Twitter has launched ‘Twitter Alerts’, an international feature that informs users of emergencies and natural disasters in real-time.
Especially useful when other forms of communications aren’t available, Twitter Alerts will be sent directly to phones as SMS, or as push notifications on mobile devices for users that are on Twitter on iPhone or Android.
The alerts would be marked with “and orange bell” to make them stand out from regular tweets.
Twitter Alerts are intended for: warnings of imminent dangers; preventive instructions; evacuation directions; urgent safety alerts; information on access to essential resources; information on critical transit and utility outages; crowd and misinformation management.
Currently, some organizations across US, Japan and Korea have been authorized to send alerts—the feature will soon expand to public institutions and NGOs.
Twitter users can activate alerts from organizations they choose, by going to the account of the organization.
[via Twitter Blogs]