With all the unbelievable weather over the past few weeks, we’ve seen TV stations like Alabama’s ABC 33/40 (story) and St. Louis’ KMOV (story) put Facebook to work as a community gathering place for tornado damage reports, requests for help, recovery efforts and words of encouragement.
In the wake of the devastating tornado in Joplin, Missouri, KOMU’s Facebook page transformed into a similar hub of activity — despite the fact the station is nearly 250 miles away. “My newsroom’s normally local-focused Facebook page quickly became a clearinghouse for updates about how mid-Missouri could help the tornado-ravaged community,” explains KOMU’s Jen Lee Reeves in a post on MediaShift. “Not only did we have continuing requests on how our Facebook users could help, a growing number of people had information about blood drives, fundraisers and donation sites.”
As we’ve seen in previous breaking stories, the key to a thriving Facebook page is getting involved. “Since the tornado, I’ve been on overdrive,” Reeves explains, adding that she’s always been responsive on the page so users know there are real people behind it. “I encourage sharing and conversations among everyone in an open and transparent way.”
Openness is key. After tornadoes ravaged Oklahoma on Tuesday, I noticed that KFOR-TV’s Facebook page is a “closed wall,” not allowing users to post. Users can comment, which they’re doing in large numbers, but it limits the “community hub” effect that we’ve seen with other stations following a large breaking story.
For the record, KFOR did an amazing, life-saving job on the air. This video (above) of a KFOR crew narrowly escaping with their lives as a telephone pole flew over them is one of the most incredible clips I’ve seen in local TV. But in times of large breaking news stories, opening up a Facebook wall should be standard procedure for local media.
I asked Reeves what she thought about Facebook becoming the home for community — not her own TV station’s website. “We will get more interaction there than on our website,” she said. “That’s okay. We know in times of calm and in disaster that our Facebook members visit our website. Any time we post a link we see a traffic spike.”
Reeves says she uses Facebook’s notifications feature to keep track of new posts on the page, and she always tags her personal Facebook page “to identify myself as the person commenting as a representative for KOMU.” But she also has a wishlist for Facebook, from the ability to pin a “call to action at the top of the page” to making photo tagging easier.
“It will be interesting to see how long this call to action continues on our Facebook page,” she says. “Hopefully, it’s an example of how a commitment to social media can help encourage ongoing conversations between a newsroom and its community.”
