New CEO Video Series Targets ADOT Employees

There is a common tendency among most transportation agency communication teams to overlook one of their most important audiences – the agency employees.

Internal communications is tough, whether it is done for a major corporation or a transportation agency. The organization is generally spread across a large geographic area. Employees in different work groups and geographic areas might have different access to, and comfort with, different communication technologies. And, at the end of the day, the communication team kudos for a job well done most often come from external communications with media or the general public. 

Social Media Security and the Transportation Communicator

© Sedmak | Dreamstime Stock Photos & Stock Free Images

I received an interesting question last month from a transportation communications professional trying to convince her organization to invest time and energy in social media. Yes, even in 2014 there are organizations that are still unsure of whether connecting with customers in the social space is the right strategy.

The question from the transportation pro was simple enough. Her directors were concerned about security for the organization’s network and IT infrastructure.

“One issue that keeps resurfacing is security. The idea is using social media will offer up chances for our system to be hacked, confidential and employee information to be stolen, etc.”

Shifting Audiences, Dead Newspapers Change Transportation Engagement

An interesting study recently published in the journal Political Communication studies the level of civic engagement following the closure of daily newspapers in Seattle and Denver.   The paper, Dead Newspapers and Citizens Civic Engagement, by Lee Shaker asserts that civic engagement in Seattle and Denver dropped from 2008 to 2009 after the Seattle PI and Rocky Mountain News closed their doors.

It is an interesting research effort that uses data from the Current Population Survey (CPS) conducted by the United States Census Bureau to analyze year over year participation in activities such as visiting a politician or attending a community organization meeting, such as a PTA or neighborhood watch group.

Pew Internet Offers a Peak into Internet’s Future

To remain most effective in communications, it is a good idea to pay attention to what’s happening on the Internet. After all, the societal embrace of the Internet with all of its information sharing and communications power has had a profound influence on society and the ways in which we see the world.

I often cite the Pew Internet and American Life Project for its ongoing tracking of trends related to the Internet and the ways in which we interact on the Internet. Pew Internet is marking the 25th anniversary of the Internet with a series of reports. The first report, published last month, was an overall look at the development of the Internet and its rapid adoption by society. It’s very interesting material and worth digging into.