Make A Wish First Recipient

I have attached a link to an article written by Megan Griffo and published by Huffington Post on 11/1/2013.  It is a great read about a 7 year old boy that is diagnosed with Leukemia.  The story covers the original incident that occurred in 1980 that lead to the young man being the first "wish kid" for the Make A Wish Foundation (Wish.org).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/01/bopsy-fireman-make-a-wish_n_4181841.html

Social Media Policy

Does your employer have a social media policy?  Most of mine do, in one way or another.  Some policies only address usage while on the clock.  Others go as far as not allowing employees to name their employer on social media sites, even something as simple as that is where they work.  I feel somewhat responsible for one employer's social media policy.  It started out innocent enough.  I was on the scene of a motor vehicle accident with my fire department.  It was a unique crash involving a large transport type vehicle and a passenger vehicle.  The content of the transport vehicle was scattered along the roadway.  We were on scene for a while, several hours in fact.  I decided to take some pictures with my camera phone, something I have done many times before.  I took photos of the transport vehicle that was on its side and the passenger vehicle, which had sustained substantial damage.  I posted these photos to my Facebook page, something that would not only change my personal outlook on social media, but also start the wheels in motion towards a department wide social media policy.  I have posted hundreds of photos from accidents and fires to my Facebook page over the years.  I find them entertaining and educational.  I try to be careful to only post pictures that don't identify any person or company without their permission.  This instance was no different.  Or so I thought.  I turns out that someone on my friends list knew the people that were in the passenger vehicle involved in the accident.  That person complained to the Sheriff (of a different county than where the incident was, no less) and wanted him to make me take the pictures down.  Mind you the vehicle in the photo was unrecognizable.  You could only identify the color of the vehicle.  You could not tell the make or model or even how many doors it had.  The Sheriff contacted my Fire Chief and asked what our policy stated about posting pictures (we had no policy at that time).  This put the pressure on me.  Do I take down the pictures on my own, wait to be asked to, or flat out refuse due to lack of a policy?  I was never specifically asked to remove the pictures, but it was clear that was the desired outcome.  So this is where the paranoia came in.  The Fire Chief researched other department's social media policies and reviewed articles about the subject.  It was concluded that any interaction with social media was a liability to the township.  We were no longer allowed to take photos of scenes with our personal cameras.  Any device used to take photos would have to be turned over to the department.  The policy went as far as to address clothing displaying the department name and publicizing your affiliation with the department on social media sites.  Is social media really that powerful?  I understand that an employee represents their employer even when off the clock, but is it necessary to take it that far?  I think there should be a balance.  I believe no influence on social media can mean a bad influence.  You have to be out there at the least seeing what people are saying about you and your brand.  You really should engage your followers, maintaining a positive social media presence.  I think employers should encourage social media use, in a structured way.  They should maintain guidelines on what is put out and how.  Total restriction from any use just encourages craftiness.  Employees will find the means and time to sneak in some Facebooking and will be creative when posting things about their employer.  Having employees post things in a positive way can be a useful tool for gaining social media presence.  Giving employees tasks to complete on social media sites will allow them brief moments to catch up on their "wall" and still be constructive.  Having employees tweet one thing a day about their company could be a great way to promote the brand.  We can't be scared of social media.  It isn't going away.  No use is the same as misuse.  Companies need to become educated about social media so they can create and, more importantly, maintain a positive presence.  So what did I do about the accident scene photos?  I removed them, and all others, from my Facebook page.  I also removed all employers from my personal information.  I did not necessarily have to do this, bud did so somewhat out of anger and spite and also to protect myself from further criticism.

It's all about me

Hello.  I am Nick Donaldson.  I am an Emergency Services Professional.  I work as a Full Time 911 Dispatcher and am also a member of two Volunteer Fire Departments.  I live in Central Michigan, and have for most of my life.  I am married and have a Second Grader.  I enjoy the outdoors.  I am an avid big game hunter and enjoy camping and quad riding.  I also enjoy cooking and woodworking, when I have the time.

Wedding Day!