This month we have:
- Celebrated two years in New York
- Advertised two roles in New York
- Enjoyed the positive side of social media and the content under #ReclaimSocial
- Looked at how a developing incident plays out online
Welcome to our February round up of key links and interesting digital content we’ve spotted, these are a selection of the things we’ve been reading and sharing among the team.
Storm Dennis has caused widespread flooding in the UK and huge volumes of social media traffic. Many organisations involved are doing a fantastic job of warning and information from the police, fire service, local councils and Environment Agency for example:
There are 2 severe flood warnings in place on the Rivers #Lugg and #Wye. Stay safe and continue to follow the advice of emergency services.
Check your flood risk:https://t.co/6sQvhuceBP#floods #flooding pic.twitter.com/zb1YCyAYEw
— Environment Agency (@EnvAgency) February 21, 2020
These organisational accounts are supported by a network of trusted voices, who are sharing valuable front line updates, specialist knowledge and expertise on the issue. These accounts combine well to build up a full picture of work being done and ensure they reach the maximum amount of people. Dave Throup has been providing regular updates from the River Severn.
LIVE – These folk are the real heroes. @EnvAgency staff working through the night at #Bewdley operating flood defences as the Severn approaches its peak with the highest levels in 20 years.
For them it’s personal! pic.twitter.com/BFyUSIjxO7
— Dave Throup (@DaveThroupEA) February 18, 2020
John Curtin offers a different perspective from his role as Executive Director of Flood & Coastal Risk Management:
In our Tewkesbury Incident Room: we’re seeing major issues on the Rivers Teme and Wye – unheard of levels – Severn starting to respond too. Four Severe Flood Warnings issued so far – please heed advice – conditions are dangerous https://t.co/K5GUW3z87V pic.twitter.com/TcjUcrVuDx
— John Curtin (@johncurtinEA) February 16, 2020
Threaded tweets have been used to help share more information than a single tweet allows. This is one example from Telford and Wrekin Council.
We’re big fans of getting trusted voices online and have written up some tips for getting senior leaders online.
Social Media channels continue their work to try to prevent the spread of misinformation, Instagram have been trying to reroute people clicking into the #Coronavirus hashtag to more credible sources. The World Health Organisation has joined TikTok to help them to share accurate information.
This First Draft article looks at the problem of misleading maps in relation to both Coronavirus and the Australian Bush Fires. This piece from Poynter looks at why people fall for fake screenshots. In an attempt to stop the spread of fake news, some countries turn off the internet. Here’s what happens when the internet vanishes.
Yorkshire Tea were widely praised and supported for the way they responded to negative comments about the Chancellor drinking their tea. It’s not always good news when politicians become brand ambassadors as this Guardian article shows. On a much more serious level, this LinkedIn article from Matt Fisher, the Strategic Comms Manager at the Australian Red Cross looks at how they have handled an all-consuming workload and a fair bit of online criticism – Please stick with us rather than sticking it to us.
And some resources we’ve been reading this month:
If you work with influencers on your campaigns this latest guidance from the Advertising Standards Authority is essential reading.
Bellingcat’s freely available online open source investigation toolkit. The list includes satellite and mapping services, tools for verifying photos and videos, websites to archive web pages, and much more.
Finally if you have just moved jobs or taken on responsibility for some new social media accounts, we’ve written about how to detangle and clean up the social media accounts you’ve inherited.