FGCA News Blog

I don't own an iPhone, I'm no Tweep, and, frankly, I'm pretty far from being a Geek...but let me tell you, I don't want to be left behind. I don't want to miss my opportunity to be at the 2011 FGCA conference. I'll admit, I need to know more about how all these new technologies--RSS Feeds, QR Codes, YouTube, viral marketing--can help me be more effective and more efficient, in this low budget day and age!

Planning is well underway for a great Annual Conference bringing communicators, marketers and outreach specialists together again under the FGCA umbrella. This year, the Conference Committee will host attendees under the sunny skies of  Sarasota County, and in a way that will surely bring out--or force out!--the technology geek in all of us.

During the two-day event, scheduled  July 28-29, we’ll plug into all the apps, tweetdecks, posts, feeds and codes we can. It will be like being in a lab, with our partners--Speakers and Presenters who will share their Geek Successes with us--showing us how to use all these cool tools laid out in front of us, so we can learn, discover and catch up to the lightening-fast pace of technology.

Non-Geek? Don’t despair. The conference will have plenty of opportunities for you to talk to your peers face to face. Sure, the conference title may sound like it's all high tech,  but this conference, as always, offers us plenty of time to confer, converse and otherwise hobnob the old fashioned way with old friends in the industry, and new colleagues from all over the state.

With its rich Circus history, the Ringling College of Art and Design, the breathtaking Ca' d'Zan Mansion, and recently named the home of  the Number One Beach in the USA  (Siesta Beach!), Sarasota boasts layer upon layer of opportunities for exceptional communications, marketing and outreach. And thanks to the work of some of our local government agencies and industry partners who already do such a good job weaving social media and new technologies into their programs, (SCGov.net ;Sarasota and Her Islands) Sarasota makes this techno-savvy, “geek” communication thing look effortless. Nothing magic about it, we've just been offered a new toolkit with shiny, smart , often FREE new tools to help us do a better job.

So join me at the Conference July 28 and 29, won’t you? I'll save you a seat.

Vice President/Interim Treasurer
Director of Public Affairs
City of Boynton Beach

At my suggestion, the board recently convened an all day strategic planning session. Hosted by Membership Committee Chair Erin Bryce (Community Outreach Manager, City of North Port) at North Port’s new City Hall facility, and facilitated by longtime FGCA member Eddie Burch (Communications Specialist, Children’s Services Council of Pinellas County), I left the meeting feeling exhilarated and optimistic about the future of FGCA.

Admittedly, it’s been a lackluster year for FGCA as many of our members and volunteers have had to hunker down and go into survival mode as budgets have been cut, positions eliminated and support disappeared. This is precisely when we need FGCA the most.

While the current economic climate has challenged us as individuals, it has presented FGCA as an organization with unique opportunities to create far reaching plans and develop new alliances.  Out of our planning session will come positive outcomes and beneficial results for both members who stay the road with us and for new members who join the journey.

We began the planning session by recognizing that our profession has undergone both rapid and significant change, and that the traditional duties and responsibilities of the public information officer may even have shifted to other people in the organization or agency who have had no formal training or background in communications or public engagement. With this in mind, we looked at our current mission and vision to determine if they are still relevant.

FGCA’s mission and vision were developed more than a decade ago in what I imagine was a workshop very similar to our own. The planning document that came out of that era is an interesting snapshot in time but doesn’t adequately address today’s reality. Comprehending that, “The North Port 7” tasked itself with crafting a contemporary mission and vision and supporting goals and objectives that will help us to build membership and at the same time enable us to offer current members a host of enhanced services. Very soon, we will be asking you for your input on this proposed new mission and vision in a survey that will include a number of other areas in which we are seeking member opinion and guidance, including annual conference.

See You in Sarasota

Yes, we will be having an annual conference this year. Under the leadership of Erin Bryce, the conference is tentatively set for June 2-3 in Sarasota. Your participation in our survey will be crucial to Erin and her committee who are working very hard to ensure that we have a timely, meaningful and valuable conference.

