Haiti, Earthquake and Twitter
The tragic earthquake in Haiti has once again highlighted the usefulness of Twitter. In the minutes that followed the earthquake the first voice from Haiti was over the Twitter streams. It its not only Twitter that has stood out the ability to 'tweet', i.e. send messages, using the smartphones such as the IPhone, Blackberry, Nokia and others. What this has done is allowed not only text but images to be tweeted in seconds. The phone has become powerful too.
Useful Twitter Users
Going back to Haiti, there have have been a some twitter users whose updates have proven useful. These accounts I have found helpful in following events in Haiti
A quick search of Haiti turned up users retweeting, i.e. repeating, updates provided by those users and in effect they quickly became the credible sources of what was happening around Haiti.
Twitter 101
Twitter allows users to freely sign up for an account and begin sending messages limited to 140 characters. Users can then follower other users, (twitters) and other persons can follow them. Users can communicated publicly by sending messages to each other using the "@username message" syntax , retweet/repeating messages using the "RT @username message" syntax and where a user is following you send a private direct message by typing "DM username message".
To tag messages the use is made of the hashtag (#), e.g. 'message #tag'.
In a nutshell that is a Twitter 101 and you are on the way.
Interestingly, it was only a year ago on that the United Airlines was forced to land in the Hudson after a bird strike took out the engines. The first place with the news was Twitter. When Micheal Jackson died it was Twitter again. In Jamaica, when the fire at Wray and Nephew broke out it was Twitter again and when the American Airlines crashed after landing Twitter was my first source.
This real-time up-to-minute stream has made reporters of all and Journalists in the media in Jamaica will have to accept this.
Google's Partnership
Google's Partnership with Twitter in providing real-time Twitter search results has only served to increase Twitter's audience
Lessons Learnt
CNN has championed scoial media and used it to full effect in the 2008 USA Presidential Race. Today it appears that everyone of CNN's anchors has a Twitter account, Facebook page or blog.
They have used twitter and the contacts made to good effect. Message to media in Jamaica, ignore twitter and by extension social media to your own peril.
Remember to donate to the credible place like
- American Red Cross
- Salvation Army
- Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA)
CNN has a good list http://cnn.com/impact/
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