Weather is the one of the most trending topics on Twitter. People want to know what to expect for the day and use social media outlets more and more to get their information. When the forecast is for extreme weather, the numbers amplify due to the volume of people wanting to contribute to the conversation whether to gain more information, share the same information, or add new information. Social media is directly linked to televised media evidenced by the constant coaxing by on-camera personalities to tweet or send messages on Facebook.
When you add a broadcast meteorologist’s flamboyance, persuasiveness and exaggeration + the general public’s opinion of the storm (two cents) you get a good old fashioned telephone game and a recipe for disaster. The message gets hijacked, distorted, over-hyped or under-hyped then regurgitated throughout the twitter-verse for users to interpret as they wish.
Broadcast meteorologists need to remember that they are in part journalists with a responsibility to report the weather objectively. When it comes to hurricanes, they need to default to the experts: The National Hurricane Center (NHC). Too many times during the hours leading up to Irene I encountered forecasters putting their own spin on the forecast track and intensity of the storm; this is not an acceptable practice for professional meteorologists. The notion is to take a risk to try to be the most correct to get acclaim and “toot your own horn.” The problem with this is it is a risk. Weather is an inexact science and forecasts are educated guesses. There is a chance that a forecaster will get it right but there is also a chance that they will get it wrong.
If on-camera meteorologists want dramatic effect, go out into the storm, be present for the eye-wall, spot a tornado, make video, take pictures, but please stick to the NHC’s forecast and consider the public not just your ratings or Emmy nods.
Hypocrisy Trumps Shutdown
A majority of government workers impacted by the shutdown are not making $75,000 or more a year. Most workers in the upper echelons of government fall into the category of “essential,” which means they will receive their paychecks. The paychecks may be late because the clerks that process pay are “non-essential,” but once the shutdown ends, they will receive retroactive pay. For personnel considered non-essential this is not the case. Workers in the lower tier, who need their pay, will not receive their pay and after hearing interviews, extreme views, and grandstanding it sounds as though this is not only okay but also a welcome “change” that needs to happen to advance an agenda. This agenda is NOT hurting the intended audience.
Stories circulating that claim the military will not feel the pain of this shutdown are misleading. The shutdown will not affect military operations but it will affect those who are serving at home in a non-essential capacity. These soldiers, sailors, and airmen, who raised their hand and agreed to lay down their lives if necessary, will not receive their pay on time if the shutdown happens. The lower enlisted tier salaries range from $1,500-2,000 per month with some additional allowances for cost of living. If the government delays one paycheck, it can be devastating for a military family.
These two groups of government workers do not deserve to be the scapegoats for government spending policies advanced by both major parties and interest groups.
Companies who hold government contracts stand to gain the most from a shutdown. The government allocates funds for these contracts when awarded therefore, these companies can make the determination that their employees are non-essential and, while already ensured government payment, can furlough their employees and make a huge profit.
The Donald Trump interview this morning highlighted the attitude that is now the norm. It is more important to question the citizenship of the current president than to bring insightful “entrepreneurial” ideas about how to prevent a government shutdown. Yet another opinion with the theme of “sending a message” to curb government spending. How is it that a shutdown will send a message to anyone but those that have the smallest voice in a sea of boisterous hypocrisy?
The Alienation of Government Employees
For years, the Federal government has made biweekly deposits for services rendered. Employees of the Federal government are not usually short termers, unless you count unfortunate one-term senators and congressional representatives, but that is not by choice, it is more of a consensus. For months, elected officials have argued back and forth about, not just cuts, but whether it is even prudent to continue operating. The belief that a work stoppage would remedy any type of budget issue or even party conflict is absurd. What it does is undermine, alienate, and damage relationships with those left in limbo.
Relationship building is vital to any organization’s livelihood. A key component to maintaining trust, commitment, and satisfaction within relationships is communication. When a reasonable person is not able to fulfill an obligation it is necessary to make an earnest effort to inform those affected, apologize for any inconvenience, and develop a plan to remedy all deficiencies. This tactic opens a line of communication and reinforces to the audience that they are valued. By not relaying this type of information to government employees, the message received is one of condescension.
Federal employees tend to be dedicated, educated, and trustworthy. In fact, the average federal employee has a bachelors degree and as of 2005, 60 percent had over 15 years of service. Most articles seem to mention the discontinuity between federal employee’s salaries and benefits compared to private sector employees making $75,000 or more per year. What about the workers making far less? Making $50,000 a year in a technical field with a four year degree is not uncommon. Even these individuals fall in the upper tier of the General Schedule (GS) pay scale. According to the 2011 GS pay tables, there are also those whose salaries start at $18,000.
But let’s not forget about those that serve in more than just a civil service capacity. The military is preparing for a pay stoppage. Supervisors are getting together with their troops to let them know that they may not receive a deposit on April 15 and the reaction is one of fear. This fact, more than any other, should fuel the desire to prevent a shutdown.
It is reasonable to assume that it would not offend federal workers if anyone accused them of being, as Sen. Glenn Grothman so eloquently put it, a different breed of person. Being subjected to drug screenings, background checks, security clearances, security checkpoints, constant electronic monitoring, random vehicle and personnel searches, and the occasional deployment (depending on position requirements) definitely qualifies as being one of a kind.
Social Media vs the Blogosphere
Making the decision to start blogging is a commitment. In order to be successful, you have to dedicate time and effort into attempting to draw in an audience. No one wants to begin following a blog just to find out that you have to wait six months for a another fix. People want information at a speed that is almost impossible to keep up with, which is why twitter has become THE social media venue to hang out in.
