The Socially Responsible Role of Social Media in Crisis Management

*With more than 200 million active users of Twitter and over 1 billion Facebook users, the news cycle today is instantaneous," noted emergency specialist Anthony Mangeri. "With that in mind, emergency managers, both in the public and private sector, must build systems to monitor social media as well as have policies in place to successfully react to information provided via those sources.*

Hurricane Sandy, which struck the U.S.' Eastern seaboard last October, exemplified the use of social networks in disaster communications. Millions of residents were affected. For many, real-time information was provided through independent, citizen-generated Facebook pages like Jersey Shore Hurricane News and Twitter.

"Harnessing the power of Facebook and Twitter, Jersey Shore Hurricane News was able to keep people informed in real-time -- as events were unfolding," Justin Auciello, who started Jersey Shore Hurricane News, told TechNewsWorld shortly afterward. His bulletin-board page had received 191,000 Likes at the time.

TechNewsWorld featured some of the 21st century citizen-created news sources like those JSHN utilized during Sandy in "When the Lights Go Out, Social Nets Can Be More Than Friends."

A woman trapped on the roof of her car awaits rescue during the Toowoomba flash flood in Queensland, Australia.