Remarkable Colorado Social Media Exercise

Colorado is a remarkable state! 

How remarkable is it? Find out through the first ever Remarkable Colorado social media exercise during the Colorado Integrated Emergency Management Conference - February 24-26, 2015.

During this conference the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (DHSEM) Strategic Communications Team will lead a conference wide social media training and exercise opportunity.  Inspired by Colorado's 50+ remarkable Fourteeners, the training will consist of over 50 unique questions and tasks each designed to encourage conference attendees to use their personal accounts to practice and exercise social media tools and concepts.

The social media exercise will have two tracks.  The first will be centered around the hashtag #CEMA15.  The tasks and questions in the #CEMA15 training track will challenge users to engage in the conference using social media and are also designed to get users thinking conceptually about how they could use social media tools to benefit their own emergency management program.

The second track is focused on Remarkable Colorado.  The Remarkable Colorado social media exercise will present over 50 unique tasks and questions to the hashtag #RemarkableCO.  These tasks will use the backdrop of our majestic Fourteeners to challenge users to learn and use new social media tools, tips and tricks.

How will the exercise work?

The DHSEM Strategic Communications Team will lead both the #CEMA15 and #RemarkableCO training tracks through the @COVOST social media accounts.  Throughout the conference tasks and questions will be posted on the COVOST Twitter and Facebook pages using the appropriate hashtags. Users are encouraged to respond directly to the posts.

The questions and tasks will simultaneously be made available in hard copy at the DHSEM table at the conference and listed in full on www.COVOST.blogspot.com.  This will be done to allow interested users to go through each task and question on their own time as they are able.

Micki Trost, DHSEM Strategic Communications Director, and Nathan Hunerwadel, Communications Specialist, will be available in person at the conference to answer any questions.  They will also be available via their social media accounts (@PIO3Micki and @Hunerwadel respectively).

Ready to get started?

Start out by making sure you are following and liking the following accounts on Facebook and Twitter.  Questions and tasks will be posted on this site beginning 2/24/15 at 7 a.m.

Twitter:

CEMAColorado

COEmergency
READYColorado

COVOST

Facebook:

CEMA.Colorado

COEmergency
READYColorado

COVOST

Not attending the Conference?

You can still play! If you would like to sharpen your social media skills please feel free to play along with us! Experienced social media users and COVOST members are encouraged to participate and are welcome to help answer questions that new social media users might ask during this exercise.  Remember, there is no such thing as a social media expert.  We all can learn something new during this conference!

Thank you from DHSEM Director Kevin Klein

The Colorado Virtual Operations Support Team dedicated 400 hours in support of Eagle County during the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships.  We could not do it without the dedication of our many volunteers.  The video below shares a thank you from DHSEM Director Kevin Klein.

COVOST Supports Eagle County during the #Vail2015 Alpine World Ski Championships

The Colorado Virtual Operations Support Team has been activated to support Eagle County during the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships.

The mission of the COVOST is to lead and support the State of Colorado and our local Colorado communities through the innovative use of social media and other online tools. The team has been activated by Eagle County to watch social media for emergency management concerns, rumors, mentions of agencies & amplification of official messages sent by approved agencies during the 2015 Alpine World Ski Championships.

Three days into the event the COVOST is happy to report that the trend on social media shows excited spectators, busy media and engaged vendors.

The Colorado Virtual Operations Support Team is managed by the Colorado Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and is made up of volunteers spread across the state, the nation and the world. Multiple members across seven different states have been involved in this activation. The team as whole will have logged over 100 hours in support of Eagle County by the end of the day today. The team will remain activated through February 15th.

Wonder how the team works? Check out this VOST Introduction and Orientation Video:

For more information visit www.covost.blogspot.com. You can also follow the COVOST on Facebook and Twitter. Contact Nathan Hunerwadel, COVOST Manager, if you would like to join the COVOST, activate the COVOST or if you have any questions.