COVOST Article in FEMA Tech-Hazards Digest

By Micki Trost, CSEPP Public Affairs IPT Co-Chair

Recent disasters have illustrated how social media are used increasingly by both emergency management organizations to communicate public safety information and members of the public to update their status, location, or describe events they are witnessing. Emergency managers now use a VOST to provide situational awareness through social media and online information sites during emergencies.

VOST is a team of trusted agents who lend support via the Internet to those onsite in an emergency. The volume of data generated during a disaster may be overwhelming to has been trained on the VOST.

CSEPP public information officers in Colorado and Kentucky participated in COVOST activation as members for the Colorado 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships and 4/20 events. The training and participation in a non-emergency enabled the CSEPP PIOs to use the specific skills that would be performed during a real emergency. The activation also highlights the importance of maintaining situational awareness during non-disasters affecting our communities.

The CSEPP PA IPT is currently discussing how the VOST concept can be used program wide.

Micki Trost is the Strategic Communications Director for the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. She also serves as the co-chair of the CSEPP PA IPT.

View original article posted in the May-June FEMA Tech-Hazards Digest - Scroll to page 4.

VOST Introduction and Orientation

Exercise Post Demonstrating how to Embed a Google Map

Free Virtual Social Media Training!

Looking for an opportunity to learn and practice basic social media skills? Here is a free training opportunity that you can participate in without ever leaving your work or home!

Social Media Skills & Strategies

Available Virtually March 10, 11 & 12
The training will be live streamed at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/pdx-nimo
The training will be recorded and made available at: http://www.nifc.gov/PIO_bb/pio_training.html

This course will be live-streamed via Ustream, and will be aimed at people who need social media skills to work as a PIO or PAO on incidents, or as a prevention educator, but will be applicable for other uses. This is NOT a class on how to BE a PIO/PAO, nor is it for people who are advanced social media users.

The class will be done in segments, with specific start times, followed by breaks for practice. You can attend only the portions you wish. If you plan on attending any of the sessions please send your email to NIMOteams@gmail.com.

The training will be taught by Kris Eriksen (National Incident Management Organization) and Nathan Hunerwadel (Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management).

Agenda:

March 10, 2015      Eastern time        

Set up accounts Google Products Naming Conventions Twitter Facebook Others	0800 - 0830 (no practice)
Accounts Overview: Google Products Gmail Drive Google + Hangouts Voice	0830 - 0930 (Followed by 45 min practice - 0930-1015)
Break	1015-1030
Accounts Overview: Blogger	1030 - 1115 (Followed by 45 min practice 1115 - 1200)
Lunch	1200-1300
Accounts Overview: Twitter	1300-1345 (Followed by 30 min practice 1345-1415)
Accounts Overview: Facebook	1415-1445 (Followed by 30 min practice 1445-1515)
Break	1515-1530
Accounts Overview: Others Picture tools - Instagram, Flickr, Picasa Pinterest Tumblr Reddit Video Tools	1530 - 1630 (Followed by 30 min practice 1630 -1700)

March 11, 2015                                                                       Eastern time         

General Social Media for Emergency Management Theory Examples / Infographics	0800-0830 (no practice)
Messaging One Message Multiple Platforms Unique & Specific Posts Auto-Posting Pros and Cons	0830-0930 (followed by 30 min practice 0930-1000)
Break	1000 - 1015
Monitoring, Engaging and Crowdsourcing Replying, Liking and Engaging Crowdsourcing, Curating and Sharing	1015-1115 (followed by 30 min practice 1115-1145)
Lunch	1145-1245
Archiving and Analytics:	1245-1315 (followed by 30 min practice 1315-1345)
Specific Policies and Procedures Posting and Commenting Policies Deleting Responding & Engaging Negative Users Specific Example - Barry Point	1345-1430 (followed by 30 min practice 1430-1500)
Break	1500-1515
Mapping Google Maps	1515-1630 (followed by 30 min practice 1630-1700)

March 12, 2015                                                                                     Eastern time         

Catch up - Question and Answer	0800 - 0830
Live Action Live Streaming Live Tweeting & Chats	0830 - 0900 (no practice)
Going Mobile Public is Mobile QR - Codes - Kerem Erkan Mobile friendly websites PIO is Mobile	0900 - 0930 ( Followed by 30 min practice 0930-1000)
Break	1000 - 1015
Internal Communication Tools   Skype Lists Facebook Groups Private Message Group.Me	1015 - 1100 (Followed by 30 min practice 1100-1130)
VOST Introduction	1130 - 1200
Lunch	1200 - 1300
Other Third Party Tools & Other Platforms	1300 -1330 (Followed by 30 min of practice 1330 - 1400)
Break	1400 - 1415
Putting it all together - The Integrated Social Media Strategy Incident Specific SM Strategies Prevention SM Exercise Exercise & report out - by group	1415 - 1430 (Working on strategies 1430- 1600 with breaks as needed) 1600 - 1700

