With social media connecting people around the world and enabling them to communicate with one another in real-time, it only makes sense that the major social media platforms find ways to collaborate with emergency management organizations and facilitate the dissemination of important updates in different types of crises. Over the years, they’ve each developed some form of emergency management tool. For example:
- Facebook has Safety Check, an Emergency “Check-In” Tool.
- Twitter has its own Emergency Alert System.
- Google has a Crisis Response Resource to help find missing people in the wake of natural disasters.
And now Facebook has added a new collaboration to their list.
Yesterday, Facebook introduced AMBER Alerts on Facebook. This is a partnership between Facebook and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and it will go a long way in helping expand the reach of an AMBER alert when a child goes missing.
Last year, when four young adults learned through Facebook that a newborn child had been kidnapped from a local hospital, they went on a mission to find her – and they did so successfully in a mere three hours. This is only one story. Apparently, the use of Facebook has helped locate several missing children over the years. So it makes sense – and in my opinion, it’s Facebook’s social responsibility – that Facebook has formed this partnership.
Within their announcement statement, Facebook explained how these alerts will work:
“The new initiative will deliver AMBER Alerts to people’s News Feeds in targeted search areas after a child has been abducted and the National Center has issued an alert.
These alerts, which include photographs and other details about the missing child, are shown on mobile and desktop. People can share the alert with friends and link directly to the National Center’s missing child poster, which always has the most up-to-date information about the case.”
So you don’t need to subscribe or opt-in to receive these alerts, you’ll be geographically targeted. It’s an excellent initiative and, knowing that people will use it, I hope it helps to immensely amplify the number of abducted children who get safely returning to their families. Bravo, Facebook!
Author of Crisis Ready: Building an Invincible Brand in an Uncertain World, Melissa Agnes is a leading authority on crisis preparedness, reputation management, and brand protection. Agnes is a coveted keynote speaker, commentator, and advisor to some of today’s leading organizations faced with the greatest risks. Learn more about Melissa and her work here.
Melissa,
Re: Facebook being socially responsible for issuing targeted alerts about missing children, I couldn’t agree more. We already receive so many targeted commercial messages on the platform that it’s only right + proper + responsible that something like Amber Alert be allowed on the feed.
On another point, this is a fantastic example of a very visible company preemptively preventing a potential PR crisis. Nobody will ever to able to point to Facebook and say, “This could have been prevented…”
Great read, Melissa.
Thanks,
Mickie Kennedy
eReleases
http://www.ereleases.com/hello.html?a=76
I’m not sure if Facebook would have ever been held responsible or accountable for a child not being found (for example), but it certainly is a social responsibility that they’re taking initiative on which is good for their own reputation within the community. Not to mention that it’s an opportunity that people absolutely will take advantage of in these moments, which is very positive and will hopefully contribute to more missing children being found.
Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts, Mickie!