Today’s entry is brought to us by our guest blogger, Jeff Last.

Why is a meteorologist contributing to a social media marketing site’s blog?  I don’t have a book or a super-absorbent shammy cloth to sell.  I’m not a star (although my wife and son gave me the nickname “Hollywood Jeff” years ago, but that’s for another blog).

How can weather be part of today’s social media?

Weather affects our lives.  Severe weather is a leading cause of damage to personal property.  The U.S. has sustained 90 weather related disasters in the last 30 years with overall damages exceeding $1 billion per event!  Extreme weather results in thousands of deaths and injuries annually.

Reducing the affect of weather on individuals and property requires knowledge and preparation.  Agencies, like the NOAA National Weather Service (NWS), rely on fast and efficient dissemination of information to alert the public of trouble and tell them what to do if they are in danger.  As a matter-of-fact, dissemination of this information is as important as the information itself.  An advance warning of a tornado is useless if no one hears it.

Therein lies the point of this missive.

Many decades ago, weather forecasts and warnings of severe weather were “broadcast” to the public in only a couple of forms (the newspaper probably the most popular).  It wasn’t until 1921 when the University of Wisconsin made the first successful use of radio to broadcast weather forecasts and advisories.

Fast forward to today.

A growing segment of the population is leaving traditional media to get their weather information elsewhere.

This next generation of weather consumer must be reached.

So, what did I do?  I started office Twitter and Facebook fan pages to dip my toes into the sea of social media.  These sites have gained followers and fans in the two months they’ve been around with no official promotion or advertising.  The information posted to these pages is what can be found on our website or on NOAA Weather Radio (the “voice” of the NWS), but social network sites allow for contact with a different market, typically younger adults and professionals that look well beyond traditional media for information.  In addition, as social media promotes a dialogue, our consumers have another way to interact with us.

Social media allows me to promote weather safety and disseminate weather information to a segment of the population who may not have been listening before.  And best of all, I can brag about the wonderful weather in northeast Wisconsin to all of my friends in southern California.

Jeff Last is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the NOAA National Weather Service in Green Bay, WI.  Jeff has been in the weather business for over 20 years, but only recently became addicted to social media thanks to a certain EVP of an L.A.-based social media marketing company.  Please follow him on Twitter @jefflast because his weather alter-ego twitter page (@nwsgrb) has more followers than he does.