For the Fire Pio blog as well as for my own department’s dissemination of information via social media I always cross post. This means I use the same facsimile of information I am sending out to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn. Some recent articles I have read make me think now that this might not be the best strategy.
The root strategy for any public relations information dissemination includes creating your message, determining your audience, and finding the best way of delivering your message to that audience. But now, with social media, technology has given us as PIO’s the ability to blast identical messages to different audiences.
LinkedIn allows you to post your status update simultaneously to Twitter. You can automatically feed your tweets to Google Buzz. You can connect tweets with your Facebook status updates or your Posterous feed. And with third-party software like Tweetdeck, you can post the same message to multiple Twitter accounts, Facebook and LinkedIn with the touch of one Send button. Whether that’s a good thing or not depends on whose opinion I read.
I have mentioned in posts before that the way a public information office sends out information is night and day from the way traditional PR hypes a story. We must report the facts with little latitude for creative prose or jargon. In this respect I see no reason for altering the way I deliver my message across the world of social media.
With that said our fire prevention and school education team reaches out to a number of niche groups (school, business, civic, etc.) so they have a much different social media strategy.
They don’t cross-post, because they use each tool for a slightly different purpose. Therefore they their target messages for each audience.
Although there is some mingling of followers and friends from one platform to the other, the style of how people communicate on those platforms differs, especially from a language standpoint.
While Twitter often is filled with abbreviations and symbols, those same messages appearing on a Facebook page could be confusing.
Fire Prevention cross-posts, using Facebook for student and Twitter and LinkedIn for businesses. Civic groups receive on message on both.
The bottom line is though: Know your audience and how they might be different across multiple networks and social sites.
Also on The Fire PIO…
- Some Simplistic thoughts on Social Media – December 17, 2010
- Even the Walls have Ears – November 24, 2010
- 360 Degree Social Media – August 19, 2010
- Public Information Oversaturation – October 8, 2010
Interesting perspective Jeff -
For the most part, I write in a formal or semi-formal style when posting to our government blog: at http://www.erie.gov/fire.
However, posting a link to that same blog on our Facebook page might be done with an intro written in a much more conversational style — in an effort to connect with that growing audience.
Our blog automatically updates our Twitter feed so there’s no manipulation there. Nonetheless, we attempt, where appropriate, not to write like the big government bureaucracy monster our customers sometimes see us to be.
I’ve actually created a customer communications survey that I’d like to get your feedback on if you’re interested.
On the other hand, I write differently when posting to my own blogs, Facebook or Twitter pages but the reality is that I’m a public official and I’m always ‘on’ whether I want to be or not. I present my opinions accordingly.
Keep up the great conversations.
Stay safe. Train often.
Hey Tiger,
Thanks for the great insight. I’d enjoy looking at your survey.
In terms of us maintaining our own Facebook and Twitter accounts I totally agree with you. By making the commitment to being a high profile figure as an officer in our departments we do open ourselves to 24/7 public scrutiny. Misinterpretations to our personal lives and interactions can cause problems. This is a major topic of social media discussion involving corporate executive and how much they can let the public look into their private lives.
Postings and photos on Facebook of normal out of work activities like attending parties, going on trips etc. can always be open to negative reaction and perception.