A social media seminar presentation outlining methodology and tools.

1. Organizational Social Media:
We have the ability to communicate instantly between government,
communities, organizations and citizens. This is amazing in our everyday
life with traffic, news and weather, but extraordinary in times of need and
natural disasters.
Objective
“Tell the Region 7 story by interactively engaging the public with
relevant information, tools and resources”

2.  Social media is content creation and
distribution
 Social networking is the community you build
online through connections that you make
 Interact and share your agency’s story through
your community member’s network

3.  Our online habits have changed
◦ According to a 2009 study by the University of California, the average
American, on an average day, consumes 34 gigabytes and 100,000 words
of information. (http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/22528)
◦ “American consumers watched 36 million hours of television on mobile
devices each month …”
 How search engines work
• Spiders and Bots = web crawling = local results (target
your audience)
• As users, we utilize search engines instead of URLS
• As an agency, we need to use search engine optimization
techniques

4. Web 2.0 is collaboration and relationship building
• Developing technology keeps the online environment in flux.
• Our online environment has evolved from information
consumption to an interactive.
• Social network sharing, blogs, site interaction with
video, photography, graphics and posts.
•We build relationships by interacting online
• Enormous potential ex: https://twitter.com/#!/USGS

5. Cloud computing gives us server based freedom
• Account Preferences and details on every device and machine.
Your habits are tracked.
• Documents, music, movies, photographs, video
storage, email, calendars, social media
• Information strung across all of your devices seamlessly
• We have the ability to share instantly from all of your devices

6. Tool Break
http://tweetreach.com/
www.hootsuite.com

7. Engaging with Social Media
 Define your Objectives
◦ Stay in line with your agency objective!
 Plan campaigns and strategy
 Define your audience
◦ Who are you trying to reach
◦ What are they interested in specifically?
 Attract followers
◦ Get your followers to help you share your story
◦ This is done both online and in person
 Social media is an investment
◦ It takes time to grow

8. Decide how to engage
• What type of content supports your established
objective.
• What does your agency do well and what resources do
you have?
 Writing (blogs and posts)
 Photography
 Video
 Social media is an investment that takes resources!
 Social media is like a free puppy…cute, exciting, but a lot of
work
 http://www.kolbeco.net/Blog/social-media-is-like-a-puppy/
 If you already have a public affairs team, they can
help
 The ultimate location of social media is agency specific

9. Social Media engagement
doesn’t change the rules!
Things to consider
• Copyright
• Ethics
• 501 Compliance
• Hatch Act
• When to engage as a private citizen or government employee.
 It is okay to post your opinion as a private citizen
 If you identify yourself as a government employee, always state that your
opinion does not represent your agency.
 Leave the agency posting up to the official voice of the agency
◦ That being said….
 If you are comfortable engaging online with your personal accounts, POST
AWAY!
 It is okay to engage on your agencies social media channels

10. Tool Break
www.tweetdeck.com
www.kurrently.com

11. It takes commitment
 Respond to the good and the bad
online
 Dedicate the personnel to the task
 Outline your workflow
◦ We take a region wide approach

12. Region 7 Methodology
Strategy | Workflow | Integration | Evaluation | Innovation
Define your program objectives and engagement areas
Monitor
Establish a clear workflow and add value for staff members
Integrate social media into web content and staff consciousness
Post
Use metrics to evaluate your efforts Interact
Analyze results and develop new ways to engage the public
This approach is designed to function as a cycle to ensure continued engagement (similar to software development). Define an
initial program objective; develop it along the five method path. After initiating new innovations, based upon previous
evaluation - define the next objective to restart the cycle. If the overall program objective is still valid, identify an objective
that fits within the program objective, such as establishing a new account, improving content or implementing new
technology. This process may include all or part of the steps in the development path.
This continual project management approach will discourage complacency and ensure that the region is
engaged online.

13. Shannon Bond
Superfund SocMed Coordinator (production
schedule, software admin., &
Comm. multimedia development)
Toni Castro
Rep. Multimedia Development
Chris Whitley
Media Team Lead (copy edit &
release)
Water Dave Bryan
Comm. Copy edit & release
Kris Lancaster
Rep. Copy edit & release
Web &
EPA Social
ENSV SocMed OPA
Region 7 Media
Comm. Manageme SocMed
Staff Publishin
Rep. nt (Multimedia & Media
Team)
g
Air and Portfolio
Waste Publishin
Comm. Rep. g&
Archive
PLMG Social Media management
Digital Asset Management System
Comm. software.
• Users have certain permissions
• Proper media archiving
• Enhanced production capability
Rep. • Provides streamlined edit &
• Enhanced records keeping
approval process.
• EPA client delivery system
• Enhanced admin controls

14. Tool Break
www.waze.com

15. Photo
Caption
Example
with detail
U.S. EPA Region 7, On-Scene Coordinator, Jim Silver, takes a flood water
sample with the help of Tetra Tech, Environmental Scientist Danny O'Connor, in
South East, Missouri, May 24, 2011. EPA Region 7 is testing the flood water for
potentially harmful contaminants as it recedes. (USEPA photo by Shannon
Bond)

16. Photo
Caption
Example
with general
information
U.S. EPA Region 7 is working with federal, state and local authorities to aid in
the safe clean up of Joplin, Mo., after a massive tornado devastated the city on
Sunday, May 22,2011. (U.S. EPA photo by Shannon Bond)

17. Questions?
 When to post personally?
 Great sites & apps?
◦ Twitter, Facebook, G+, Pulse, Hootsuite,
Bitly, Reddit, Stumbleupon, Skype, Green
versations, digg, YouTube, Google
Docs, Dropbox, Spotify, Pandora etc.