Historically, when power is lost due to storm damage, utility company communications have been limited to keeping radio and TV stations abreast of outages, blocked roadways, and downed power lines.
The advent of social media provides an opportunity for utility companies like the Knoxville Utilities Board to reach the public directly. Twitter and Facebook create the opportunity for utility companies to provide citizens with up-to-the-minute information, who may otherwise be without radio or television, but who still have data service on mobile devices. Text alerts fall far too short.
Do we not pay enough for electricity, gas, water, sewage, etc. that KUB could staff someone to update social networking aggregation software?
About the Author
Brooks A. Brown is the founder and principal of Shout Out LLC, a Knoxville, Tennessee-based marketing, public relations, and communications firm serving clients throughout the nation.
