Using social media for better emergency response

A recent Red Cross survey, Social Media in Disasters and Emergencies, reports that more people are now use social media tools to report emergencies or call for help, and they expect government response agencies to be actively engaged in using the technology, too.  READ MORE

Opinion:  The technologist's and public's expectations of response times to requests for assistance using social media tools is unrealistic ... "Sixty-nine percent of the adults surveyed said emergency response agencies should regularly monitor their Web sites and social media networks so they can respond promptly to requests for help posted there; 74 percent said they would expect help to arrive within an hour."  The future of social media in disaster response is intriguing but to today expect local emergency response agencies to be monitoring and reacting to social media postings is dangerous.