Twitter Tour for the uninitiated

Here's a good blog post comparing facebook and twitter...

http://www.twitip.com/twitter-versus-facebook/

Found a great blog, Musuem 2.0, with this interesting post:
 
http://museumtwo.blogspot.com/2008/12/open-letter-to-museums-on-twitter.html

 
If you just replace the word "museum" with "park" and "artifact" or "art" with "resource", all the points and examples apply equally well to a park, or any institution.
 

So it seems like the bay-area parks have twitter on their radar (Golden Gate, Alcatraz, Yosemite [including YosemiteNotes]), and I've seen a few nps ranger-types with twitter feeds, but overall, I haven't seen much from the rest of the NPS.

I just watched this guy explain that the NPS should tread carefully into the world of social media - http://www.livingstonbuzz.com/2009/03/09/geoff-livingston-addresses-the-national-park-service/ - He has some good points, but overall I think even he is missing the point, although I'm sure he's paid well to stand and speak the obvious for 10 minutes at a time.

What's the status on this? Is the NPS working on a twitter strategy, or will it be left to a few trail-blazing interpreters to show how this type of technology can work?

*sigh*

Surprise, surprise...the video is blocked. Looks like the DOI doesn't want NPS employees actually knowing why some think we should tread carefully.

@jersu  Actually, I gave that speech (captured in said video) to the National Park Service for free. I saw it as my civic duty to inform uninitiated, inexperienced communicators how to use social media intelligently. So this was free public service.

I based my claims on more than three years of direct real social media experience, and my position as a pretty well respected twitterer (geoffliving).  I have achieved great results using social media, but it only works when you have a good tangible goal that resonates with the community. 

Twitter could work for the National Park Service, but Flickr would be my personal first resort.  Why?  What do people do when they go to Yosemite?  Do they text message or shoot photos.? But don't take my word or experience for it, go do your homework and search Twitter and Flickr and see which has more user generated content.  I did.

In either case, a hashtag program is needed to harness the raw power and content of the community.

Geoffliving- Thanks for joining and posting, and thanks for talking to the folks in DC. 
 
I suspect what Jersu was commenting on was your citation of the Twitters during the Not State of the Union. Those tweets were useless comments, but that obviously doesn't mean that Twitter is useless. 
 
What I tell folks is that if you have content on the web, then you should be pushing that content on Twitter - it's another form of the press release, but instead of the press, it's the people (who happen to be on Twitter.)
 
I agree with you about photos (especially in Yosemite!). Flickr currently has 664,669 photographs tagged with Yosemite. Even Brown vs. Board of Education has 142 images! The question is how to use that interest to increase understanding of the park and not just look at pretty pictures.
 
I've suggested that we host a photo contest on Flickr (and spread the word on Twitter). The winning photos would then be used on the Yosemite web site and in our many publications. The EPA did something similar for Earth Day last year.
 
Steve

After reading this thread I decided to check out flickr a little more closely and see what i could develop. So I created an account and started a photostream: 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36198335@N05/

I'm focusing on adding photos and descriptions of science and research being conducted in Glacier National Park, so hopefully that will have an audience. I also created a group with the same focus:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/1079890@N22/

Haven't delved deep enough to figure out just what flickr is capable of, but I like the idea of people being able to join a group and view images of park science. I intend to make it much more current and add a significant number of photos from this summer's research season. But I'm having trouble figuring out how to organize the group's "photo pool". I'd hate to just see all the group photos lumped into a single mass.

Also, I'm assuming I need to purchase a "pro" account to create more than three photosets? What is the benefit of doing this in a flickr group versus just creating a photostream that will potentially attract people?

Finally, for the group, what should I put in the "rules" section? I have some ideas regarding posting inappropriate comments, etc., but I was wondering if any of you had some guidance in this matter.

Cheers,
Paul

glad to see this thread pick up some steam ...

@geoffliving ... dude, I know it's hard not to take my comments personally, but I promise I'm not trying to tear you down. I think it's pretty cool that you gave that speech for free. I've seen enough other consultants out there that seem to get paid for doing nothing more than reading the "this day in tech" to hungry audiences. My bad for lumping you in with them.

@yosemitesteve is catching my drift. Sure, there are people using the technology in a bad way (as in your State of Union example), but there are also people in our field of interp who are using it in creative ways. I am amazed at the number of land management agencies using Twitter technology specifically, and I'm equally amazed that the NPS isn't really represented among that group.

NPS typically does the best visitor outreach of ANY federal agency, and Twitter is exceptionally good at outreach, with built in hooks for direct feedback to the parks. I know Twitter is still consider new technology, but with a base of 10 million accounts and growing, it has a significant built in audience.