March in Ocala

FGCA member Sonny Allen (Public Information Officer, City of Ocala) is hosting another in our FREE Lunch & Learn series on Friday, March 19, at the Ocala Hilton. Entitled The Gulf Oil Spill: Perception vs. Reality, this is an outstanding education and networking opportunity for members in Central Florida who were unable toattend our October luncheon in Palm Beach County. It's also an opportnity for guests to "test drive" FGCA. You may register here on the FGCA website.

As always, we value your input and participation. I think you’re going to like what you see as we move ahead.

Everything You Always Wanted To Know About QR Codes
Or At Least Enough To Get You Started

Wayne M. Segal

Public Affairs Director
City of Boynton Beach

Anyone who has received an e-mail from me over the past several months has seen a curious ink blot-like image at the bottom as part of my electronic signature. The instructions next to it are to scan the image with your phone and “learn more about the City of Boynton Beach."

I’ve begun putting these codes in more and more places, and they’re evidently beginning to gain some traction. Not long ago I received a phone call from a citizen who was trying to scan the code on the newsletter she had received with her Utility bill, but it just wasn’t working. After questioning her, it became evident to me that her cell phone was a no frills model designed to make and receive calls only.

More recently, I attended a meeting outside of the City where in no less than five minutes of my arrival four people asked me about QR codes, which is why I decided to write this article: To help explain everything people wanted to know about QR codes, or at least get them started. I wish I could say that the City of Boynton Beach was the first municipality to use QR codes, but that distinction goes to the City of

I first learned about QR codes in a junk e-mail I received from a printing company and immediately became intrigued by what they were, how they worked and the endless possibilities. Best of all, they’re FREE to produce and the software to scan them is FREE as well.

If you Google “QR code,” the search engine will return nearly 15 million results. But let me simplify things for you. The site that I use to both create codes and track them is called QReateBUZZ (http://www.qreatebuzz.com or just scan the code on the left). QReateBUZZ is a complete QR code generation, management and analytics solution that with a free account will enable you to generate, manage and track one or more of your QR codes.

You can also download code readers from the site but I prefer to use the i-nigma app, which I have found to be very reliable on my Blackberry Curve. With your camera-equipped I-phone, Smartphone or Blackberry, navigate on over to http://www.i-nigma.mobi. The site will “automagically” determine the kind of phone you have and download and install the correct reader. After installing the reader, you can test it by scanning the code on the right.

For those who have received an e-mail from me and are curious, the QR code at the bottom points to the City’s blog (http://boyntoncityvisions.blogger.com). I’ve also used a QR code to direct people to the City’s website.

Recently, I worked with the City's director of Art in Public Places to use a QR code in a flyer and poster she developed to help raise awareness and funds for a particular art project. I’m now gently pushing her to tag each of the artworks along the City’s outdoor Avenue of the Arts exhibits with a QR code that would take people to a place on the City’s website where they could find out more about the piece and the artist who created it.

The possibilities are endless. Use QR codes for campaigns. When I was in Phoenix prior to last November's election, I saw a 4’x6’ campaign sign by the side of the road on which there was a large QR code with the exhortation to scan the code and learn more about the candidate.

Not long ago I saw a TV commercial that had a large QR code on the left hand side of the screen and on the right were the instructions to “Stop it! (assuming you have TiVo, I guess), Scan it! Buy it!”  This is an idea I intend to borrow for the City’s television station. If I hear of it being used on another government channel, I’ll know from where the idea came.

Another use I see for QR codes is in special events. You could put QR codes on all your collateral material that would then refer people back to your sponsor’s website. Using QReateBUZZ, you can give your sponsor an accurate picture of the number of scans and impressions.

Finally, your Rolodex is so last century. Instead, create QR business cards using one of the many online generators. Enter your contact information, scan the code on your business card with your Smartphone and you’ll never need to manually key in a contact or URL.

If you already use QR codes, please share your experience with us. If you have any questions on how QR codes work, or any other comments, please post them to the FGCA Google Group at fgca@google.com. Or, feel free to contact me directly by e-mail at segalw@bbfl.us or by phone at (561) 742-6025.

Please participate in this Quick Response survey.

