What were you doing on February 22nd?

People in Christchurch, who had just been hit by the horror earthquake immediately began to Tweet and Facebook their urgent pleas for help, to find loved ones, offer their homes for refuge or just let people know that they were safe and well.

Fresh off the Haiti disaster Google created an App called the ‘Person Finder’ a missing persons database specifically for Christchurch, which people could use to spread or search for critical information. This App also supplied immediate satellite map updates of the destruction zone as it happened.

So who would you turn to if your life was torn apart… Social Media?

Its immediacy and convenience is highlighted in emergency cases like this. But its utility for surges of spontaneous and widespread social interaction also waits to be harnessed for brand emergencies… an exclusive event perhaps?
Or even better is for brands to join in and lend a helping hand in times of crisis by tracking any distress calls in social media.

http://gcn.com/articles/2011/02/24/social-media-role-in-new-zealand-rescue-effort.aspx

Thanks

Cassie