Geoff, I agree with you that NPS (or any agency, really) should avoid the "shiny new toy" syndrome. My perspective, as one outside the agency, is that the NPS has avoided any sort of interactive web social experience so far. I do hope that changes.

I have heard that there is a new nps.gov on the way. Anyone know if it will have any interactive elements at all, like even the ability to leave comments?

Again, props to the people in the NPS behind @YoseNatureNotes, @YosemiteNPS, @GoldenGatePark, and @AlcatrazIsland for leading the way in the new medium of Twitter. I hope you all can convince others in the NPS (especially interps) to give this new tool a try.

BTW Geoff, if this tweet is about me "Love it when people think you aren't listening & trash you online. Then there's the mandatory, 'Oh I didn't mean that' follow up comment." -- Consider this the "no, I did mean that, but don't take it personally" follow up.

I think I’m with you jersu. There are some very clever people at NPS that get it and then there are others.... I enjoying hearing from the clever ones.

@geoffliving, since we don’t know what box you had to live in when you gave your talk, I don’t feel I can comment. Your ten minutes of fame may have had limited value to this crowd, but I suspect you were not talking to this crowd.

I personally feel “social network” sites will continue to evolving. Facebook, twitter, myspace, studivz and a bunch of others are similar but have their own personalities and appeal to different groups. And of course, these groups keep growing and changing. So let’s keep talking and sharing what works. 

Fortunately, the delivery devices for the content are similar enough that it is not an issue for our visitors,. 

I am assuming everyone here is aware of iTunes U. The University of Oxford has a couple lectures online from their Internet Institute that are both interesting and appropriate to this discussion. If you have time, listen to Facebook: The Strength of Weak Ties. OK, so they have funny accents, they still make sense.

I do love the "real time" aspect of twitter, and the targeted information that it delivers to me. I've found great articles shared via tweets, that I'm sure I would have never discovered via Google, or other web services as easily. Here is one I discovered just this morning, relevant to our discussion here -

"Why Twitter Continues to Grow in Importance"
http://www.visinsights.com/why-twitter-continues-to-in-grow-importance/325/

<snip>
So many brands that we know and interact with like Microsoft, Alaska Air, Southwest, Wachovia, Dell, PCC Markets and others are doing a great job at building loyal followings [on twitter], creating real-time communication platforms with customers, and the ability to target marketing specials. These interactions and the follower base are what is generating revenue and cost savings — creating more traction than fan pages of yesteryear did for many brands in places like FaceBook or MySpace.
</snip>

Which isn't to say that Twitter is the be-all, end-all of social media. I think the fan pages on Facebook are great too, check out the National Parks Foundation page, it's done well - http://www.facebook.com/pages/National-Park-Foundation/10524821940

@dwatkins : I'll check out the U Oxford media on iTunes U. That Facebook course sound like it would be interesting.

Speaking of facebook, if you are familiar with it, you may appreciate this 2 minute vid for a laugh. "Facebook in Reality" :

I wouldn't call this fame. I just was helping out. I've done bigger speeches in the past, and pretty experienced at this because I wrote a book on Social media called Now Is Gone.  I've worked with a lot of big companies and campaigns so forgive me if I find all of the well "You're just a consultant chat, great for your 15 minutes of fame" to be a bit dismissive from what I would consider to be newer voices to the game. 

Twitter isn't good or bad, it's just a toolset. How you use it is what matters. Congress botched it in my opinion, and I stand by that. It's just an example of poor strategy with now real ROI. Shiny Object Syndrome as we like to cal lit.

Pleased to see the interaction about Twitter, Facebook, Flickr and Geoff's presentation to NPS public affairs and public information types. I'm a NPS public affairs officer here in DC and invited Geoff to present. He knew the speaker fee was nothing more than audience reaction and there was plenty. There were two more speakers on our program, one from the NPS web enterprise team and another from the Veterans Administration web crew. They received the same speaker fee Geoff accepted: an audience of 50 NPS communicators from across the country who had too many comments and questions for the 45-minute discussion that followed their brief presentations.

This was Geoff's second gratis appearance for the NPS here in DC. I turned him loose on a dozen park superintendents and park managers 11 months ago during a daylong session I hosted on working with the media. The response, to Geoff's presentation and the topic of social media in general, was the same. Both audiences have a hunger to learn about and use new media. Geoff and the management group ate up nearly three hours on the topic of social media.

NPS web enterprise staff are at work on ways to access social media knowing full well the DOI restrictions on web site access. We'll see what they come up with. I look to them, but of equal or greater importance are people in the parks like Yosemite Steve and the other rangers and interpreters who see possibility ahead of limitation, who are willing to experiment with new media, who listen to our visitors and watch how they use new meida to communicate and suggest the most useful means of getting our messages into their lives. 