It seems the Coast Guard has been in the news plenty this year.  They've seen and done so much in the recent emergencies.  How do they manage their communications on such a large scale disaster?  What would you do if faced with a sudden emergency?

Join us for our Regional Luncheon in October and get an idea of what it's like to work in a Joint Information Center and a sense for how different emergency communications is from your regular work.

Click on the Registration and Event Listing on the left <---- to see details and to register.  Lunch is FREE and there is no charge for registering. Watch this site for more information in the coming weeks.

As we approach our organization’s mid-year point, a number of things have been happening and your Florida Government Communicators Association (FGCA) Board of Directors wanted to share information about accomplishments and on-going projects, while also filling you in on some of the exciting opportunities ahead.

WEBSITE:

First, thanks to Rosie Marquez, our website and technology guru, we have a re-designed and much improved website with expanded capabilities.  Some of the new features are:

• Personalized Profiles for members including the ability to share social media presence and even a photo or logo.
• Ability to more easily renew memberships online.
• Automatic reminders when memberships are due for renewal.
• Online applications for new members so you don’t have to mail in a paper application. (Tell your friends!)
• Online registration for any events we schedule.
• Forums both “open” and “members only” for sharing information.  Advantage over Google Groups, is that you can see older conversations.

Additionally, overall easier administration of the site by your Board of Directors allows for better communication to you, our valued members.  Be sure to check it out and take advantage of the new features that allow you to reach out to your professional colleagues around the state for ideas and best practices on just about any topic.  In doing so, you automatically increase the value of your FGCA membership!

FINANCIALS:

We are pleased to report that FGCA continues to enjoy a strong fiscal position.  However, because of recent changes in IRS requirements for associations such as ours, we are currently working with a professional accountant to ensure we are in compliance and well-positioned to move forward.  The Board is also tackling a persistent challenge we’ve had for many years – identifying and implementing a way to seamlessly transfer treasury responsibilities and fiscal records each year from one member-elected Treasurer to the next.  Overall, these critical financial-based initiatives will strengthen our organization and prepare us, administratively, for anticipated membership growth when the economy finally turns around.

CONFERENCE:

Annual conference is an area where we’ve run into some fairly significant challenges.  With no member stepping forward this year to act as Conference Chair, and with ever-tightening travel budgets in each of our organizations, the Board has tentatively agreed to forego a 2010 Conference.  However, don’t despair, because we are also pursuing an exciting partnership with another statewide association and hope to bring you news, very soon, about a possible conference in June of 2011.  Because we know you’re preparing your FY10/11 budgets right now, we thought it important to include this preliminary information to assist you in your budget projections.

WEBINAR OPPORTUNITIES:

To continue adding value to your membership, in lieu of a 2010 Annual Conference, we are planning at least one interactive webinar.  And, depending on member response, we may offer more than one.  Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be offering a list of possible topics for you to consider and weigh in on.  Your input is critical so we can identify areas of interest that will benefit our members the most.  So, stay tuned for some great opportunities to interact with your professional colleagues around the state.

REGIONAL LUNCHEONS:

FGCA’s Regional Luncheons are designed to increase membership and thus maximize your access to “best practices,” etc.  With that in mind, we are soliciting members who would be willing to secure a location and caterer and identify a speaker for a regional luncheon.  Typically there is no charge for members or non-members to participate since the Association picks up the lunch and speaker fee tabs.  Your 2010 Board of Directors unanimously agree that, especially in tight travel budget times, regional meetings of this type are often the best networking and professional development solution for members and prospective members alike.  If you have an interest in hosting a regional luncheon, please let us know as soon as possible.   FGCA needs YOU!!!

CRYSTAL AWARDS:

Another time-honored FGCA tradition is our Crystal Awards program where we have the opportunity to recognize the excellent work of our members and the value that work brings to their organizations.  Of course, the Crystal Awards celebration is always a big part of our Annual Conference and, with an eye towards June 2011, we’re seeking a Crystal Awards Chair to spearhead this important program.  BONUS:  If you are the member who steps into this role, you will be richly rewarded and will benefit from the opportunity to see all the entries firsthand and learn what makes an entry a WINNER!  There’s no better way to learn how to develop a future winner for your own organization than by seeing what others are producing.

