Twitter for Emergencies

Twitter is a "microblog" technology, with its own unique and developing syntax, where users can post updates in 140 characters or less, and have a running feed of everyone they want to keep an eye on.  We are seeing some interesting implementations of Twitter as it relates to emergency management and response.   Just a couple of many examples:

Red Cross Uses Social Media Tools to Spread the Word, Deliver Aid and Raise Money for California Fires - Kami Huyse, Communication Overtones

The Red Cross has set up a Twitter channel to send out minute-to-minute updates on this and other disasters, including statistics and directions. If you are unable to get Internet access, the Red Cross has a Safe and Well Twitter account set up to help people check into the Safe and Well Website with a cell phone. If you have set up a Twitter account, follow these directions, text 40404 and in the body add D safeandwell FIRSTNAME LASTNAME #### STREET CITY STATE ZIP CELLPHONE' and a brief note about how you are.

Hashtags are a Twitter-specific, and relatively primitive, way to tag concepts of interest, like #obama or #sandiegofires.  It is an incompletely integrated convention that is still getting, well, hashed out...

Hashtags become even more useful in a time of crisis or emergency as groups can rally around a common term to facilitate tracking, as demonstrated today with the San Diego fires (in fact, it was similar situations around Bay Area earthquakes that lead me to propose hashtags in the first place, as I’d seen people Twittering about earthquakes and felt that we needed a better way to coordinate via Twitter). - FactoryJoe