I look to them, but of equal or greater importance are people in the parks like Yosemite Steve and the other rangers and interpreters who see possibility ahead of limitation, who are willing to experiment with new media, who listen to our visitors and watch how they use new meida to communicate and suggest the most useful means of getting our messages into their lives. 

-trailmlan

That's all well and good, trailmlan, but for parks that don't have access to "outside the firewall" wi-fi networks for their staff (stares jealously at YOSE), the only way for us to do things "ahead of limitations" is to use our home computers on our own time to do work for the government. While I am 100% sure that all of us are guilty of this (we do so love our jobs that we're willing to go above and beyond to accomplish what we think will help us achieve the mission), to suggest that circumventing the DOI restrictions on our own time/dime is the best way to move the agency forward (technologically speaking) seems a bit...i don't know if this is the right word, so forgive me if it's too strong...unethical?

Rather, what needs to happen, in my opinion, is that the DOI needs to dig their heads out of the sand (I could have used stronger language that actually seems more appropriate in this instance...but I held back) and recognize that their unnecessary restrictions are forcing the NPS into a technological irrelevance by not "allowing" their employees to communicate with the newest generations using the tools of their generation. We're going to have an entire generation that doesn't know about (and thus will not care about) the resources we're trying to protect since it will seem apparent to them that we don't care enough to meet them where they are.

I'm curious, can any of these social-media sites be accessed from within the DOI network?

Twitter?
Flickr?
Facebook?
YouTube?
MySpace?
Digg?
Others?

Again, I'm outside the agency. I wasn't aware that these website were blocked by DOI.

Paul,
After reading your post, I had to return to my own to see how on earth you came up with the idea that I've intimated NPS employees circumvent DOI restrictions and firewalls. I didn't, I wouldn't and I'm not now.

I do expect that NPS employees with an interest in social media will discover or invent something they want to pursue. Some will find a way to engage the public within security firewalls. Tim Cash of our web enterprise team would have more to add on this.

Others will bump into security issues and ask why that barrier is in place. They won't accept "no" for an answer. They are a little skeptical and have already asked, "Is access to social media sites a security issue or is it a management issue?

I hope growing demand for federal employee use of social media encourages DOI to unblock web sites for several social media outlets. I hope the "deciders" realize that employees, especially in communications, interpretation and education, fire and a few other areas, should have access to social media sites. They will be convinced that the possibility of other federal employees wasting time and taxpayer dollars to "be on Facebook" for example, is a management issue, not a security issue and they will drop that issue into management's lap.

And finally, due to my dislexic fingers, I mistyped a username when I registered for Yosemite Steve's forum. I'm actually Trailman. Alas, Steve says the typo is likely to remain until the forum hosts come up with a means to correct it.

Flickr is the only site I've been able to access.

And Digg.

Thanks Trailman! I think if you can show how others in our field are using web apps like Twitter, especially other govt agencies, they would see the value in making it available to those in the DOI. Here are some examples I've seen the last few days on Twitter that really expose this web app as an important outreach tool -

Visitor Safety - http://twitter.com/PAranger/status/1313548121
@PAranger : Palo Alto Open Space
Loop end of Panorama Trail closed temporarily due to a large oak that's down. It's pretty unstable and hanging over the trail. #fhp

Press Release - http://twitter.com/usepagov/status/1312540881
@usepagov : US Environmental Protection Agency
News release: HelpLight NJ Receives an Environmental Award for Lending a Helping Hand in New Jersey.. http://tinyurl.com/as8osg

Recruiting - http://twitter.com/waDNR/status/1318109550
@waDNR : Washington State Dept of Natural Resources
Work outdoors & earn education money! Are you 18-25? Join Washington Conservation Corps--WCC. DNR has openings. Get info http://is.gd/mOf4

Program Annoncements - http://twitter.com/AZStateParks/status/1318795694
@AZStateParks : Arizona State Parks
Arizona Archaeology Exposition this weekend. Pueblo Grande Museum. FREE 10-3 pm storytelling, craft demos, 45 organizations, entertainment.

Interpretation - http://twitter.com/ohranger/status/1284406425
@ohranger : Oh, Ranger!
Channel Islands NP (age 29 today) is home to the spotted skunk, island fox and deer mouse, which exist nowhere else on earth!

One last thought ...

Sometimes it is about controlling the message. NPS, if you are not providing the information about your park, someone else may decide to fill that role for you. If so, your outreach efforts could become damage control if the information is inaccurate.

http://twitter.com/clnp
bio: This is an independent account devoted to news and information about Crater Lake National Park in Oregon. Dig it.
most recent tweet: http://twitter.com/CLNP/status/1324420067
"@craterlaketrust has a Twitter account but only posted on one day and is following no one - come on, Trustees, get with the program!"

I don't think this person has a bad intent. And, that post isn't particularly offensive. But, without an 'official' voice, this person owns the message.