New DHS Report on Social Media

DHS has just released a new report entitled Using Social Media for Enhanced Situational Awareness and Decision Support. The report is a product of the Virtual Social Media Working Group established by DHS's Science and Technology Directorate a few years ago. The report is intended to:

1. Introduce and discuss how social media can and is currently being used for situational awareness in public safety by various agencies and organizations
2. Discuss challenges associated with the use of social media for situational awareness
3. Discuss the integration of social media within the operational environment
4. Discuss areas requiring further consideration, research, and development

Thanks to my colleague, Dr. Stephen Baruch, for passing this on. 

Lose that chip on your shoulder

I have a colleague who can't seem to hold a job. Things start out well but soon there are "issues" ranging from conflicts with coworkers to problems with the job. So he moves on.

I have another that can't seem to find anything good to say about anyone else. No matter what the issue, the idea is "dumb" or the person presenting it is "dumb". He's constantly bemoaning the sorry state of our profession.

Sound familiar? We all know people like this. They forget that while each situation might be different, they are the one constant in the equation that never changes. We forget that we carry a lot of baggage from previous encounters in life and some of those biases may sour us in our professional and private relationships.

So think about your situation and why you're not happy with a particular situation. Is it truly the situation or is it you?

Airline travel has become so pathetic that many of us have eschewed checked baggage and learned to live with a small carry on bag. It's not a bad idea to do that with some of that excess mental baggage you're carrying around.