Your Digital Reputation

51. Robert Hoge, Qld Health | Can social media save lives?

Your Digital Reputation

Published: 4 March 2025 at 12:59 Europe/London

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Episode notes

Season six of the Your Digital Reputation podcast launches with an amazing and powerful story. And a slightly new direction - hearing from guests about how they get social media right in the moments that matter most.

Robert Hoge - author, strategic communicator, and the former Head of Communications at the Queensland Government's Department of Health - has one of those stories.

In February 2020, Robert's role became one of the "toughest" communication gigs in the country, as he led his team through almost two years of critical community engagement to not only share vital information with audiences, cut through disruptive noise and misinformation and - ultimately - save lives.

This episode explores the many challenges Robert and his team faced during the COVID-19 pandemic - including a public run in with Facebook, responding to 60,000+ inbound queries every month, and taking his daughter to dental surgery... - that show just how powerful social media can be in the moments that matter most.

Tune in to hear his fascinating account, how trust sat at the core of everything he and his team did, and to learn what to do when you face a challenge whose scale is beyond anything you could possibly plan for.

TIMESTAMPS:

00:01:25 - Social media and community engagement during COVID-19.

00:08:00 - How natural disasters saved Queensland.

00:12:40 - What to do when Facebook removes your page...

00:17:46 - Vaccine misinformation and public trust.

00:22:17 - Chatbot saves the day in the face of 60,000+ queries.

00:24:48 - The importance of trust.

00:30:51 - Social media saves lives.

Full podcast details here: https://www.propelgroup.com.au/your-digital-reputation-podcast

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