My Integrating Social Media into Public Involvement Strategies session presentation from the Transportation Research Board's Annual Meeting from 1/10/10.

1. DISCUSSION DOCUMENT DISCUSSION DOCUMENT Integrating Social Media into Communication and PI Strategies Social Media Embracing Change Washington, DC January 10, 2010 McLean, VA March 2009 This document is confidential and is intended solely for the use and information of the client to whom it is addressed.

2. “ President Obama’s vision is to make government more participatory, transparent, and collaborative Incorporate the values of transparency, participation and collaboration into the ongoing work of (the) agency… “inform the public” “use modern technology to disseminate useful information” “contribute ideas and expertise” “take specific actions” ” …increase opportunities for public participation in and feedback on the agency’s core mission activities. Open Government Directive Memorandum, December 8, 2009

3. Government is mandating it, customers are demanding it – why aren’t we living it?

5. Front end/pre-decisional

6. Linked to major milestones

8. Understanding

9. Buy-in

11. Address unique concerns

13. Motivational

14. Promotional

16. One-on-One

17. Manager to employees

19. Genuine

20. Active

22. Transportation Agency X wants to launch a social media program for their large capital infrastructure improvement, Project Y. Now what? What goals and objectives do we want to achieve by creating social media presences? What are our measures of success? What channels and tools will we use? Why those and not others? How can social media become another tool in our communications toolbox? Who will manage the day-to-day social media presences? Who will we be talking to via social media? Who is our target audience? What is our internal approval process for tweets, blog posts, Facebook updates, etc.? How will we work with IT to ensure the Agency website is integrated with our social media program? How frequently will we post content? How will we handle responding to queries received via social media? What is our timeframe for responding? How can we use our social media presences in the event of a crisis or rapid response situation?

23. While the potential barriers to implementation are significant, the risks of not adopting social media could be even higher "Although some may dismiss the site as a simple prank or minor irritant, the fact is that the information presented was false and misleading and could lead to unwarranted concern by the public." - Police Chief Art Acevedo

24. As with all communications programs, social media efforts require measurement and assessment of success in achieving objectives Evaluation and analysis of social media efforts should focus on ROE – Return on Engagement – rather than ROI Transportation systems used by the public are already the subject of discussions on blogs, Twitter, YouTube, and Flickr – to join the conversation, we have to play by the established rules Identify goals and objectives to determine measurement criteria How is the value of a conversation measured? Focus on the level of engagement with target audiences via social media efforts Longer term, assess the overall impact of your efforts. Snapshot from Radian6 reports

25. Listening to social media conversations is easier than ever, and there are a wide variety of free monitoring tools available

26. Appendix – Examples of Social Media in the Transportation Industry

27. Your customers are using social media channels, official or unofficial, to stay informed about your organization Social Networks Blogs Customers are creating their own communities to rally around causes andto ensure their voices are heard Local bloggers are engaging the public about capital projects, service offerings and administrative issues

28. Transportation organizations can and do use social media to engage partners and the public around issues and ideas Video Blogs & Microblogs Sharing information and inviting community comments through on-line video Open data initiative allows developers to build customized applications Sharing information and inviting community comments on blogs and Twitter

29. Organizations can also use social media to enhance customer service through timely and accessible information Display the latest service advisories and news updates on your desktop or mobile device Wireless schedule, maps, service notifications and arrival times RSS MobileWeb Riders can interact and answer each others’ questions Government and customer-driven service notifications, delays, closures, and driver/rider alerts on Twitter Microblogging Social Networks

30. Social media is also being used to collaborate with partners and rally public support for events, campaigns, and initiatives Barcamps Bring together passionate people to enable innovative solutions in an open environment Facebook Generate “buzz” around special events

31. Communities and media outlets are using social media to report on and shape public opinion about your organization Live-blogging / live-tweeting at local meetings Blogging / tweeting to rate and complain about service US Airways Jan 2009 crash in the Hudson River was first reported on Twitter Media outlets are getting their sources and stories from social media YOUR ORGANIZATION SHOULD HAVE A VOICE IN THIS DISCUSSION!

32. QUESTIONS?

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