March Webinar

Social Media: Policy, Process, and Considerations

for Communicators

March 8    11:00 a.m.

 

Recording | Handout

 

Social media has played a dominant role in government communications for well over a decade. Platforms continue to evolve, with impact from ad revenue, user preferences, and societal trends. With the continued rise of misinformation, it’s more important than ever for communicators to have a strategy and policy-driven approach to social media.

Our webinar’s panelists will discuss considerations for starting – and closing – social media channels and how best to develop policy to govern social media use that factor in the concerns of organization leadership. This session is designed to meet the needs of small and large teams, with scalable resources and downloadable checklist.


Learning objectives:

After this session, webinar participants will understand:

  • Evaluation considerations when selecting social media channels for their organization.
  • How to protect your organization through social media policy.
  • Role of social media in building trust and credibility for their organizations in a time of misinformation.
  • Impact of current trends in policy development and training needs.
  • How social media policies can help your internal teams better use social media.

Moderator: Lora-Marie Bernard, Communications and Public Information Officer, City of Lake Jackson

Joshua Lee, Director of Communications, City of Pearland

Josh is a Pearland native with a passion for communications and a dedication to the community that raised him. Prior to his experience in local government Josh spent many years developing experience in marketing and communications in the private sector, managing programs and teams for a wide variety of brands in various industries such as Fossil, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Interstate Batteries, and ExxonMobil to name a few. Josh thrives in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and has dedicated his career to solving communications problems with sustainable solutions by leveraging teamwork and technology. For him, every day is an opportunity to improve, evolve, and connect with the communities we serve.

Chris Shadrock, Director of Communications, City of Boerne

Chris was born in San Antonio, raised in the Texas Hill Country. His desire to learn about the world and different places landed him in Vermont for his undergraduate studies. Chris spent nearly a decade working in local broadcast news at TV stations in Waco, Killeen, Austin and San Antonio. He has won a National Edward R. Murrow Award for his work, as well as having been recognized by the Texas Associated Press and was nominated for a Lone Star Emmy. He returned to his hometown of Boerne in November of 2019 as the City’s Communications Manager and was named Communications Director in January 2021. During that time he has implemented a new social media policy, championed the communications office role citywide in helping departments best utilize social media, begun regular staff training on best practices and is currently spearheading the city’s efforts to reorganize public outreach.

Brent Taylor, Chief Communications Officer, Houston Emergency Management, City of Houston

Brent Taylor is Chief Communications Officer for the Houston Office of Emergency Management. In this role, he facilitates media opportunities, creates communications plans for scheduled and crisis events, and oversees the external communication and coordination of lifesaving emergency information and preparedness education materials. He has been employed with the City of Houston since 2021, where he first served as Deputy Press Secretary and Public Information Officer for the Mayor’s Office of Communications. Before joining the City, Brent worked for Houston METRO as social media specialist, where he participated in emergency activations for Hurricane Harvey, Super Bowl LI, NCAA Final Four Tournament, and countless unnamed weather events. He’s lived in Houston since 2012. He holds bachelor’s degrees in Radio, Television & Film and Sociology from the University of North Texas.