#RemarkableCO Tasks and Questions

	Mtn. Name	#RemarkableCO Task
1	Mt. Elbert	Ready to start your journey through #RemarkableCO? Send out a tweet stating that you are starting your adventure. Don't forget to include the hashtag #RemarkableCO.
2	Mt. Massive	Welcome to #RemarkableCO! Check out what others are saying about this adventure. Join the conversation! Which fourteener is your favorite? Tweet your answer to #RemarkableCO.
3	Mt. Harvard	Want to talk about this adventure? Join the #RemarkableCO Skype room and chat away. Let @COVOST know that you are interested in joining the room. Then standby for instructions.
4	Blanca Peak	When you are hiking you always want to have a back up communications plan. Join the Google hangout! Join the #RemarkableCO hangout and chat away. Let @COVOST know that you are interested in joining the hangout. Then standby for instructions.
5	La Plata Peak	Prefer to text rather than join skype or a hangout? Try Group.Me! Join the #Remarkable Group.me room! Let @COVOST know that you are interested in joining the hangout. Then standby for instructions.
6	Uncompahgre Peak	Are you ready to collaborate on this adventure? Access this google document and share your name and your social media accounts. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HOnJKxB0P1rbGKpTggxpMLHlsujjHH1DXXmHxjy5fBw/edit?usp=sharing
7	Crestone Peak	Social media is all about two-way communication. Find out what others are saying about our fourteeners. Find three users on social media who love to talk about fourteeners. Share your find on the #RemarkableCO hashtag.
8	Mt. Lincoln	We love our fourteeners in Colorado. Find three accounts talking about fourteeners. Share your favorite with the #RemarkableCO hashtag.
9	Grays Peak	Do you prefer Facebook over twitter? Find a facebook group dedicated to fourteeners. Share what you find using #RemarkableCO.
10	Mt. Antero	Stay on top of the fourteener conversation. Add accounts talking about fourteeners to a twitter list. Share the link to your list.
11	Torreys Peak	Colorado is a beautiful state. Find a video of a remarkable fourteener on YouTube and share what you found using #RemarkableCO.
12	Castle Peak	Are you on Pinterest? Are there any pinterest boards pages about fourteeners? Find one and link to it using #RemarkableCO.
13	Quandary Peak	Can you find a Vine video about a fourteener? Share the video with #RemarkableCO.
14	Mt. Evans	Are there any posts or subreddits on Reddit about fourteeners? Find a Reddit board talking about fourteeners and tweet out a link to it.
15	Longs Peak	Crowdsource…use the power of the internet to find out the best route up the mountain. Share the link to the #RemarkableCO hashtag
16	Mt. Wilson	Find a post on Tumblr about fourteeners. Share the link to one post.
*	Mt. Cameron	Prefer to use Google +? Find a photo of this mountain and post it to Google + but don't forget to include the #RemarkableCO hashtag.
17	Mt. Shavano	Find a Google+ community on fourteeners. Share the link to the group using hashtag #RemarkableCO.
18	Mt. Belford	Instagram it! Find Instagram photos from this mountain and share them using the hashtag #RemarkableCO.
19	Crestone Needle	The @COVOST account asked a question about fourteeners on twitter. Find the tweet and answer the question using #RemarkableCO.
20	Mt. Princeton	Check in! Use facebook or swarm to check in. You may be too far from a mountain to check in at the mountain itself. Try checking in to Colorado in general. Share your check in with #RemarkableCO
21	Mt. Yale	You are hiking near this mountain. What official agencies are in this area? Are they on social media? If so what are their accounts? Share what you find on #RemarkableCO
22	Mt. Bross	Who are the influential people talking about fourteeners? Find out using Klout. Share what you find with #RemarkableCO.
23	Kit Carson Peak	Check in! Use facebook or swarm to check in. You may be too far from a mountain to check in at the mountain itself. Try checking in to Colorado in general. Share your check in with #RemarkableCO.
*	El Diente Peak	Someone has taken a great photo of this mountain. But are you allowed to use it? Find a creative commons photo of this mountain and share it with #RemarkableCO.
24	Maroon Peak	Some people might prefer to talk about fourteeners anonymously. Is anyone using Yik Yak near this fourteener? Share what you find with #RemarkableCO.
25	Tabeguache Peak	Our fourteeners are so amazing they should always be trending! But are they? Share what is trending near Denver with #RemarkableCO.
26	Mt. Oxford	The COVOST Twitter account has an urgent message to tell you about this adventure. Send a Direct Message to the @COVOST twitter account to receive the message.
