[Web4lib] re: Using a blog for staff communication in a continuity of operations situation

[Elena OMalley]

Barbara,

At the NEDCC Persistence of Memory Conference last year, Chuck Patch
from the Historic New Orleans Collection talked about their use of a
Google Group after evacuating. A vendor also volunteered to create and
host a user-updated contact information database via the web. He said,
if you do use a Group/blog/wiki/whatever - put up notices regularly,
even if it's only to say that you have no news to report. 

You mentioned a plan where "Key designated staff are authorized to post
information." You may want to consider that staff might be worried about
each other and need to communicate with each other about
non-work-related issues or "peripheral" work-related issues. There is
also the possibility that none of the "key designated staff" would be
able to use the Internet, so you may want to allow all staff the ability
to post, and restrict it later after things get sorted out a bit.
Alternatively, have two blogs - one for official announcements, and one
for non-official communication.
  
Elena
__
Elena O'Malley, Head of Library Computer and Internet Services
Emerson College Library, Boston, MA 02116

> Do you know of any place that uses a blog as a way to communicate with
staff in a COOP situation?  Or do you have thoughts about the 
> usefulness of one in an emergency situation?
> 
> ...
>  
> Is this realistic? What suggestions do you have?  Do you have other
plans in place that might be of use to us?
> 
> Thanks in advance, Barbara