From my 2-hour class for the Georgia Fire Safety Symposium, July 13, 2011. Basic Facebook, Twitter and YouTube usage for fire safety professionals (fire stations, city and county fire departments, and other fire and life safety organizations).

1. Georgia Fire Safety Symposium July 13, 2011

2. Who Is This Chick and Why Is She Up There? Maura Neill REALTOR® in the North Metro Atlanta area Creator of 365Atlanta.com – a hyperlocal online travel resource for the Atlanta area Social Media enthusiast & speaker © 2011 Maura Neill

3. Who is Social? Image: circle of friends by jenser on Flickr.com How many of you… …use Social Media currently for work? …use Social Media for personal use (i.e., you have a personal Facebook profile page)? …have watched YouTube videos but that’s about the extent of your Social Media usage? …wouldn’t know Social Media if it jumped out and bit you? © 2011 Maura Neill

4. Today’s Agenda: The “Big 3” © 2011 Maura Neill

6. Conversations are documented and linear

7. A gathering place for your “raving fans”

8. Can act as second (not substitute for your current) website

9. Messages have short shelf-life

10. More immediate response

11. A place for multiple conversations and connections

12. Works hand-in-hand with your FB page – not as a duplicate

13. Messages have different tone/purpose

14. Chance for different personas

15. Integrates easily with both© 2011 Maura Neill

16. Facebook:Your Community Bulletin Board Image: bulletin board by rallenhill on Flickr.com © 2011 Maura Neill

17. Facebook:Your Community Bulletin Board What to post? Articles News Topics for discussion Bulletins and warnings Photos and videos* Most useful with: information with more “shelf life” – less immediate in nature © 2011 Maura Neill

18. Facebook  FDNY  Links to City Website © 2011 Maura Neill

19. Setting Up Your Facebook Page 1. Go to www.Facebook.com/pages (you must set up or have a personal profile already 2. Click on: 3. Choose what type of page: Company Organization or Institution  then choose Government Organization Type in your organization’s name and click “I agree to terms” 4. Follow easy step-by-step instructions © 2011 Maura Neill

21. American Red Cross

22. Dunwoody Police Department

23. Federal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA)© 2011 Maura Neill

24. Twitter:Your Cocktail Party Conversation © 2011 Maura Neill

25. Twitter:Your Cocktail Party Conversation Why use Twitter? Engaging with your public – the conversation part Answering their questions Posting urgent information or communcation “in the now” Post links top news articles, press releases, videos, and other items of interest Real-time setting means your posts have less shelf-life © 2011 Maura Neill

26. Setting Up Your Twitter Feed 1. Go to www.twitter.com 2. Enter the a display name, email address and password and click 3. On the next screen, you will need to pick your twitter handle, such as @365Atlanta or @FCFRD - it must be unique - it cannot be a name currently in use - it should be easy to recognize and remember - it should be short and sweet © 2011 Maura Neill

28. @DunwoodyPolice

29. @FCFRD(Fulton County Fire & Recue Department)

30. @GeorgiaEMA

31. @AtlantaRedCross

32. @AFCEMA(Atlanta Fulton County Emergency Management Agency)

33. @ChiefJax© 2011 Maura Neill

34. Follow and RT © 2011 Maura Neill

35. Twitter Hashtags:Your CB Channel Image: 20101735 by Horrgakx on Flickr.com #hashtag – makes your tweets searchable A number sign or pound sign (#) with a word or phrase after it Examples: #Atlanta #JohnsCreekGA #CobbCoFire No right or wrong hashtag Create one, use it consistently: your followers will use it, too © 2011 Maura Neill

36. YouTube:Your Own Cable TV Channel Image: vintage television by phrenzee on Flickr.com © 2011 Maura Neill

37. YouTube:Your Own Cable TV Channel Why use YouTube? Second most powerful search engine on the Internet What to post: Introducing the public to their public safety officials –meet your local firefighters, EMTs, etc. A video tour of the firehouse Educational videos – how to test your smoke alarm, how to test your fire extinguisher © 2011 Maura Neill

38. YouTube:Creating Video Image: 2011.016 by slightlynorth on Flickr.com Tips for creating video: Flip camera, Kodak handheld camera, or similar (come with software to help you edit/upload videos) iPhone4 (Splice – free video editing app lets you edit videos and upload to YouTube all from your iPhone4) No more than 3-4 minutes Title page – body of the video – closing page Simple is better than fancy – err on the side of simple © 2011 Maura Neill

39. Setting Up Your YouTube Channel 1. Go to www.youtube.com 2. Click on Create Account 3. Follow the step-by-step instructions and click “I accept”. 4. Once you’ve created your account, be sure to click on My Account and insert your profile photo, description and other information to help your public learn more about you. © 2011 Maura Neill

41. What do you want to tell them?

42. Why do you want to communicate with them?

43. How will you do it? How often? How much time can you invest?© 2011 Maura Neill

44. Image: Hersman girls – already on computer by whiteafrican on Flickr.com Social Media:Taking Stock of your Resources Who will run your Social Media campaign / feeds? Take stock of your resources: High school or college students interested in volunteering – kids, grandkids, local members of the community Interns from local high school or college Tech-savvy employees you may not even know you have © 2011 Maura Neill

46. You’ll learn from watching and interacting with others

47. You’ll learn from your mistakes (as scary as that sounds)

48. You’ll learn from your fans and followers – social media is friendly and helpful© 2011 Maura Neill

50. Be responsive to inquiries, compliments, complaints, messages, etc. etc. etc. Just RESPOND.

51. Be relatable.

52. Be present.

53. Be professional.

54. Be helpful.© 2011 Maura Neill

55. Real Words from Real People “It would be great to have them remind the public to check the batteries in their smoke/fire detectors. I always check mine when the time changes but a reminder would always be welcome.” ~ Beth B. “During the tornadoes disaster up here, it was great to have updates on the area affected as well as road closures. Where people could go for help, what time time power was projected to come back on, etc.” ~ Brandi T. “Any info that gets conveyed by reverse 911 systems would be helpful to receive via social media too. Flood, fire, severe weather warnings, evacuation orders, threats to public safety, all that good stuff could be tweeted. But also good things like fundraisers, carnivals, training classes etc on a FB feed to engage the public.” ~ Sara T. “Tips for general safety.” ~ Susan B. © 2011 Maura Neill

56. Real Words from Real People “I always like reading the police blotters in the newspaper. All the interesting police calls from the previous day can be fun to read about.” ~ Jason L. “Weather alerts – whether it’s sever thunderstorms, tornado warnings, or just extreme heat – things that might affect health and safety.” ~ Marilyn C. “Tornado warnings. Clean-ups of burn-outs. Crime and safety meetings. Last night's beat.” ~ Brian C. “Ways we can help THEM, support THEM in all they do for us!” ~ Melodie S. © 2011 Maura Neill

57. Thank You :) Maura Neill, CRS, REALTOR, MA 770.355.3438 (mobile) maura@365atlanta.com (email) @MauraNeillOR @365Atlanta (twitter) www.facebook.com/mauraneill www.365atlanta.com