I was exploring SocialMedian beta when I can across a clip from Hyperkinesis on a post on the Los Angles Times blog about the Los Angles Fire Department’s use of twitter. The post was very interesting not only does the LAFD use Twitter, they blog and use YouTube, Flickr, Gabcast and Jaiku.

If you have a look at the LAFD web presence via their blog,YouTube, Flickr, Twitter and other social media services. You see that the LAFD are using social media to get the latest information to their citizens and promoting other information such as their Earthquake Preparedness Handbook. Their handbook may be an old school PDF, but more people are likely to be aware of the handbook and download it, because what the LAFD are doing with their use of web 2.0.

A great uses of social media by people who know their stuff, promoting information that will save lives. And a path I hope our local emergency services will follow.

While the original letter (which is available in full on Technosailor) from Michael Capuano a Democrat Congressman on the Franking Commission appears to be aimed at video and YouTube. Any restrictions will impact on a wide range of social media sites, including Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and any other social media services. A number of twitterers have started a campaign Let Our Congress Tweet, so that the current twittering Congressmen John Culberson and Tim Ryan can remain twittering and hopefully others both in the Congress and Senate will join them.

What Michael Capuano and others fail to realise is:

1. The time, cost and effort to create these services inside the House.gov space is a waste of resources, when it can be done for next to nothing, right now using external services.
2. Using existing services comes with a ready made audience, creating a new service means having to attracting an audience.

What impact will restricting social media in the US Congress and Senate have in Australia. It will probably slow the adoption of social media by our politicians. With the loss of Australian Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett there is nobody in the Australian Parliament how understands social media enough to makeuse of it. With fewer examples of effective use of social media by politicians overseas, our politicians are unlikely to adopt social media or expect government agencies to make good use of social media.

Using Wordpress.com, Flickr, Youtube and Twitter to keep the information flowing

My experience with NFP organisations, particularly the larger ones is that they are conservative in their approach to almost everything including new technology. So I was very surprised when I got pointed to the American Red Cross MidWest Flooding Online Newsroom thanks to Rex Hammock.

Somebody inside the American Red Cross has got it right, using of Wordpress.com, Youtube, Flickr and even Twitter to create a quick, low cost and effective way to get across information to the world about the impact of the recent flooding in the Mid West US and the American Red Cross’s role in providing relief.

A lesson for anybody who needs to create an effective communication tool, quickly and on a tiny budget.