As always, the more you engage with, and give to, FGCA, the more benefit you receive.  In fact, as your 2010 President, it’s been my experience that when you get actively involved, you actually get MORE than you give!  You owe it to yourself, your organization and your career to take that next step and get engaged!  I look forward, with great anticipation, to hearing from you soon about these leadership opportunities.  As always, I encourage you to contact me at any time if you have questions and/or concerns. 

With Warm Regards,

Cindy Rodriguez

Communications and Legislative Affairs Director

Polk County Board of County Commissioners

(863) 534-6090

Our new site is up and running after waiting for our domain to be released and we are looking forward to your input.  We hope that you'll take advantage of the new features inlcuding the Members Only forum.  Going forward, you'll find General News about FGCA right here in the News Blog.  Whether you're a member or not, you'll be able to see the latest announcements for regional events and our Annual Conference.

If you have any trouble logging in as a member, please send an email to rmarquez@cityofaventura.com so I can reset your password.  Your old password should work on this site.

Great discussion!  People have views on both sides and it is certainly a complex issue when you frame it within Sunshine Law.  The line can seem grey but in reality common sense would prevail.

Record Retention is another issue that everyone needs to get their arms around because the Internet is dynamic. 

The point is really that those using the tools need to take on the responsibility to stay as compliant as they can.  We can make it work if it's a good fit for our agency/organization.

The Question & Answers have really kept the conversation going.  How nice to have all these panelists in one room to get their perspective.

If you have to do any kind of monthly activity report, then you can feel my pain. I can certainly think of more creative and enjoyable pursuits. In the interests of "going green," reducing our carbon footprint and all the other politically correct things we do nowadays in the name of saving the planet, our reports have become quarterly. Doing the reports monthly, for me, was like having root canal. Doing them quarterly, I have the same euphoria, but without benefit of novacaine.

So I was diligently transferring the information to the report form when I realized that I had messed something up. Before total frustration set in, I thought, "Back away from it for a few minutes and do something creative - like write a blog article." You know that question they always ask you in a job interview - "How do you handle stress? - and "alcohol" is just not an appropriate answer? My answer now is, "I handle stress by blogging about the FGCA conference."

This morning, I was finally able to catch up with Capt. Sukach and confirm when she would be coming in for the conference. I was happy to learn that she'll be arriving in time to participate in the tweetup that will take place on Wednesday evening. We also talked a little bit about her presentations. As you know, she'll be telling us about how and why the Air Force got into social media; what's worked for them; and what hasn't. The Air Force has established perhaps the most comprehensive set of policies and procedures for the use of social media and serves as a perfect model for other organizations to emulate.

I'm especially excited about her "hands on" session in which she'll help participants set up their own Twitter and Face Book sites. Another of our speakers, April Edmonds, who serves on the Federal Social Media Subcouncil, has offered to assist Capt. Sukach. Having these two women together in the same room, showing you how to set up your own social media sites, is like having Albert Einstein and Linus Pauling in the same room tutoring you in math and chemistry. Only it's more fun. I've spoken to these women at length and, believe me, they both have a terrific sense of humor.

Committee member Donna Giuliana (City of Palm Beach Gardens) "discovered" Matt Horbund at a local tweetup. No, she isn't in the habit of picking up strange people at tweetups, but she can sure zoom in on the interesting ones. As you'll recall, Matt is a wine aficionado who turned his passion into a living using social media. If you'd like to see how, then watch this clip of Matt at work on his television show:  http://tr.im/FfgZ

It's hard to believe that we're entering the final countdown to #FGCAConf09. Just two weeks away! I know that I'm looking forward to meeting the people in person that up to now I've only talked to on the phone or in an e-mail. If you haven't already registered, I don't know what you're waiting for. This conference has so much value packed into it, from the quality and calibre of our speakers - all experts in their fields - down to the hotel. I think the folks that live here in Palm Beach County will agree with me that nowhere do you find a hotel of this quality in this area for this price at this time of year.

I think I've worked out my stress now. For anyone else working on their monthly or quarterly report, I wish you well.

