This document discusses social media monitoring and setting up "traplines" or alerts to track topics of interest online. It defines social media monitoring and explains its importance for gathering information during emergencies. It provides tips on setting objectives, prioritizing information, and understanding context. Specific tools are outlined for setting up search alerts on platforms like Google Alerts and RSS feeds. Setting up a virtual operations support team (VOST) is presented as a way to organize monitoring efforts and provide filtered information to emergency response agencies.

1. Session 4:

2. 1. Define Social Media Monitoring
2. Explain why Monitoring Is
Important
3. How to Set UpYour “Traplines”
4. UsingVirtual SupportTeams

5. Social Media ~ UsingWeb-Based tools to
network, share information, congregate with
others online
Data Mining ~ Sifting through large amounts
of data to find actionable information.

6. Time isValuable
Can Provide Clarity During
the Fog ofWar
Your Messages May be
Confusing
Public Can BeYour Ally

7.  DefineObjectives ~What AreYou Looking For?
 Where &What DoYouWant to Monitor?
 Prioritize & Filter Information

8.  Does the answer already exist within talking points?
 Does the issue require more research?
 Who should be involved in determining the answer?
 What are the implications if the issue is ignored?

9.  Context is King
 Understand Spoofs & Fake Information
 If it sounds “too good to be true…”
 Warns of impending doom?
 Verify via www.snopes.com
 Internet Memes

10. Know how your community is
talking about an event.
Gather all hashtags!
 The # sign makes a word independently searchable
onTwitter and is called a hashtag.
 Two ways hashtags are used:
 To gather topics under one word
 Used as “thought bubbles” by speakers

11.  You’ve defined your mission, know where you
are searching, so what areTraplines?

12.  Geocoded Searches: Where you put in the
Latitude/Longitude intoTwitter and see what is
being shared around a particular location.
 Social Media Aggregators: Where you use search
bars and manually put in your “search term.”
 Example = www.IceRocket.com or www.Topsy.com
 Alerts: Information PingsYou when your “search
term” is found.
 Example = GoogleAlerts or newly emergingTwitter Alerts

13. To use Google Alerts:
 Go to www.google.com/alerts and fill out the
form.
 If you are looking for multiple words, use
“quotation marks” around the words or phrase.
Limitations:
 May be time-delays in the results, up to a couple
of days
 May not be complete information

14.  Real Simple Syndication (RSS) Feeds: On a
periodic basis, the internet is automatically
searched for new information from sites you are
interested in watching.
 First, you set up a “Reader” which is essentially a
deposit place for your new information like
www.feedly.com or www.theoldreader.com
 Then, you look for the RSS sign on a webpage, click
on it & copy the link.
 Place the link in your “reader” as a new subscription

15. Social Aggregators:
 www.IceRocket.com
 www.socialmention.com
 www.topsy.com
 www.kurrently.com
 www.addictomatic.com
 www.facebook.com/search for Facebook
 https://twitter.com/search-advanced forTwitter
 Yahoo Pipes (more advanced tool) =
http://pipes.yahoo.com/pipes/
Check them out and search by keyword.
What do you notice?

16.  www.TrendsMap.com will show
you what words are trending in
Tweets via map view. Log-in via
Twitter
 ReadTwitter Search by
Location at
http://thoughtfaucet.com/searc
h-twitter-by-location/
 Hootsuite provides tools for
monitoring via their pro
accounts
http://blog.hootsuite.com/socia
l-listening-hsu-videos-2/

17. Go to www.trendsmap.com or
www.whatthetrend.com and look for trending
words.
Choose one that seems like a news story.
Use other Aggregator tools to find out why that
word is trending.

18.  Practice, Practice, Practice
 Use daily top news stories to practice your
searching when you have a few free minutes.
 Ask questions of others for tips, tricks and
help.

19.  Team of “Trusted agents,”
organized and directed by
EM Response
Organizations
 Incident ManagementTeams
 Incident PIO’s
 Emergency Operations
Centers)
 VOST teams are given
social media and web-
based missions to manage

20.  Ability to Focus on Web
 Variety of Skills &
Abilities Available,
based on networks of
participants
 Ability to SeeTrends &
Issues
 Provides a Filter for EM
Response Agencies

21. Activations may vary and be subject to change based on pre arrangements with EM agencies.
Preparing a VOST Team
• Understand the Need
• Become Familiar with Social Media
• IdentifyTypes of Missions
• AchieveAgency Buy-In
• RecruitTeam Members
• Establish Protocols
• Train/Exercise

22. For More Information:
 VOSTWebsite: http://vosg.us
 Orange CountyVOST Creation
 CRESA Field Operations Guide
VOST Support Resources

23. Contact Information:
Cheryl Bledsoe (@cherylble)
Cheryl.Bledsoe@clark.wa.gov
360-992-6270