This year I am fortunate to again have the opportunity to attend WATERCON in Springfield, Ill.It's amazing how every year the conference offers so many great sessions, and the exhibitors always have such interesting displays and information. In addition to attending sessions and talking with vendors, I'll be posting as much as I can on several…
Tag: Social Media
Infographic of the Month – February 2014 (Snapchat!)
Over the last month or so I've gotten several inquiries from people who were wondering about Snapchat – a newer social media tool most often used as an app on a mobile device. The idea behind Snapchat is for you to send an image with or without a message to either all of your followers or a…
Infographic of the month – January 2014
This month's infographic is focused entirely on social media. I wanted to share it with you because it struck me as a simple yet interesting and informative display of the evolution of communication. I also liked how it gives a timeline of when each technology was launched. Courtesy of: Prohibition
Winter Weather Safety – Resources for Braving the Storm of 2014
Central and eastern sections of the U.S. have experienced snowfall and in some areas record cold over the last day or so. In a few locations, the temperatures have been so low that it has become dangerous to even be outside. However many government workers who provide essential services like police, fire, and snow removal still…
Employers, Schools, Social Media, and You – An Update
It has been about a year and a half since this blog first discussed (link here) how some employers and public schools were forcing employees and students to allow unrestricted access to their private social media accounts. We also pointed out the risks associated with those actions. At the time, there had not yet been a…
Using Social Media to Promote Safety Around Trains
Melbourne Metro, a transit service based in Australia, has been successfully using social media to educate the public about safety around trains. Last year they produced this video called Dumb Ways to Die starring a cast of cute little characters and a catchy tune. And now Melbourne Metro has released a game related to the video's theme. You…
Using Social Media to Curate Information for Feasibility Studies
While I still enjoy books and love going to the library, I have come to favor using the Internet when researching a specific subject. Not only is it easy to find and collect and organize information, but the social media side of it allows me to also get the pulse of the public on that topic….
Using Social Media to Communicate Emergency Response
Yesterday Dave Lawry and I presented Using Social Media to Communicate Emergency Response at the 2013 APWA North Amercian Snow Conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was fun to give the presentation with Dave because he had some interesting first-hand experiences with implementing social media as a communication tool, particularly during snow operations. His stories came from…
A Quick Look Back – Public Works Group Blogging Statistics
This month marks the sixth anniversary of the start of this blog. With so many new readers visiting each year, I realize many might not know why this blog was started. So I thought I'd take a few moments to revisit the original reason the Public Works Group was formed and how it has evolved….
Engineers Leverage YouTube to Spread Christmas Cheer
Today I noticed in my Facebook feed a post by the Illinois Section AWWA account highlighting a holiday greeting from the Baxter and Woodman Engineering Consulting Firm. Because it was such a great example of how firms are leveraging social media tools like YouTube, I thought I would post it here and share it with…