Social Media as a Record for Public Services and Utilities in a Disaster

How Government and Public Utilities used Social Media during “Post-Tropical Cyclone” Sandy

Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project• 65% of adult internet users now say they use a social networking site

like MySpace, Facebook or LinkedIn. (2011)• 74% of smartphone owners use their phone to get real-time location-

based information. (2012)• Some 15% of online adults use Twitter. (2012)Dartmouth Survey: Social Media Use by Fortune 500 Companies• 73% of Gas and Electric Utilities (16 of 22) used Twitter,

50% used Facebook, and 27% hosted a blog. (2012)Red Cross Survey (July 2010)• Social media sites ranked fourth as a resource for emergency

information behind television news, radio and online news sites• One in five would try to contact responders through a digital means

such as e-mail, websites or social media• Nearly half believe a response agency is probably already responding

to any urgent request they might see

People Like Social Media

“Made or received by an organization in pursuance of legal obligations or in the transaction of business” — ARMA

However“The scope of discovery of electronically stored information does not depend on the internal designation or records classification that may or may not have been assigned to it. Any electronically stored information, whether or not it is internally viewed as of business, legal, regulatory, or personal value, is potentially discoverable.” — The Sedona Conference

Social Media can be a Record

AIIM International • Integrate social media into an organization’s existing

governance policy.• Policy should be “channel-neutral”.

Patricia Franks, San Jose State University SLIS • Guided by the Generally Accepted Recordkeeping

Principles.• Create a crosswalk between the existing records

retention schedule and records generated through social media.

Social Media Policy

Sample from Patricia Franks RACO 2011 Presentation: “How Federal Agencies Can Effectively Manage Records Created Using New Social Media Tools”

Disasters = Unique Communication EnvironmentTime-Sensitive: Little time for reflection, open debate, rebuttalsSuppression: No longer an option

Counter• Outdated, inaccurate, or

false information • Malicious use

Provide• “Expand the use of newer technologies to communicate with

customers during outages (i.e. email, text messaging, and social media).” — Utility Performance Report Following Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee NYS Public Service Commission, June 2012

Social Media and Sandy

Six Categories of Social Media Use in a Disaster• Public safety and crisis information disseminated before,

during, and after various incidents;• Notifications for training or mobilizing first responders; • Sending emergency warnings and alerts; • Gaining situational awareness and utilizing multi-directional

communications; • Responding to requests for assistance; • Aiding in recovery efforts.

Social Media and Disasters: Current Uses, Future Options, and Policy Considerations, Congressional Research Service, Sept. 2011

Social Media and Sandy

Public safety and crisis information disseminated before, during, and after

Social Media and Sandy

Public safety and crisis information disseminated before, during, and after

Social Media and Sandy

Sending emergency warnings and alerts

Social Media and Sandy

Responding to requests for assistance

Social Media and Sandy

Social Media and Sandy

Direct message responses to requests for assistance and privacy issues

Gaining situational awareness and utilizing multi-directional communications

Social Media and Sandy

Gaining situational awareness and utilizing multi-directional communications+Responding to requests for assistance

Gaining situational awareness and utilizing multi-directional communications(in a not good way)

Social Media and Sandy

Aiding in recovery efforts

Social Media and Sandy

Not Aiding in recovery efforts with incomplete information

Social Media and Sandy

3 Days Apart

Notifications for training or mobilizing first responders(not really this time)

Social Media and Sandy

GARPAccountability and Transparency• Documented and approved social media policy or that social

media is included in a “channel-neutral” communications policy or internet policy.

• Tool-specific and sector-specific procedures.• Have print copies of policy and procedures at backup site.• Specify who will manage social media accounts during a

disaster and train themon special case usage.

Social Media and Sandy

GARPIntegrity and Protection• Clearly link identity to the organization and comply with

the social media/communications policy• Ensure protection of data by updating data maps of the

physical locations of all electronically stored records• Vet the reliability of any third party vendor• Alternative channels if platform goes down• Keep account in the hands of appropriate users and

avoid malicious hijacking

Social Media and Sandy

GARPCompliance• Maintain records in keeping with company policy, applicable

local, state, or federal laws as well as any industry regulations.

• Evaluate the risks and benefits of channel silence on an issue.

Social Media and Sandy

GARPAvailability, Retention, and Disposition• Evaluate services for capture, indexing, and retrieval

(ArchiveSocial, Next Point CloudPreservation, Hanzo Archives)• Evaluate appropriate posting tools

(Hootsuite, Radian 6)• Limits of control over third-party software:

What if needed for longer than the terms of service allows?What if records should not exist as long as services maintain?

Social Media and Sandy

• Franks, Patricia “How Federal Agencies Can Effectively Manage Records Created Using New Social Media Tools” IBM Center for The Business of Government, 2012

• Lindsay, Bruce “Social Media and Disasters: Current Uses, Future Options, and Policy Considerations” Library of Congress, Congressional Research Service, Sept. 6, 2011

• Redgrave, Jonathan “The Sedona Principles (Second Edition)” The Sedona Conference, June 2007

• “Best Practices Study of Social Media Records Policies” ACT-IAC Collaboration & Transformation (C&T) Shared Interest Group (SIG), March 2011

Resources