In my opinion, social media is passé as driving force, cutting edge issue. Either you are on board or we are waiting for you to retire.
The next opportunities are drones and climate adaptation. Check out Gerald Baron’s blog post Are Drones the Next Social Media Big Thing? for some basic information and some good links. UAVs are relatively cheap and they provide a wonderful tool for situation assessment.
For our big mud slide here in Washington State a video overflight by a small drone in the first hours following the event and then posted on YouTube would have given everyone involved a firsthand idea of what they were up against. Based on my many conversations with people, this lack of an aerial view hampered them from quickly grasping the scope of the disaster. In some cases it was days before people and organizations had a full realization of the disaster.
So, find some hobbyists that are willing to help you. They are sure to be somewhere in your community. You don’t have to own the asset. Sign them up as emergency workers and get some policies and procedures in place.
As for climate adaptation, this is where the next source of grant funding will come from. Not oodles of money, yet sure to be a stream coming soon from the Federal Government. So, orient yourself to the topic and get ahead of the money curve.
