Overcoming Barriers to Using Social Media in Public Transportation Summary of Findings from TCRP Synthesis SB-20

摘要

Social media is a group of web-based applications that encourage users to interact with oneanother. Examples include Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. This paper presents findings fromTCRP Synthesis SB-20, Uses of Social Media in Public Transportation, which explores use ofsocial media among transit agencies in the United States and Canada.Many transit agencies have begun to incorporate social media into their marketing andcommunications strategies. Reasons for doing so vary, but goals for using these platforms mayinclude communicating with current riders, reaching out to potential riders, developing strongercommunity connections, and enhancing the agency's branding and messaging. Someorganizations also use social media applications to support customer service and to obtainfeedback from stakeholders on services and programs.Despite these benefits, social networking applications can pose specific challenges fortransit agencies. Organizational considerations may include approaches to content managementand strategies for handling online criticism. Another challenge for transit properties is estimatingthe resource requirements for managing social media, staffing the projects, and managingemployee access. Agencies also face legal and security concerns, including online security,privacy protection, and complying with requirements for transparency and records retention.Finally, the rapidly changing social media landscape requires agencies to keep track of changesin this dynamic environment and to adapt accordinglyThis paper discusses the implications of these barriers for transit agencies and identifiesbest practices from public transit operators and other government agencies.