Emergency Management Bureaucracy Braves Blogosphere

Philadelphia's Office of Emergency Management wants to be your Facebook friend. And for you to follow the office's daily life on Twitter. You can even be LinkedIn.

No random gossip here. City Managing Director Camille Barnett's office put out a statement this morning saying the various on-line out-reaches are designed to "provide weekly emergency preparedness tips and to broadcast advisories before, during and after emergencies."

Among the offerings, this 30-second YouTube commercial with local actor David Morse asking if you are ready when the world goes ka-blooie? Well, not exactly. You can read the announcement after the jump.

Social Networking with Emergency Management

The Philadelphia Managing Director’s Office of Emergency Management (MDO-OEM) announced today that it has launched a social networking initiative to reach the public before, during, and after disasters.

MDO-OEM has established a presence on Blogger, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. Additional social networking websites are being explored and may be added at a later date. Links to all these pages can be found at www.phila.gov/ready.

These sites will be used to provide weekly emergency preparedness tips and to broadcast advisories before, during and after emergencies to update the public on preparation activities and the response effort. MDO-OEM is also exploring how these sites can be used to obtain important information from the public, such as gathering data on damaged areas following a severe storm.

Deputy Managing Director MaryAnn E. Tierney noted, “In addition to ReadyNotifyPA, our region’s emergency text and e-mail alert system, social networking sites are another tool for us to supplement traditional methods, such as television, radio and print media, get preparedness and critical emergency messages to the public.”

According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, sites such as these have rocketed from a niche activity into a phenomenon that engages tens of millions of internet users.
“Social networks are being used more and more by many professionals and large corporations. It’s important for government agencies to take advantage of these opportunities, as well, to convey important information to a wider audience and build relationships by inviting others into our online network or community to give us a better understanding of their needs and concerns,” noted Tierney.

You can subscribe to OEM’s blog at www.philaoem.blogspot.com, friend them on MySpace at www.myspace.com/philaoem, follow them on Twitter at www.twitter.com/phil0061oem, watch the YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/philaoem, or become a fan on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Philadelphia-PA/Philadelphia-Office-of-Emergency-Management/49891680434, or stay connected with colleagues at http://www.linkedin.com/in/philaoem.

Posted by Chris Brennan @ 10:28 AM Permalink | Post a comment

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Chris Brennan, a native Philadelphian and graduate of Temple University, joined the Daily News in 1999. He has written about SEPTA, the Philadelphia School District, the legalization of casino gambling, state government, the mayor, the governor, City Council and political campaigns.

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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com

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Catherine Lucey joined the Daily News in 2002 and has written about murderous drug gangs, political protesters and Harry Potter. After covering the 2007 mayoral election, she moved over to the City Hall bureau where she has been reporting on the Nutter administration.

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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans.

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