When a crisis arises, from typhoons to terrorist attacks, people use social media to stay connected, and Twitter is one of the most important methods of finding out what’s going on and what to do. The company recognizes how vital it is to provide a flow of information during crisis, which is why Twitter introduced an “Alerts” service back in September, and has been steadily expanding it ever since. And now, according to a blog post, Twitter further bulked up its mobile emergency alert system.
Twitter added the new emergency features to its mobile app. “Now, on your iOS or Android app, you can go to a participating organization’s profile and easily subscribe to their Alerts as push notifications by tapping on the bell icon. We also added in-app notifications for iOS: when you’re browsing on Twitter you’ll now receive a notification at the bottom of your screen when an alert is sent by an organization whose Alerts you subscribe to,” the blog post explains.
Australia and Brazil also joined the list of countries using Alerts, alongside the U.S., Japan, South Korea, the U.K., and Ireland. Citizens can sign up for a variety of alerts depending on the country. In Korea, for example, people can receive messages from the city of Seoul if an emergency arises:
서울시 재난분야 SNS 대표계정 SeoulLifeline 가 오늘 드뎌 문을 활짝 열었습니다. 앞으로 서울시와 시민의 든든한 안전 지킴이가 되겠습니다. 저를 팔로우해주세요~ 항상 지켜드릴께요!
— 서울라이프라인 (@SeoulLifeline) August 19, 2013
And in the U.S., people have over 50 organizations to choose from, including FEMA and the Red Cross.
