One of the coolest things about Twitter is the fact that an initiative like Emergency Alerts will have to try really hard to fail. That’s because you have to get to the point in 140 characters or less. This makes it a great source for breaking news since tweets are worded to report the exact story and (in most cases) back it up with a link giving the entire picture.
The way Twitter functions has helped it build a reputation as the source for the latest headlines. So we weren’t too surprised when the website launched alerts back in September 2013. The feature offers government and other credible organizations a way to notify people about trouble and how to deal with it. This could involve anything from natural disasters to terrorist threats to large scale blackouts.
These alerts were made accessible through desktop as well as mobile and the US, Japan and Korea were initially on the list of participating countries. The nations which have decided to give it a try now include Australia, Brazil, Ireland and the UK too. The project has its roots in the Lifeline venture which was trialled in Japan before it morphed into its current form.
If you’re on Twitter and stumble across an account displaying a bell with a Be Prepared link, then you know it’s part of the notification program. You can follow the link to activate alerts. You will also be given an option to enter your phone number and receive emergency updates via text messages.
For mobile:
The feature was designed so that those using Twitter on their Android or iOS devices could expect push alerts. The process of visiting an organization’s page and subscribing to them has been ironed out. Additionally, folks on iOS will start seeing notifications at the bottom of their display when they’re surfing the social networking and micro-blogging website.
It’ll be interesting to see if the company will be capable of packaging emergency alerts for people who will be accessing its services over USSD. After all, internet-less Twitter makes a valid argument in favor of being able to connect the masses. Or will it choose to miss the point here?