
media
to
their
benefit.
It
will
also
clue
stakeholders
as
to
the
type
of
information
that
may
be
forthcoming
from
the
assigned
communicator.
This
is
an
important
consideration
and
organizational
responsibility.
It
is
not
a
task
to
be
assigned
as
a
low
priority.
© 2012 David J Mistick, All Rights Reserved

3.
Social
Media
as
a
Tool
in
Crisis
Communication
You
have
only
to
look
at
certain
social
media
miscues
to
see
how
mistakes
have
had
significant
negative
impacts
on
various
corporations
on
market
share,
stock
prices,
and
brand
image.
A
2011
survey
by
Symantec
found
the
top
three
social
media
incidents
the
typical
enterprise
experienced
were
employees
sharing
too
much
information
in
public
form,
the
loss
or
exposure
of
confidential
information,
and
increased
exposure
to
litigation.
In
a
disaster
these
may
be
obfuscated
by
risk
of
injury
and
death.
Research
conducted
by
the
University
of
Western
Sydney
after
the
Queensland
floods
concluded:
“social
media
can
act
as
amplifiers
of
affected
information
and
also
help
people
to
not
feel
alone.”
The
reports
presents
the
case
that
social
media
is
highly
important
in
managing
rumors
and
sensationalized
media
reporting.
“Overwhelmingly
people
reported
feeling
a
sense
of
connectedness
and
usefulness,
felt
supported
by
others
and
felt
encouraged.”
Property
owners
and
managers
need
to
harness
and
manage
the
power
of
social
media.
By:
David
Mistick
CPM,
CBRM
Circumspex
LLC

4. Social
Media
as
a
Tool
in
Crisis
Communication
[Potential
Side
Bar}
Social
Media
Tips
•
Create
and
maintain
key
contacts,
both
internally
and
externally
•
When
posting,
be
clear
as
to
whether
this
information
is
validated
by
you
internally
or
ban
an
external
source
•
Be
aware
of
the
timeliness
of
your
posts.
Critical
information
may
need
to
appear
more
than
a
single
time
•
Maintain
close
administrative
control
over
the
official
“voice”
or
the
organization.
In
planning
make
certain
employees
understand
they
cannot
speak
for
the
company.
•
Consider
the
fact
that
the
social
media
desk
may
need
to
be
operated
24/7.