This is by no means a comprehensive list of the points discussed at the conference. They are the highlights that stuck out in my mind and I am posting them with the hope that some of the presenters or attendees will comment on the post to continue the excellent discussion that was started at the conference. 

Technology Implications for Organizations - Emergency and Non Emergency

• We are living in a period of exponential change and therefore must change / be ready for change
• Social media has changed our world and how we network
• Have faith in the power of technology to make things better
• Social media is transforming organizations.
• The digital environment is about connecting with the right person at the right time for the right task
• For social media & technology to meet its potential we must focus on empowerment rather than top down control
• Social networks incorporate accountability - people will correct your wrong information
• We are trying to fit historic organization structures into a new way of doing business - it does not work
• When we hire people with well developed networks we need to encourage them to use those networks
• Organizations often take human and network capital and degrade it with organization indoctrination
• Hear the news from RSS feeds and twitter before the clipping reports
• New 911 services are being built on a digital platform

Tips for Using Social Media for Emergency Management

• The point of social media is to be social
• When starting with SM, start with one channel which is mobile friendly
• Every incident has potential reputational threats, agility through social media may enable a better recovery from mis-steps
• Emergency management in the digital age involves more than just dealing with the incident - it includes how we appear to be dealing with it
• Monitor SM for trends, people organizing clothing drives to help guard against unsolicited donations
• Authority should acknowledge questions when they do not know the answer so people will feel they have been heard
• Information is not enough, it must be relevant and meaningful
• Providing information is psychological first aid
• Don't post the same message on all platforms, use the extra space Face Book has over Twitter if needed
• Tap into the community brain trust
• Use social media for two way communication, it is not a broadcast medium
• Have a plan to deal with employees being attacked by social media when they are doing their job
• Share social media policy and practices with employees
• Make sure you have a continuity plan for social media
• Quick win - set firewalls to enable social media access
• People complaining about you on social media provides an opportunity to change their mind
• If you are trying to control social media you are starting off on the wrong foot
• We are not in an era of message control
• The media should not be your primary audience for social media
• Monitor incident specific and related hashtags

Questions About Using Social Media for Emergency Management

• How do emergency managers deal with digital volunteers? Do they want to?
• How do you deal with a social media storm that is driven by one side of a story?

Good Examples / Tips re Social Media and Related Technologies for Emergency Management

• Toronto Police leadership in using social media
• Meet and greet to strengthen and expand your network
• Canadian common alerting protocol
• MASAS - an excellent resource for sharing non-sensitive information
• Community and family resilience are key to a successful response
• Search web for #SMILECON (Social media in Law Enforcement) for good resources
• Recommend Sysomos for media monitoring
• Calgary Transit - good social media example
• Canadian Red Cross - monitor community organized Face Book pages after Goderich tornado. 
• LASD (LA County Sherrif's Dept) using social media for preparedness and reputation building (CORRECTION FROM LAPD)
• FEMA pushes one safety message per day
• Queensland Australia empowered officers to tweet as they go
• If it is true then it can go
• Positive comments on VIA Rail use of social meda during a recent derailment
• Public amplification of messages is good
• When moderating blogs don"t block critical comments

General Observations

• Over 1100 tweets regarding the conference is estimated to have reached an audience of 180,433
• Social media is not a silver bullet but it changes in bullet time
• Government is not always the answer
• Social media is redefining the role people have with agencies

Appreciation

• Tweets included a huge thank you to the speakers for providing a great program
• Thanks to those who tweeted for sharing the conference on line