27	Mt. Sneffels	Today you are going to hike a fourteener but you will be out of cell range. Try using Hootsuite or Tweetdeck to schedule your post to #RemarkableCO in advance!
28	Mt. Democrat	A new fourteener deserves a new tool. Try using a third party twitter application today. Share your favorite tool with #RemarkableCO.
29	Capitol Peak	Can you take a selfie safely on the side of a fourteener? Take a selfie and share it with #RemarkableCO.
30	Pikes Peak	Do you know where this mountain is? Find the lat/long coordinates of the mountain and share using #RemarkableCO.
31	Snowmass Mountain	What are people saying near this mountain? Use the advanced twitter search tool to locate tweets from near this area. Share one post with #RemarkableCO.
32	Mt. Eolus	What kinds of photos are people taking near this mountain? Find Instagram photos near this mountain. Share a photo with #RemarkableCO.
33	Windom Peak	What are the geo coordinates to the nearest city around this mountain? Share the coordinates with #RemarkableCO.
34	Challenger Point	Images are great. Video is even better. You can now send video from your trip up the mountain directly on twitter. Try it out. Share a brief video with #RemarkableCO
35	Mt. Columbia	People love to talk about #RemarkableCO. Find a blog that talks about Colorado fourteeners. Share what you find with #RemarkableCO.
36	Missouri Mountain	Coloradans are big fans of our Fourteeners. Find facebook page dedicated to fourteeners. Share what you find with #RemarkableCO.
37	Humboldt Peak	Fourteeners aren't the only thing remarkable in Colorado. Complete a Boolean search for Colorado AND Remarkable. Share your favorite post with #RemarkableCO.
38	Mt. Bierstadt	"Colorado is..." Finish this sentence. Share your full sentence (140 characters or less) with #RemarkableCO on twitter.
*	Conundrum Peak	You have taken the best photo of this mountain. Now you want to share it! What size should the photo be? Find out what the optimal size is for photos on twitter. Share the answer with #RemarkableCO.
39	Sunlight Peak	You have taken another great photo. Now you want to share it on Facebook! What size should the photo be? Find out what the optimal size is for photos on facebook Share the answer with #RemarkableCO.
40	Handies Peak	Are you on LinkedIn? Connect with other #RemarkableCO participants. Share your new connections with #RemarkableCO.
41	Culebra Peak	Are there any LinkedIn Groups talking about fourteeners? Find out and share what you find with #RemarkableCO.
42	Ellingwood Point	Who is talking about #RemarkableCO? Use Tweetreach or some other similar service to analyse the #RemarkableCO hashtag. Who is most active on the tag? Share what you find with #RemarkableCO.
43	Mt. Lindsey	People are talking alot about #RemarkableCO. When social media traffic becomes overwhelming to monitor a VOST can be activated to help. Find the link to the COVOST activation form and share it with #RemarkableCO.
*	North Eolus	Have you enjoyed your journey during #RemarkableCO? The COVOST needs volunteers like you! Find the application to join the COVOST and share it with #RemarkableCO.
44	Little Bear Peak	You have found a tweet from a hiker who is stranded but does not have enough cell service to call anyone. What do you do with it? Share what you would do with #RemarkableCO.
45	Mt. Sherman	To climb fourteeners you have to be prepared. Are you #COReady? Search the #COReady tag and retweet your favorite post tagging it also with the #RemarkableCO tag.
46	Redcloud Peak	Social media is now part of our #RemarkableCO experience. What tools do you pack in your social media/technology go back? Share your kit with #RemarkableCO.
47	Pyramid Peak	Social media rumors told you the wrong way up this mountain. What can you do on social media to correct the rumors? Share your options with #RemarkableCO.
48	Wilson Peak	Is there an app for #RemarkableCO? Find a fourteener related app and share it with #RemarkableCO.
49	Wetterhorn Peak	During the #RemarkableCO journey your smartphone is a powerful tool. What is your favorite emergency related app? Share your answer with #RemarkableCO.
50	San Luis Peak	It is important to stay up to date with the latest information when you are out on the mountain. What apps are available in Colorado that provide updates from official agencies? Share two or three with #RemarkableCO.
*	North Maroon Peak	The adventure is coming to an end. Share with #RemarkableCO what you learned on this journey. What was your favorite tool?
51	Mt. of the Holy Cross	You have said alot about #RemarkableCO on this adventure. Use www.analytics.twitter.com to reveiw what you said and download your twitter archive.
52	Huron Peak	Did you enjoy your adventure? Share your thoughts and how the exercise can be improved with #RemarkableCO.
53	Sunshine Peak	"Social media is…" Finish the sentence, sharing it with #RemarkableCO.