Anti-Social Media
I heard a frightening story this week. A firefighter did not report for his shift. His fellow firefighters stopped by his apartment, where they found his body. The co-workers called 911, bringing out paramedics and later the fire chief, all devastated by the loss.
Other firefighters who weren’t on scene learned of the death via text message. The texts and cell phone calls quickly spread and eventually, news of the firefighter’s death appeared on Facebook. While en route to notify the firefighter’s estranged wife, the fire chief started receiving instant messages and texts asking about the death.
“We were so afraid his wife would hear it from a text or phone call before we could tell her in person,” the chief told me.
Fortunately, the wife was late getting home and doesn’t answer her cell while driving, so the chief was able to break the news to her in person. He added that a couple hours later, the wife started to compose a list of people to notify —family, friends and military buddies.
“Of the 10 names on that list, five had called because they saw it on Facebook,” he said.
Last month, my family learned of the sudden death of a young friend of my daughters’ via Facebook. The news itself was shocking, but it became quickly obvious that the family and close friends were not prepared for the deluge of phone calls of concern.
While newspapers and television news will hold the name of victims pending notification of family members, smartphones put the grapevine or phone tree on steroids.
There are plusses and minuses with today’s instant news delivery. For instance, departments can mass-deliver tornado warnings or evacuation-route update via texts. But can you imagine what would happen if tragic or incorrect information was sent out?
I’m just finishing the book, The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick, the story of the origins of Facebook and its role in changing how people communicate. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s idea not only connected college students and high-school students, it opened up the world. Adults have found a new way to connect with family, friends and reconnect with people from the past, witnessed by Facebook’s announcement that it had reached 500 million users.
A couple years ago, I cautioned about first responders taking photos and posting them on Web sites, but how do you set rules or etiquette for texting or posts on Facebook, Twitter or whatever comes next?
How do you manage this new breed of social media reporters?
Source Article @ Fire Chief Magazine Blog - Link
Other firefighters who weren’t on scene learned of the death via text message. The texts and cell phone calls quickly spread and eventually, news of the firefighter’s death appeared on Facebook. While en route to notify the firefighter’s estranged wife, the fire chief started receiving instant messages and texts asking about the death.
“We were so afraid his wife would hear it from a text or phone call before we could tell her in person,” the chief told me.
Fortunately, the wife was late getting home and doesn’t answer her cell while driving, so the chief was able to break the news to her in person. He added that a couple hours later, the wife started to compose a list of people to notify —family, friends and military buddies.
“Of the 10 names on that list, five had called because they saw it on Facebook,” he said.
Last month, my family learned of the sudden death of a young friend of my daughters’ via Facebook. The news itself was shocking, but it became quickly obvious that the family and close friends were not prepared for the deluge of phone calls of concern.
While newspapers and television news will hold the name of victims pending notification of family members, smartphones put the grapevine or phone tree on steroids.
There are plusses and minuses with today’s instant news delivery. For instance, departments can mass-deliver tornado warnings or evacuation-route update via texts. But can you imagine what would happen if tragic or incorrect information was sent out?
I’m just finishing the book, The Facebook Effect by David Kirkpatrick, the story of the origins of Facebook and its role in changing how people communicate. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg’s idea not only connected college students and high-school students, it opened up the world. Adults have found a new way to connect with family, friends and reconnect with people from the past, witnessed by Facebook’s announcement that it had reached 500 million users.
A couple years ago, I cautioned about first responders taking photos and posting them on Web sites, but how do you set rules or etiquette for texting or posts on Facebook, Twitter or whatever comes next?
How do you manage this new breed of social media reporters?
Source Article @ Fire Chief Magazine Blog - Link
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