2013 Annual Conference — October 6-9When the lights go out: Crisis communications and social media
Ballroom
The power is out across campus, across the city, and across much of the province. The school website is down. Phones in the school are down, including residence. It's the middle of winter, and students in residence are starting to get cold. When most of the province of Newfoundland, Canada lost power in January 2013, social media via a smartphone became the only means of communication between the Grenfell Campus of Memorial University and its students, staff, faculty, and community. Tom Cochrane describes how Grenfell Campus used social media to stay in touch with students during an crisis situation, how social media outlets are integrated into the emergency communication plans of the university, and what to do when a smartphone becomes the only link between the school and students, staff, and faculty.
Presenter
Tom Cochrane
On-Campus Recruitment/Online Community Coordinator, Grenfell Campus, Memorial University
Tom Cochrane has been working as the online community coordinator for Grenfell Campus, Memorial University since 2010. Building a social media presence for a small campus on a small island in a small province is no easy task. He is the go-to source for online marketing in Newfoundland, Canada, from live tweeting to live streaming, and Facebook ads to Google Adwords.
