-------- Original Message --------
198
NOUS41 KWBC 161403
PNSWSH
Public Information Statement
National Weather Service Headquarters Washington DC
903 AM EST Tue Nov 16 2010
TO: Subscribers:
-Family of Services
-NOAA Weather Wire Service
-Emergency Managers Weather Information Network
-NOAAPORT
-Other NWS Partners, Users, and Employees
FROM: Craig Hegemann
NWS Chief Information Officer, Acting
SUBJECT: NWS Facebook Presence Update
NWS is exploring expansion of its presence on Facebook.
Facebook is a commonly used social networking service that
allows participants to share information with other users. NWS
has already has an effective national Facebook presence for
purposes of outreach and education. NWS is now exploring
expansion of this presence to the field office level to include
provision of existing NWS products such as warnings.
Because exploration of possibilities for a local Facebook
presence cannot be done outside of the public Facebook
environment, our prototyping efforts will be publicly visible.
We are currently using WFO Fort Worth, TX, for our prototyping
efforts. Over the next several months, prototype Facebook pages
for the following additional sites will be made available:
WFO Pleasant Hill
WFO Seattle
Alaska Region
WFO New York City
WFO Honolulu
North Central River Forecast Center
National Hurricane Center
Work on these local Facebook pages is in preparation for an
experimental service that will be open for public
comment/review. The period of prototyping, expected to last
approximately through March 2011, will enable NWS staff to
become proficient at maintaining a useful local Facebook
presence and will allow a period of service adjustments as staff
determine level of automation needed, type of information to
post, and how to effectively address any problems. NWS will
provide more information and initiation of a public comment and
review period when a decision is made to offer this service on a
more consistent basis.
Please note that as a prototype service, these Facebook pages
may be discontinued at any time, the amount and content of
information provided may change, and the frequency of updates
posted to this page may vary and is not guaranteed.
Responses to fan posts are made on a time-available basis and
may be extremely limited during periods of severe weather. In
addition, users should not rely on this service as the primary
means of receiving NWS alerts and warnings of hazardous weather.
NWS alerts and warnings are available on NOAA Weather Radio and
our official website:
http://www.weather.gov/
Disclaimers regarding NWS use of social media services can be
found at:
http://www.weather.gov/disclaimer.php
http://www.weather.gov/credits.php#socialmedia
If you have comments or questions regarding this public
information statement, please contact:
Ronald C. Jones
National Weather Service
1325 East West Highway
Silver Spring Maryland 20910
301-713-1381 x 130
ronald.c.jones@xxxxxxxx
For technical questions regarding the local Facebook pages
please contact:
David Billingsley
819 Taylor Street
Fort Worth, TX 76102
817-978-1300
david.billingsley@xxxxxxxx
National public information statements are online:
http://www.weather.gov/os/notif.htm
$$
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