Twitter Provided Early Quake Reports

Twitter is increasingly being used to get the jump on mainstream media and to circumvent jammed cell phone networks using it's short, 140 character text messages.  My concern is that Twitter needs to show better scalability, with many frequent outages over the last few months, in order to be relied on as a disaster communications platform.  Regardless, Twitter has been adopted not just by the technologically literate, but media, NGO's and agencies such as the Red Cross, LAPD and KPBS San Diego.  Emergency professionals at the federal level have taken notice and keep an eye on this type of new technology usage.

In one instance Tuesday, a woman finishing a medical exam used her cell phone to tap out a message on Twitter about her experiences during the LA quake, CNET reported.  Wireless phone providers suggest text messages can often avoid delays caused by a crush of traffic from thousands of cell phone users attempting to make calls during emergencies.