To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. BRUNO LE SOURD/IMAGES.COM MASS NOTIFICATION Social Networks to the Rescue By M I C K E Y M c C A R T E R WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT SOPHIA LIU, A DOCTORAL STUDENT AT THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO AT BOULDER, WAS EVACUATED FROM HER HOME DUE TO A WILDFIRE IN BOULDER ON JAN. 7. BUT LIU WASN’T AN ORDINARY EVACUEE. AS A STUDENT, SHE STUDIED TECHNOLOGY AND MEDIA, RESEARCHING CRISIS INFORMATICS, WHICH INVOLVES EXAMINING COMMUNICATIONS FOR DISASTER PREPARATION, RESPONSE AND RECOVERY INFORMATION. Liu used her skills in communicating via social media—or information published through accessible and scalable Internet or mobile communications technologies—to update other victims of the wildfire with relevant information. US federal officials, realizing the power of social media communications,have been trying to engage individuals like Liu to spread news during disasters, in addition to providing information through its own social media feeds. “Since I’m quite familiar with how people use social media sites like Twitter during a major crisis situation, I decided to put my knowledge of these emerging behaviors into practice when the Boulder fire occurred,” Liu told Homeland Security Today. “I suddenly became a participant in my own research and began to experience what it was like to be evacuated from my home and potentially have all my possessions burned.” Liu used Twitter to provide updates using sources ranging from Boulder County’s online official press releases,to general media news stories,to word-of-mouth updates from her social network of friends. Liu created a tag on Twitter that allowed people to follow her updates quickly and easily as she “tweeted” new information. “My motivation for tweeting this information was to help collate information about the Boulder fire and share it through Twitter. I began feeling the frustration of finding just little bits of information about the Boulder fire online and wanted to have it all in one place,” she recalled. TOOLS INITIALLY DESIGNED FOR MAKING FRIENDS IN CYBERSPACE ARE TRANSFORMING EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT IN NEW AND UNEXPECTED WAYS. 43 Register online today for exclusive online content and eNewsletters Homeland Security Today Magazine | June 2009