How to Tweet about crisis & emergencies? 4 questions I ask myself

Someone asked me if its OK to tweet/post social updates about situations like the Air Asia incident and if yes, what’s the right tone, frequency etc? I’m not sure if there’s a single perfect answer here. One thing I do know is there are some considerations one needs to keep in mind. I can share how I approach this and the questions I always ask myself when Tweeting during sensitive situations.Hope this helps

1. CAN MY UPDATES HELP IN ANY WAY?

The first thing I think of is how can I help in the situation? Social Media empowers all of us to transcend the restrictions of geography and participate in causes close to us. There are several ways we can help - mobilize resources, arrange funds, rally your friends and followers for the cause. Once I start asking this question to myself I'm always surprised with the number of ways I'm able to contribute and my tweets and updates naturally follow.

2. CAN I BE A CONDUIT FOR GENUINE INFORMATION?

Each one of us is a virtual newsroom through social media tools and can use this power to spread useful facts and information. Tweet or post helpline numbers, help cut out the noise from the signal by pointing people to genuine accounts providing authentic information. Use your social media influence to generate and spread quality content.

3. AM I ADDING HOPE OR DESPAIR?

Heartbreaking as most of these situations are, its just so important to stay positive and hopeful. One question I often ask myself before posting any update during emergencies or even otherwise - is this adding hope & positivity to the conversation? If I’m not convinced, I would think twice about adding to the chatter.

4. DO I HAVE A CONSTRUCTIVE SUGGESTION ?

Lastly do you have an idea or suggestion that can help prevent or handle such situations better. Social Media allows ideas to be crowd-sourced. The next big idea for rescuing the victims of a cyclone could come from anyone, anywhere.

These four questions pretty much guide my social media approach during such times. Hope they work for you too.