COLL300 Research Proposal

Jeremiah Hall Palmer
Prof. Myron
COLL300
Research Proposal
June 16, 2012

For several years, there has been a growing interest in the roles that social media can play during crises. In late 2010, FEMA began to pay attention to discussions surrounding the use of social media in emergency management. Since that time, more attention has been given to the concept on state and local levels. For this project, I would like to weigh in on the discussion and express the importance of social media for emergency management and disaster response.

Description:

Specifically, I would like to introduce examples of how social media outlets can benefit communications during response and recovery phases of any given event; making note of instances where the practice has worked successfully. Once I have established the importance of social media presence, I would like to tackle the issues related to maintaining a “social” presence, and allowing for the information to be passed along in a “viral” manner to ensure that the public is notified. Essentially, the statement that I wish to make is: “Social media—with it’s ease of use and maintenance, viral potential, and the connections made with the public at large—is an important tool to harness for the emergency manager.”

Plan:

My entire research will involve seeking out information from FEMA as well as varying professionals and pundits in emergency management and related fields. I suspect that there may be some personal experience included in my writing as well, as I maintain the local agency’s website and social media accounts.

In an effort to keep the project more “professional” with “scholarly” sources of information, I may have to expand my research into the realms of “brand-marketing”. The use of this seemingly unrelated topic runs parallel to the topic that I wish to discuss, and should aid in providing supportive argument. While this may seem a tad ridiculous, the use of marketing as an example is being used by emergency management professionals—and this University—to educate those in emergency management of the necessity.

I have briefly conducted some research into the topic and have found many potential sources of information. In addition to the sources listed below, I will seeking source material from the FEMA blog, as well as FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate’s Twitter stream. This is my (current) working bibliography:

Primary Sources

Aten, Jamie D.; Leavell, Kari; Gonzalez, Rose; Luke, Theresa; Defee, Justin; et al. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy3. 1 (Mar 2011): 16-20.
McGuire, Michael; Schneck, Debra. Public Administration Review, suppl. Special Issue on the Future of Public Administration in 202070 (Dec 2010): S201-S207.
Merchant, Raina M; Elmer, Stacy; Lurie, Nicole. The New England Journal of Medicine 365. 4 (Jul 28, 2011): 289-291.
Pechta, L. E., Brandenburg, D. C., & Seeger, M. W. (2010). Understanding the Dynamics of Emergency Communication: Propositions for a Four-Channel Model. Journal Of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, 7(1), 1-18.

Secondary Sources

Coleman, Timothy A; Knupp, Kevin R; Spann, James; Elliott, J B; Peters, Brian E. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society92. 5 (May 2011): 567-582.
FEMA To Use Social Media For Emergency Response. (January 19, 2011 Wednesday 4:00 PM GMT ). TECHWEB, Retrieved from
O’Keefe, Ed. (June 4, 2009 Thursday ). FEMA Encourages Public Participation. The Washington Post, Retrieved from
Winerman, Lea. Nature457. 7228 (Jan 22, 2009): 376-378.
With response to tornadoes, FEMA begins to rebuild its reputation. (May 6, 2011 Friday). The Christian Science Monitor, Retrieved from

Schedule:

I have not set a specific schedule for the completion of this project. I am, however aware of the dates listed for the class assignments surrounding the project.

Approval Request:

Dr. Myron, I hope that you may find this proposed topic to be one interesting and worthy enough of attention. Of course, any comments and criticisms are welcome.