In recognition of the holiday season, I thought I would offer my colleagues in the transportation communication world a few of go-to resources for staying current and informed about what’s happening in our world.
Transportation news:
Before you can communicate about transportation, you have to know what’s going on around you. Of course there is AASHTO Journal and AASHTO’s Daily Transportation Update, which I highly recommend (along with AASHTO Mobile, available for Android and iOS).
Here are a few of the better industry blogs covering Capitol Hill:
- Transportation Issues Daily
- Politico Morning Transportation
- The Hill
- Stateline.org (Transportation)
- TransportationNation (NPR)
Here are a few blogs covering specific aspects of the transportation industry:
- Bike Portland
- Landline Magazine
- TransportTopics
- EnoTransportation
- Rail Magazine
- Young People in Transportation
- FastLane
State department of transportation communication contacts:
AASHTO keeps a current list of state department of transportation communication directors. Linkedin features a TransComm group specifically for sharing stories, tips and interests related to state DOT communication activities. There also is a Facebook group specifically catering to state DOT communications.
Transportation social media:
This has been a growing area of interest for several years. Earlier this year a Facebook group was started to discuss specifically those issues specifically related to transportation communications in the social media world.
One of my favorite stops at least once a week is the Pew Internet and American Life project. This site features the latest survey research results tracking the adoption and integration of Internet technology into the lives of Americans. Some of the statistics are surprising, and knowing even a few nuggets of wisdom will help you sell your communication strategies to the skeptical engineers and policy folks.
Communication blogs worth following:
Sometime last year I stumbled across Spin Sucks. What a great blog. I read something worthwhile here almost every day.
Think you know media relations? Sure you do. But Mr. Media Training takes crisis communication and media relations to a new level. No matter how much experience you think you have talking to the media, read this blog. You will not regret it.
These are not exhaustive lists, but just some of those places I find useful. Do you have any resources worth sharing?
