Skip to main content

Aligning the Nuclear Energy Industry on Social Media

By
I have the privilege of speaking about NEI's alignment activities on social media at the 2014 U.S. Women in Nuclear Conference this Tuesday. I'll be joined on the Social Media in Action panel by Curtis Roberts of AREVA, Suzy Hobbs Baker of PopAtomic Studios and Paul Harwood of Twitter, with Susan Downs of PPL Susquehanna serving as moderator.

We are just a handful of the communicators in the nuclear energy industry who recognize the necessity and value of engaging with stakeholders through social media. The web has evolved into a social space where platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and YouTube allow multidirectional, unfettered conversations to occur across physical boundaries and social constructs. As a result, the marketplace of ideas has never been easier to access.
With increased access, of course, comes increased volume. The noise on social is at full blast, with endless opinions and updates being lobbed at us from every corner. Smartphones are within reach at all times as new channels for sharing words, photos and videos pop up each day. Despite the overwhelming growth and clutter, social remains a space where real discussions happen, where minds and hearts are won, where everyday folks are moved to the point of action. It is a space where we must be active in order to reach our stakeholders and inform and persuade them on the benefits of nuclear. 

That is why NEI is working to align member companies on social. The industry's stakeholders—proponents and opponents alike—are active online and we must meet them there, but we must do it in a smart way. The goal is to instill a "ducks fly together" mentality so that our messages have greater impact and cut through the noise. Another goal is to get hesitant communicators on board with social and to embrace the noise rather than fear it. Here are examples of the strategies and tactics we are using:
  • NEI's Social Media Digest: An email is distributed every Monday to social practitioners filled with content and best practices for Twitter and Facebook. The digest includes an overview of upcoming industry events and the latest news in digital media.
  • Training NEI employees on Twitter: Internal experts like Ted Jones serve as advocates on Twitter, giving credible input to online debates around top issues.

  • Storytelling: We want nuclear communicators to persuade with less logos and more pathos. This means showcasing more of the human side of the nuclear industry. 
  • Hashjacking: We let communicators know which tags are popular and when to use them in order to join the conversation stream, such as on Earth Day and during live chats like the White House Climate Chat.
  • Newsjacking: This involves capitalizing on the popularity of a news story to amplify our messaging. We alert members to upcoming events and news items, and prompt them to place messaging on social before interest peaks. NEI has successfully done this ahead of the release of Pandora's Promise and the premiere of Years of Living Dangerously.


Source: David Meerman Scott
Follow along with the social panel and entire WIN conference using the tag #USWIN2014. Find my tweets at @taryou, and introduce yourself if you will be in the crowd.

See you online!
Labels:

Comments

Rod Adams said…
Ducks may fly together, but duck formations can be excellent target practice for hunters.

Soaring, independent birds of prey can be more successful at picking off targets of opportunity and also by inspiring those who observe the graceful flight and aggressive attacks.

Good luck with your strategy. In the multifaceted online world there are many available paths to achieve a goal. There are also a variety of independent thinkers who prefer not to fly in formation or march in step.

Rod Adams
Publisher, Atomic Insights
July 28, 2014 at 10:02 AM
tt said…
True enough. Agree there are many avenues to get to the goal, and I think our members use a variety depending on the situation. Thanks for your feedback, Rod!
July 29, 2014 at 2:32 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fluor Invests in NuScale

By
You know, it’s kind of sad that no one is willing to invest in nuclear energy anymore. Wait, what? NuScale Power celebrated the news of its company-saving $30 million investment from Fluor Corp. Thursday morning with a press conference in Washington, D.C. Fluor is a design, engineering and construction company involved with some 20 plants in the 70s and 80s, but it has not held interest in a nuclear energy company until now. Fluor, which has deep roots in the nuclear industry, is betting big on small-scale nuclear energy with its NuScale investment. "It's become a serious contender in the last decade or so," John Hopkins, [Fluor’s group president in charge of new ventures], said. And that brings us to NuScale, which had run into some dark days – maybe not as dark as, say, Solyndra, but dire enough : Earlier this year, the Securities Exchange Commission filed an action against NuScale's lead investor, The Michael Kenwood Group. The firm "misap...
1 comment
Read more

Wednesday Update

By
From NEI’s Japan micro-site: NRC, Industry Concur on Many Post-Fukushima Actions Industry/Regulatory/Political Issues • There is a “great deal of alignment” between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the industry on initial steps to take at America’s nuclear energy facilities in response to the nuclear accident in Japan, Charles Pardee, the chief operating officer of Exelon Generation Co., said at an agency briefing today. The briefing gave stakeholders an opportunity to discuss staff recommendations for near-term actions the agency may take at U.S. facilities. PowerPoint slides from the meeting are on the NRC website. • The International Atomic Energy Agency board has approved a plan that calls for inspectors to evaluate reactor safety at nuclear energy facilities every three years. Governments may opt out of having their country’s facilities inspected. Also approved were plans to maintain a rapid response team of experts ready to assist facility operators recoverin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nuclear Utility Moves Up in Credit Ratings, Bank is "Comfortable with Nuclear Strategy"

By
Some positive signs that nuclear utilities can continue to receive positive ratings even while they finance new nuclear plants for the first time in decades: Wells Fargo upgrades SCANA to Outperform from Market Perform Wells analyst says, "YTD, SCG shares have underperformed the Regulated Electrics (total return +2% vs. +9%). Shares trade at 11.3X our 10E EPS, a modest discount to the peer group median of 11.8X. We view the valuation as attractive given a comparatively constructive regulatory environment and potential for above-average long-term EPS growth prospects ... Comfortable with Nuclear Strategy. SCG plans to participate in the development of two regulated nuclear units at a cost of $6.3B, raising legitimate concerns regarding financing and construction. We have carefully considered the risks and are comfortable with SCG’s strategy based on a highly constructive political & regulatory environment, manageable financing needs stretched out over 10 years, strong partners...
Post a Comment
Read more