Leading Organizations Are Embracing the New Media

Who would have thought that America's biggest and in some ways most traditional administrations would be one of the first megalopolis' to have a Facebook site for its Office of Emergency Management (OEM)?

Earlier this year, Mayor Blumberg encouraged all New Yorkers to sign in at: facebook.com/NYCemergencymanagement

NYC's OEM established a Facebook site to advise New Yorkers about the importance of planning for emergencies like severe storms, heat waves, pandemics, etc.

The site provides "Tips of the Week" that encourages folks to become involved in the city's emergency programs such as Block Captains. Here's a recent T"ip of the Week:"

OEM urges business owners to back up their contact information for employees, customers, and suppliers. Plan ways to communicate with your clients so that you can continue to serve them during and after a disaster. Store important documents in waterproof containers and keep second copies in an off-site location.

This site is a real trail blazer as it shows how effectively the New Media can be used to communicate immediately with a wide arrange of audiences who might normally not get such direct information.

Lululemon Athletica, self-described as a yoga-inspired athletic apparel company, with over 115 stores in North America and Australia is embracing social networking in a big way to keep lines of communication open with potential and current employees.

Lululemon's on-line community manager, Carolyn Coles, says. "having the ability to use Twitter, Facebook, bloging, and Flikr helps to keep everyone connected at every level and really elevates internal communications."

The company encourages all of its stores to set up their own Facebook and Twitter pages. Employees can help educate each other online, share ideas, post stories and help new hires feel like they are part of the company.

Given that many retail employees are in the 18-24 age bracket, social networking is second nature to them. These people have been on Facebook and MySpace since they launched.

Social networking is also a way for employees to be seen as unique individuals in a company's eyes. Each time a person uses a blog or posts something on Facebook, they leave a footprint and establish a connection with the employer. Some say it's the way of the future, for innovators like Lululemon, its going on right now.

In these tough new economic times, retailers who don't use the New Media do so at their own peril.

Colleges and universities across the U.S. are hiring tenure track professors in mass communications with an emphasis on the new media. The Department of Journalism and Central Michigan University (CMU) recently advertised for such a position to begin in August 2010.

CMU is looking for a candidate with a distinguished professional record in new media and an MA or MFA with an emphasis in new media and university teaching experience in a mass-communications-related field. Candidates must have a demonstrated commitment to teaching introduction to new media, web design, digital media production, graphic design and other courses as appropriate to the needs of the department and the candidate's interest and expertise.

Strengths are required in news/editorial and/or advertising; ability to teach senior-level courses in new media; significant professional experience in new media is preferred for consideration in the academic track. ?

In Fayetteville, Arkansas, comments posted by an Arkansas student on Twitter while three schoolmates were being investigated for an alleged infraction has prompted a first for the athletic department. The student has been punished for violating the school's new social networking guidelines.

"This is the first time since we've had a policy on social networking that we've had a penalty associated," Athletic Director Long said. "I think prior to the policy, we had some that were borderline and could've been punished. But this is the first one that falls under our policy."

Arkansas' social networking guidelines were put in place in time for the fall semester. Every athlete on campus was required to sign and date the paperwork.

"We have the policy and students sign that they've read the policy and we explain the policy, so I think we've taken a very proactive stance," Long said. "We've educated them in advance. But do I think this will serve as a message to the rest of our 460-something student-athletes? Yes."

Like it or not, folks, the New Media is here to stay. Innovative business and government agencies will embrace it or become irrelevant in the minds of potential clients, staff and students.