Social Media in Disaster Relief

I’ve been amazed at the way in which social media has played a significant role in the dissemination of information during, and in the wake of the recent tornado outbreak in the south.

Here in East Tennessee, what was a fairly non-cohesive Twitter community, has turned into a thriving and successful disaster relief effort. By simply using the hashtag #CLEhelp or #CHAhelp (for the Cleveland and Chattanooga Tennessee area) Twitter has been responsible for seeing countless relief needs met. Everything from replacement chainsaw blades, batteries, food, volunteers and gas cards have shown up at a moments notice because of simple tweet request.

In the days following these deadly storms new twitter accounts and Facebook pages popped up all over the social media sphere. Many have made all the difference for grassroots volunteer groups struggling to do the work of cleanup and support. Even regional and national relief organizations have taken notice, and jumped into these ongoing conversations.

During the storms, local news and weather reports were shared instantly via social media. In most cases where power was lost, cell phone coverage was still available and mobile versions of sites, as well as text messages and tweets were still able to be received. Lives were no doubt saved by this fact.

Social Media’s role during these storms and the response to them are just another example of the power social media continues to gain in our society.

The Ten Worst Mistakes of Losing Candidates

With thanks and credit to Morton C. Blackwell

Some candidates lose because they can’t raise enough money, no matter how hard or skillfully they try. Others lose because their election districts are demographically wrong, because the trend is against their party or because their views are not close enough to those of the voters.

But many losing candidates could have won, if they had avoided making one or more of the following common mistakes:

1. Failure to develop in advance a comprehensive campaign plan, including a timetable and a realistic budget. In politics you can start late, but you can’t start too early. Losing campaigns almost always misorder priorities, putting too much effort on things which can have little effect on the election outcome.
2. Managing their own campaigns.
3. Spending too much time at headquarters rather than going out personally to solicit votes or raise money.
4. Hiring consultants who personally absorb too much of their campaign budgets.
5. Spending too much of the campaign funds on paid media and polling and not enough on building an organization of large numbers of people in campaign activities.
6. Adopting (and sometimes changing) positions on issues because of pressure from major contributors or the results of public opinion polls. Polls can be useful to determine which of their personal positions on issues should be stressed in their campaigns.
7. Misreading public opinion polls, which usually measure preference but seldom measure intensity. Intensity, not preference, motivates people to act in politics.
8. Failure to stress properly the issues which motivate the core elements of their supporters.
9. Responding to every minor criticism rather than focussing on the carefully considered issue thrust of their own campaigns. Campaigns lose when too much on the defensive.
10. Failure to respond properly to continuing negative information, whether from an opponent, the news media or both. Ignoring a continuing negative issue won’t make it go away.

Social Media and Your Business

Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube…the BIG THREE in my opinion.

Your small (or large) business can more easily engage the masses than you think, and it all starts by staking your claim in the Social Media world!

Gone are the days of the website mentions on TV commercials and billboards. More and more, companies are choosing to connect and communicate via social media. instead of the company website, you see “www.facebook.com/companyname” and the like. Large companies have begun to play the game, and all businesses should. Not sure you can compete with the big boys on the SM battlefield? Think again! One of the great things about marketing your businesses using SM is that the playing field is level. All that matters is what you put into it, and at the moment that involved ZERO financial investment. With just the investment of your time, you can reap generous rewards in the way of sales, referrals, and new business.

The world of marketing has changed! No longer is it a dog eat dog world, it has become who has the cutest puppy. How many followers do you have on Twitter? How many people like your business or non-profit page on Facebook? How many views do your YouTube videos have? These are what matter most in the Marketing World now.

It doesn’t matter what the answer to those questions above is for your situation. You may be sitting there, having never begun. There is no time like the present! Whenever you engage in SM Marketing, it’s important to remember what makes SM work! It’s SOCIAL stupid! Engage, interact, provide value. Don’t become noise on your SM accounts. People learn to tune noise out! For many of us, we have our own personal accounts, and had them long before we had a business account. Stop and remember why you started to engage in the first place. If you do, and if you invest your time wisely in SM, there is no doubt you’ll see results.

If it helps, just remember YOU-TWIT-FACE. No, not calling names….just an easy reminder of the big three your business should be utilizing to boost brand recognition.

Now go be social…

The Ten Worst Mistakes of Winning Candidates

With thanks and credit to Morton C. Blackwell

Some candidates win but disappoint their supporters and even themselves. They achieve little or nothing of what they hoped to do. Here are incumbents’ worst mistakes:

1 -Hiring staff who don’t personally share their policy agendas. Personnel is policy. Staff who lack enthusiasm for their bosses’ priorities prevent elected officials from doing what they intended to do in office.

2 -Not keeping campaign promises. These days voters have little tolerance for incumbents who break their word.

3 -Not paying attention to the interests of the coalition which elected them. Incumbents lose their allies when they don’t vote right, sponsor key legislation or sign allies’ fundraising letters and aren’t there when their friends need them.

4 -Seeking approval of their enemies, particularly their media enemies. Many incumbents start craving to have everyone love them and no one hate them. But trying to make friends of their enemies makes enemies of their friends.

5 -Failure to handle constituent relations effectively. All politics is personal. Service can be as important to voters as policy. They appreciate prompt, personal service when they contact those elected to serve them.

6 -Succumbing to temptations newly present when one achieves some power. Election to office tests anyone’s strength of character, family ties and personal morality.

7 – Getting greedy for money or higher office.

8 – Becoming arrogant. Many people, constituents who request help and especially the officials’ staff, treat incumbents with deference bordering on obsequiousness. A consequent loss of humility can destroy a politician’s base.

9 – Accommodating opposition incumbents who now are “distinguished colleagues.” Excessive collegiality is a trap for incumbents who really want to accomplish things.

10 – Not helping to nominate and elect allies in their home states and elsewhere. A well-run team takes care of its own. Serious politicians work hard to elect others who share their public policy principles.