1. Crisis Communications Online:
Web and Social Media
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Rev Sep 2012

2. Example – July 26, 2012
Some people will never trust our information – during
incidents or everyday communications. 2

3. A Little EPA History
• “Normal” Crisis Response used for 9/11, Columbia, Katrina/Rita
– Response website
– Email distribution list
– In-house data / mapping
• BP Oil Spill
– Response website
– Facebook, Twitter in broadcast mode
– “Suggest ideas to solve the problem” online form, offline review
– In-house data /mapping plus Socrata, Google Earth for data sharing
• Japanese Nuclear Incident
– Response website
– Facebook, Twitter initially to broadcast, then started answering
questions
– Immediately began using Socrata – didn’t build our own tool 3

4. Socrata
• Interactive tables: like Excel without buying it
– Sortable
– Filterable
• But also other features
– Shareable
– Downloadable in multiple formats
– API allowed others to access and analyze (no one did that we
could discover)
• EPA data available:
– DATA.gov: http://www.data.gov/list/agency/4/*
– BP Spill Sediment Sampling on Socrata:
https://opendata.socrata.com/Government/Sediment-
Sampling/dhdf-vszi
4

5. The Comms Hourglass
5

6. The Comms Hourglass
• Collect questions and comments through multiple channels:
– Email
– Facebook, Twitter
– Phone
• Collate similar questions, categorize and prioritize
• Write one answer, maybe reworked as appropriate for various
channels, at the most general level of detail appropriate
• Send response via multiple channels BEYOND
reporters/Congress:
– Website FAQ
– Email to subscribers and directly to original writer
– Facebook, Twitter (possibly multiple accounts)
– Comments on Socrata and elsewhere 6

7. Crisis Response Website
• Clean design – focus on most important info
– Environmental data (air monitoring; air, water and
sediment sampling)
– Maps (simple can be better than complex)
– Simple FAQs
– Photos / videos
– Explanatory graphics as appropriate (e.g., how does
an air monitor work?)
• Update several times daily as situation develops
• Always date and time stamp pages
7

8. Lessons Learned: Facetweeting
• Use friendly, personal language.
• Provide conclusions in the post: “the result is X”
instead of “the report is ready.”
– Still provide the link
– But know that most won’t follow it
• Repeat, repeat, repeat. Many (maybe most)
won’t see the first post.
– Flows off bottom before they see it
– Don’t notice it (applies to Twitter, too)
• Frequency, speed, and informality win the day
8

9. Responding to Comments / Questions
• Make your comment policy obvious and remind people of it.
• Separate serious questions from arguments, conspiracy
theories.
• Balance individual attention with serving the broader
audience.
– Look for common themes.
– Remember: the asker often isn’t the only one wondering.
• Thick skin! Some won’t believe you. This is difficult.
• Respond within 24 hours if possible.
• Clear people, not content, but know the sensitive topics and
clear those responses when appropriate.
• Engagement begets engagement.
• Sometimes critics raise good points you need to address.
9

10. Social media tools
• Use a mix as appropriate
• Think about broadcast vs. engagement
• Broadcast (no penalty for not responding)
– Blog
– Twitter
– Flickr
– Foursquare
– YouTube
– Socrata
– Email lists (still important!)
• Engagement: people expect a response, esp. in a crisis
– Facebook
– Idea generation (e.g., how to clean up after the BP spill)
10

11. How to Prepare
• Start NOW
– Tools only as useful as audience size
– Don’t launch new tools expecting much viewership.
– Build relationships ahead of time.
• Get familiar with each tool’s tricks and features.
• Set up clearance processes now.
• Practice. Make up scenarios, talk through them.
• Talk to management about what to expect.
– What could go right and wrong.
– How you’ll minimize risk and mitigate problems.
11

12. Simplicity, Maps, and Timeliness
• Get simple information and graphics out as
soon as possible.
– Builds trust
– Helps ease people’s concerns
– Meets a need for information
– Increases transparency
• Concurrently work on more complex
presentation
12

13. Example Maps and Graphics:
Japanese Nuclear Incident
13

14. Example Maps and Graphics:
Japanese Nuclear Incident
14

15. Example Maps and Graphics (continued)
• EPA’s current RadNet Data Map:
http://www.epa.gov/japan2011/rert/radnet-data-map.html
– More detailed information
– Interactive and zoomable
15

16. Example
Facebook
Engagement
• Part of a conversation
from April 28, 2011
• http://www.facebook.com
/EPA/posts/144005532334
253
• One-on-one conversations
increase trust.
• LISTEN to what people are
really asking
• Answering one person’s
concern addresses the
concerns of many.
16

17. Example
Facebook
Engagement
(continued)
• More comments
• http://www.facebook.c
om/EPA/posts/1440055
32334253
• Listening is important
here!
• Showing concern earns
goodwill.
17

18. Contact Information
• Jessica Orquina, EPA Social Media Lead
– orquina.jessica@epa.gov
– 202-564-0446
– @JAOrquina on Twitter
• Jeffrey Levy, EPA Director of Web Communications
– levy.jeffrey@epa.gov
– 202-564-9727
– @levyj413 on Twitter

19. Related Blog posts and Presentations
• Using the hourglass to respond:
http://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/using-
the-hourglass-to-respond
• When to respond:
http://www.govloop.com/profiles/blogs/social-
media-sweet-spot-when
• Facetweeting well:
http://www.slideshare.net/levyj413/facetweeting
-how-to-and-lessons-learned-from-epas-
experiences
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20. EPA’s Social Media
• EPA is using social media to • Blogs & Discussion Forums:
communicate with a wide Greenversations family
variety of different audiences. – It’s Our Environment
• Facebook: multiple accts Region, geographical, and
program blogs
– www.facebook.com/EPA
– Region, geographical, and • YouTube: one account
program pages – www.youtube.com/usepagov
• Twitter: multiple accts • Flickr: one account
– @EPAgov – www.flickr.com/photos/usepag
– Region, geographical, and ov
program accounts • Challenge.gov: one account
• Foursquare: one account – http://challenge.gov/epa
– https://foursquare.com/epagov • More social media at EPA