As my PhD is investigating social media in emergency management, I was especially keen on the relevant talks at the recent Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC & AFAC conference. Despite the hype, social media can be an invaluable tool, and this was very evident at the conference. The topic was covered in many sessions, but most fittingly in the stream on information and warnings. Some of the key messages echo common conceptions about social media but show their relevance in an emergency eanagement setting:

• Know your audience
• Be strategic about social media engagement - use it if it suits your purpose
• Use social media for more than broadcast, it is built for conversation
• Use messaging techniques and platforms which best suit the message type, the community and build trust.

In the presentation themselves, Emergency Management Victoria's Reegan Key highlighted the need to be ‘clear, targeted and timely’ in messaging and the importance of ’being part of the social media conversation’ as a trusted network. Fiona Dunstan discussed the SA CFS approach to social media. Her presentation highlighted how audiences differ in their social media preferences and how by knowing your audience you can be strategic in your choice of platform and resourcing. In the end, as we found out in Trefor Munn-Venn’s social media workshop, it is less about ‘method less enthusiasm’ in using the tools and more about meaningful connection and activating trust.

We trended!

Throughout the conference excitement rose when #AFAC15 appeared to be trending as a topic on Twitter. It is important to remember that the figures might not be a true representation of all that is being talked about. As one of my own posts demonstrates, it is worth remembering to firstly include a hashtag (#), and then the correct hashtag, so you are included in the stream of conversation and your messages can be found in a hashtag search.