It appears that geolocation applications such as Foursquare and Gowalla are making their presence stand out for not only businesses, but universities as well. Mashable posted a very intriguing article on how to universities such as Harvard and Oregon have integrated these various sites into their overall communication plan with their various audiences. From creating interactivity to promoting specific events being held on campus, there are a lot of various positive aspects in using these geolocation applications for universities.
However, there is an issue that is definitely missing from this article that I thought definitely needs to be addressed, especially for universities today. What can universities do in using these applications for handling a crisis situation? Look at the previous university incidents like Virginia Tech in 2007 or recently the University of Alabama-Huntsville situation – how can universities use these geolocation based applications strategically in handling a crisis situation? Here are a few suggestions that I have that universities might want to think about:
Virtual Crisis and Emergency Platform (courtesy of Mashable)
Create a monitoring and listening social media platform that integrates geolocation applications: By understanding where people are in a moment of crisis is important – you can have students, faculty, and others check in to say that they are okay, or if they are not – make sure that you have emergency management professionals on their way to get to their locations. Make sure to include this information as well for mobile applications as well for students, faculty, and others to download for their own uses.
Integrate social media, news updates, and other sites into geolocation platform like Foursquare: People do not want to go to several sites for information during a crisis, so if a university uses Foursquare during a crisis, make sure that you also include Twitter updates, news updates, and other sources so they can access this information immediately. Make sure that you also provide contact information in case they need more information.
Partnerships with key organizations and government agencies: Universities can establish their credibility on these geolocation sites in a crisis situation is they also have sponsors or public partnerships with some of the local government agencies and law enforcement. This will not only create a strategic partnership, but also provide a platform for all parties involved to be aware of what is going on in the situation. Health centers, community centers, local student organizations, etc all need to be on board with what is going on with the university and their geolocation application and communication plan.
Integrating new technology and geolocation applications into main crisis communication plan: Whether this is updating some of the strategies to include this or creating new tactics to reach the new online audience, universities need to make sure that they address this now BEFORE a crisis happens. There will not be enough time to do this if a crisis hits and if they are not prepared or even considered this to be a possible scenario.
Educate, educate, and educate: Some of these universities are cutting edge with this new form of technology, but there are others that are not. It is the role of the crisis communication professional and team at the university to educate others around about the new technology, and make sure that they understand both the opportunities and challenges that could arise with geolocation applications. Communicate the benefits (ex. more interaction and awareness of university, reaching new audiences) to risks (ex. privacy issues, gap in use of new technology) so everyone is aware of the current situation. Workshops and training are absolutely necessary – and this should be ongoing as the new technology unfolds and evolves.
These are just a few thoughts on the subject. In summary, technology will continue to evolve and change, but sometimes human behavior will stay the same or tweak just a little bit with these new features. It is the role of the crisis communicator and their organization (or institution) to be prepared for any possible scenario that could arise. It is not only important to be on these new social media and emerging platforms, but the key is to understand how to strategically use them in both positive and negative situations.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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