When I departed Long Island for Las Vegas a few days ago I noticed that the TSA was profiling blue hair. Oh I understand everyone is on edge with recent breeches, put this was the definitive example of perhaps spending too much time on the wrong person.
The older women in question seemed to be wearing a pretty complex shoe. I would assume it was orthopedic in nature. After running them through the scan twice, they took the elderly women aside to continue their search and interrogation. I moved on and went to my gate. About 15 minutes later the same women shuffled to my gate. That was a twenty minute search overall of someone that has probably made nothing more complex in her life than an apple pie.
Let me state for the record that the TSA can scan my bags, make me walk through an X-ray machine, and even force me to show up a few minutes earlier if it means I’m going to be just a little bit safer in the air.
Most people though see little rhyme or reason behind TSA methods. I decided to scan and frisk the TSA online to see if they should be taken off a flight.
The TSA would be wise to spend a couple dollars (we know the airlines have it thanks to those checked baggage fees) towards a short-term PR campaign to turn a negative situation into, at the very least, a neutral one. There message is bland, boring and longwinded. Although it appears they mean well from a public relations/social media standpoint -
Here Are My Top Four PIO Things the TSA Should Do Immediately:
- Stop sending canned messages on Twitter. Customize. Personalize. Incentivize.
- Create video’s that inspire us, not ones that put us to sleep: http://www.youtube.com/user/TSAHQpublicaffairs
- Put faces to go with the names on your blog (tsa.gov/blog). I want to know exactly who is communicating the messages you put out there. Ditto Twitter.
- Clean up your Web site. Way too many links and tabs. One word. Simplify.
What would you add to this list? Would love to hear your thoughts!
Also on The Fire PIO…
- Some Simplistic thoughts on Social Media – December 17, 2010
- Responding to unfounded Complaints – November 12, 2010
- Twitter in the Snow – January 3, 2011
- PR Distribution in a Social Media World – August 18, 2010
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