| Stakeholders come in two forms; internal and | | | | having the time available in order to properly |
| external. They are your organization's vendors, | | | | format, connect, upload, and verify an updated |
| suppliers, customers/clients, contractors, and | | | | web page might not be a possible reality once a |
| employees. Each stakeholder has a genuine | | | | hurricane or severe weather event strikes. |
| interest in ensuring the success of the | | | | Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and blogs while web |
| organization and by knowing and understanding | | | | based are also by far the easiest and convenient |
| that fact, the organization then not only has a | | | | ways to communicate with all stakeholders their |
| duty but a responsibility to deliver the necessary | | | | accessibility from almost any PC makes them an |
| information to every stakeholder no matter what | | | | invaluable tool. Additionally, with any web based |
| level of interest they have in the company. | | | | smart phone information can be updated from |
| When it comes to implementing a disaster | | | | almost anywhere, in almost any situation, and at |
| recovery/business continuity plan the organization | | | | almost any time. |
| will have to choose a venue or two by which it | | | | Short for web logs, Blogs have been around for |
| will communicate to its stakeholders. The | | | | quite a while and are now very easy to setup, |
| telephone is certainly not the "go-to" venue | | | | format (or not format at all), and use. By logging |
| anymore. The last thing anybody wants to do is | | | | in the user can update the current situation or |
| to be answering the phone in the middle of a | | | | accompany that status update with a photograph |
| hurricane or repeating the same information a | | | | or two, all within a matter of seconds. |
| hundred or more times a day. Having the right | | | | Using the MySpace service also allows for quick |
| tools at your disposal to communicate to | | | | and easy updating. Interface applications can be |
| everyone will not only help keep you sane during | | | | found for the most popular web enabled phones |
| the middle of a hurricane but it will empower all | | | | such as the iPhone or Palm Treo phones. Much like |
| your stakeholders in that they will know what's | | | | a blog, the user can update current situation and |
| going on. Therefore, with the growth of social | | | | even solicit immediate feedback from those that |
| media tools the ability to communicate and | | | | are following the user. Non-followers will only get |
| empower your stakeholders has never been | | | | access to the updates, provided that the account |
| better than it is now. | | | | is set to protected. |
| Deciding which tools to use may be one of the | | | | While relatively easy and quick to set up |
| more difficult tasks that you or your organization | | | | Facebook does come at a price. While it is a free |
| may encounter when building a disaster recovery | | | | service, the price comes in that stakeholders that |
| business continuity plan. There are plenty of tools | | | | wish to be notified by the organization will have to |
| out there and you might find the right one on | | | | be "friends" with the organization prior to the |
| your first attempt or you can continue to look for | | | | launch of any disaster recovery/business |
| just the right one and find it after numerous | | | | continuity plan. This is not advisable, especially |
| attempts. There is no need to worry as there are | | | | when the Facebook user is in the middle of a |
| plenty of old and new tools for you to pick and | | | | hurricane as it is not the best time to be |
| choose from. | | | | "friend"-ing people in order for them to get the |
| By far some of the oldest and maybe not so | | | | word out. While a very effective tool it is one |
| convenient ways of communicating with | | | | that needs a lot of work to be done up front and |
| stakeholders before, during, or after a natural or | | | | throughout the process. |
| man-made disaster is using e-mail, text | | | | Twitter is the newest tool in the shed. It offers |
| messaging, and updating a website. Each is | | | | any user the ability to communicate to the world |
| effective in its own way, but may be a little too | | | | 140 characters at a time. Much like MySpace and |
| time consuming when all an organization has is | | | | Facebook, people can follow you and you can |
| minutes or seconds. | | | | follow them but it is not necessary in order to |
| E-mail gives the user the ability to broadcast | | | | share information. Only 140 characters for use, |
| plenty of information and attachments over a | | | | the service offers the ability to post links by |
| short period of time. A concern however, is that | | | | which stakeholders can view images, download |
| of e-mail limits. Limits such as those that are | | | | documents, or read more detailed information |
| imposed, by the email software or administrator, | | | | about the situation of the organization. Like the |
| to either prevent spamming others or sending | | | | other services, Twitter is easily accessible via any |
| over sized files that can bog down systems that | | | | Internet connected PC or web enabled |
| are ideally designed for small payloads, such as | | | | Smartphone. |
| simple e-mail messages. | | | | No matter which tool or tools you or your |
| Text messaging gives a user the ability to | | | | organization decides to use the positives will |
| communicate "on the go" with short simple | | | | outweigh the negatives. Knowing when your |
| messages. Communicating via text messaging can | | | | doors will be open for business or when an |
| be very time consuming as the broadcasting | | | | operator will be standing by is a surefire way to |
| ability may be limited. This in most cases means, | | | | keep your customers happy. It will also keep your |
| the user will have to send individual messages to | | | | suppliers happy because they will know when and |
| all stakeholders, to keep everyone informed. | | | | where they can start delivering product to your |
| However, the user might be too thrilled to pay | | | | location. Above all, employees will know when it is |
| those overage fees an extended disaster | | | | time to report to work. Therefore, when building |
| recovery process might bring. | | | | the Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity plan |
| Updating a web site may be effective and | | | | keeping the conversation between you and your |
| relatively easy when it comes to disseminating | | | | stakeholders open will certainly go a long way |
| plenty of information to a lot of people very | | | | towards everyone returning to normalcy as soon |
| quickly, once posted. However, the issue of | | | | as possible. |