With #FGCAConf09 less than three weeks away, this past Wednesday, Veterans Day, with the day off, conference committee members thought it would be a great opportunity to meet with our contact at the Hilton Garden Inn to finalize all our arrangements for the conference, including logistics and food and beverage. And, believe me, we've selected some awesome menu items.

As we began talking to the sales manager, and making decisions about where the registration table should be, how the meeting room should be set up and all the other details that go into planning any special event, I think the reality and excitement of "we're really going to have a conference" began to sink in. We began discussing other conferences we had attended, what worked for us as attendees, what didn't, and how we were going to make sure our attendees avoided the pitfalls we had endured. I remember feeling trapped at several conferences because there was no place to go outside of the hotel without having some form of transportation. That won't happen in Palm Beach Gardens, where the hotel is within walking distance to shops, restaurants and bars - and ven across the street from one of the area's largest purveyors of adult beverages, if speaker Matt Horbund inspires you to take up wine as a new hobby.

After our meeting at the hotel, we moved on to Downtown at The Gardens, the shopping and entertainment center adjacent to the hotel - remember! Walking distance! - which is hosting our tweetup on Wednesday evening for those coming in for the conference that day. Our event just happens to coincide with DATG's holiday kickoff, and we grew very excited when DATG's VP Tom Guiliana told us that just minutes before we sat down with him he had signed a company to do a spectacular light show on that evening. DATG has given us their center court area for the tweetup event, which will also be open to the public. Conference Committee member Donna Giuliana has become our resident tweetup expert and from her research - someone had to bite the bullet and attend area tweetups to scope out what goes on there - reports that the tweetup community in Palm Beach County is diverse, interesting and friendly. This is, in fact, how we got Matt Horbund as a speaker; Donna met him at a tweetup. See, social media really does work. We are extremely grateful to DATG for their support of our tweetup.

It had been a long afternoon of planning, and it was time for the Conference Committee to take a much needed break. By happy coincidence, it was 5:00 P.M. and we decided adult beverages were in order. It was over our drinks that I said, "Remember when we started this and I asked, 'Where will we find the speakers'? and you guys told me not to worry?" What can I say? They were right. In fact, our cup runneth over. On Wednesday, we picked up two more speakers, which made it necessary to create another session. As I wrote previously, I don't know where else you can get this much bang - so many experts in their field - for your buck. And working with this committee and these speakers, priceless. But that's an experience for another blog.

My point here is that I worried and agonized over where we would find the speakers that I felt members would want and deserved to have at their conference. Working with the committee, we've all learned something about each other that we didn't know beforehand, and they learned that I must always have something to angst over. But this shouldn't have been one of them. I can't begin to express how excited I am over our roster of speakers and can't wait for you to share my excitement at #FGCAConf09.

Yesterday, I received a phone call from a friend who would very much like to come to the conference, but she needed more justification to present to her boss. Currently, her agency doesn't use social media but she said she sees it "bubbling to the top" and that attending the conference would be very helpful to her.

In these hard economic times, I’m sure there are many of us that need more justification to show our bosses. So it was coincidental that she called when she did, because over the weekend I was thinking about the final program book. I'm waiting for additional information from some of our speakers and confirmation of two more so that I can put it together.

When I began to tell my friend about the topics our speakers would be covering, she grew very excited and said, "That's exactly what I need." She was excited not only about having justification for her boss but also for the information and knowledge she would gain by attending the conference.

I told her we feel very fortunate to have the support of the U.S. Air Force, which is sending us their Chief of Emerging Media, Capt. Chris Sukach, who will not only share with us how and why the Air Force got into social media but also what has and hasn't worked for them. Chris will also be doing a "hands on" for us in which she'll help participants set up Twitter and Face Book accounts. How we got to the Air Force and Chris is a lesson in itself on how social media can work that began with a contact in Afghanistan and worked its way around the world to the Pentagon.