Enter Techmeme: the news site that compiles the most popular headlines and blogs in the technology arena. It is a convenient way to scour news in one location rather than looking at random websites and blogs. The announcement that Techmeme has gone twitter might make some bloggers uncomfortable (at least if they care about their blog traffic, which is, after all, what blogging is all about).
Being a newly ordained blogger myself I know the feeling of staring at site stats daily wondering if and when someone might click that button and perhaps actually view MY blog, therefore, I can understand why this development may make some people uncomfortable. Does this mean that the bloggers outside of technology subject-matter can rest easy, or is there an Allblogmeme waiting to be born?
http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/01/tweets-hit-techmeme/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+wired%2Findex+%28Wired%3A+Index+3+%28Top+Stories+2%29%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
“People of Walmart” beware!
Some interesting buzz regarding Walmart’s new “promote healthy food strategy”
The underlying plan could be any one of the following:
- To show Walmart cares about low income communities by moving in and lowering prices
- To take business away from Farmer’s Markets
- To take advantage of increasingly popular health initiatives
- To bring in a new spokesperson
- To control the food we eat
- To have brands/distributors pay for their eventual “seal”
- To deflect social media’s(“People of Walmart” )incessant stereotyping of Walmart shoppers as overweight (image repair)
- To make money
- Or even support the government by providing an avenue to control our food intake
With the controversy that portrays Walmart as a small business crushing, job swallowing, benefits hoarding, product outsourcing monster, what are the ramifications for Michelle Obama’s image?
Weather PRcaster
Weather is not an exact science and using this logic leads me to believe that I have the best job in the world: I never have to be right but if I’m going to be wrong I have to do it with savvy PR.
We as forecasters have our own sort of PR system. We meticulously analyze weather charts, diagrams, models, radar, satellite, etc… to formulate the masterpiece that is our forecast – or in the marketing world: roll out a new product.
We present it to our customers and we wait to see if we’re right – or in the PR world: analyze community relations.
Then we re-analyze and make adjustments according to real time data (aka: what’s going on out the window) – or in the PR world: develop a crisis management plan.
In the midst of tweaking our forecasts we are fielding calls and collaborating with colleagues to make sure we all agree with the new and improved forecast while relaying the updates to customers – or in the PR world: creating a press release or statement explaining inconsistencies and remedies to any adverse publicity.
The goals are the same: shedding a positive light on the products and services we produce. Nearly everyone has a favorite TV weather forecaster. Whether it’s Bob Ryan, Willard Scott, or Stephanie Abrams, it is not their predictive knowledge that is superior it is their ability to sell the product.
The Military’s New Recruitment Campaign
The issue remains that women serve in combat roles daily and should rightly get “credit” for doing so. Rather than talk about the specific definition of combat or whether any military person’s position is considered combat we should stop and think that when push comes to shove all positions in the military could become combative at any time. If a base is attacked, every person with a weapon will defend it therefore; creating a “front line.” Ft Hood is a domestic example. Overseas, sympathizers constantly barrage U.S. bases with various types of weapons.
Getting specific about the “front line” in a ground war and whether women belong in that environment is something best left to unit commanders. Issues involving hygiene, hostage situations, torture, and instincts will inevitably become part of the equation. In instances of women being taken as hostages and possibly tortured, consideration should be given to how prepared psychologically and instinctually men are for these types of situations. This is a whole new level of training for the military. Not to mention unit cohesiveness if a “workplace” relationship were to develop. Trust, one of the key components of relationship management, would be compromised.
The repeal of DADT as well as the renewing of this particular debate leads one to believe that this is a recruitment campaign. There are invariably not enough people willing to join one almost 10 year old war and another one that is close to eight. Not to mention, various other hotspots that may end up escalating. Additionally, women are not drafted into military service because of their long standing exclusion in combat positions. Once women are eligible for combat positions they will also be eligible for the draft thereby bringing up a new issue: Will women now be required to register for selective service at the age of 18?
This is a recommendation that may never come to fruition but Ret. Lt. General Petersen should recognize that to be taken seriously, he may want to rethink his line of questioning to a panel of women that described the combat environment in part as not having a TV.
Federal workers = Deficit Busters
In addition to the three year pay raise sacrifice, a proposal is on the table to require federal workers to take a 14 day furlough in fiscal year 2012. From a PR perspective, are the “Federal” workers being used to give the general public the idea that “Big Government” is solving its own problem?
Atmospheric and Astronomic Confusion
Recently, a friend of mine, who is an associate professor in public relations, asked me what I intend to do with the master’s program I choose. In other words: What are my goals? Along with, “Do you want to continue your focus in the study of how weather is communicated? Will that match with the career you’ll go for after graduate school? Can you give me an example of where you would work?” Prior to this discussion I thought I had an idea of where I wanted to go but, along the way things have become mostly cloudy.
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Communication with a minor in Journalism and I work as a weather forecaster for the DoD. As strange as it seems; to me it is the best of both worlds. I am pretty much a weather geek yet not in the scientific/quantitative way. I like to call it more of a PR way.
I’ve created and managed a liaison program between forecasters and pilots that afforded opportunities to develop meaningful relationships while focusing on trust, commitment and satisfaction; key components of relationship management. Control mutuality not so much: Pilots believe they require 100 percent control even though we all know that noone controls the weather. After being brought in to re-establish forecasting services at an air station, I submitted a press release and created info cards for various publics. I enjoy briefing pilots daily and take advantage of opportunities to teach weather to audiences ranging from commanders to kids.
Education is important to me. I enjoyed the undergraduate time I spent researching and theorizing and can’t wait to jump back in the ring. I was fortunate enough as an undergrad to present a paper I co-authored at an AEJMC conference. This experience was extremely fulfilling and left me wanting more…
So where do I go from here?