We're also excited to have Coral Springs Mayor Scott Brook, who made headlines in the Sun Sentinel when he wanted to establish a Face Book page to reach out to his constituents. (http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/05/the_great_facebook_debate_cont.html) He asked his city attorney to obtain an opinion from the state's Attorney General whether or not the Face Book page would be subject to the Sunshine Law, which probably helped to precipitate the debate about records retention that we find ourselves in today. The state Attorney General’s Sunshine Law attorney Alexis Lambert will help shed some light on that for us.

On the same panel with Mayor Brook is Fort Lauderdale City Attorney Harry Stewart, who advised his commissioners to stay off Face Book. (http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/05/lauderdale_city_attorney_tells.html) Meanwhile, Broward County Property Appraiser's Office General Counsel & Director of Administration Ron Gunzberger, who is also on the panel, sent an e-mail to a Sun Sentinel reporter in which he wrote that he disagrees with Stewart. (http://weblogs.sun-sentinel.com/news/politics/broward/blog/2009/05/facebook_debate_take_ii_proper.html) Rounding out this panel, which might have more drama than Reality TV, is Boynton Beach IT Director Phyllis Koch who comes at the debate from a completely different angle.

It’s no secret that established media organizations are struggling with the shift to social media on the Internet. Richard Sambrook, the director of the BBC Global News Division, said recently that the impact of social media was overestimated in the short term and underestimated in long term. He’s not sure of the long term but says that news organizations don't own the news anymore. There is a transformation for the journalist from being the gatekeeper of information to sharing it in a public space. This, of course, impacts us as government communicators; we don’t necessarily have to rely on traditional media to help us reach our stakeholders anymore. Our panel of distinguished local West Palm Beach area media personalities will discuss how they are incorporating social media into their work and how it is changing the way news is delivered.

Author, speaker and digital marketing expert Marvin DeJean is the creator of the “Prime Directive” Leadership Program that helps businesses, individuals, and organizations take the quantum leap to the ever expanding digital marketplace. He will help us understand how to use social media marketing to drive traffic and, most importantly, credibility to our brand.

How we came to find April Edmonds is also a lesson in social media. It began with a pipe dream of mine to connect with Macon Phillips, the White House’s Director of New Media, appointed by President Obama this past January. Meanwhile, Capt. Sukach recommended Andrew P. Wilson of the Centers for Disease Control as a speaker. While most of us are probably not familiar with his name, many of us are familiar with Andrew's work. You can find it on many of our web sites; Andrew is the force behind flu.gov and the CDC’s use of social media to reach out to the public about H1N1 flu. It took some time before I was able to connect with Andrew, and was disappointed when he said he was unable to do our conference.

Next, Capt. Sukach suggested Jeffrey Levy at the Environmental Protection Agency. Jeffrey is that agency’s Web Manager. He also serves as co-chair of the Federal Web Managers Social Media Subcouncil. I connected with Jeffrey on GovLoop. For those of you not familiar with GovLoop.com, you should be. It’s like LinkedIn, only for people who work in government. Unfortunately, Jeffrey was also unable to take part in the conference.

He did, however, suggest April Edmonds, who serves with him on the Social Media Subcouncil and is right here in our own backyard … sort of. April is with the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission in Tallahassee. She’s calling her presentation As the “Critter Crawls” Social media/networking for government: You have to walk before you can run. She says government is often like a soap opera but with a policy and procedure manual. She’ll describe experiences and lessons learned with building social media/networking sites. Additionally, she’ll share her experiences and involvement with the Federal Web Managers Social Media Subcouncil and the Florida 2.0 initiative.

We have two additional speakers from whom we’re waiting further word. They will add additional value to an already valuable conference. Nowhere else will you find this much knowledge and this much expertise packed into a day and a half for only $199 (members) and $259 (non-members).

Program Committee members, including myself, Donna Giuliana, Lisa De La Rionda and Marlene Passell are very excited about this line-up of what can only be termed social media superstars. We look forward to seeing you at the conference.

I would like to thank my friend for being the inspiration for writing this blog article. I hope it will temporary satisfy her need for further justification and help others of you who have the job of convincing your boss of the necessity of attending this conference. Be sure to follow conference updates on Twitter @FGCAConf09. And if anybody knows Macon Phillips, I’d still like to be introduced to him.