Social Networking, The New Way of Following News.

Over the past week or so, I have stumbled upon the realization that Social Networking may be the only way for people like myself to keep abreast of quickly changing emergencies or events. The future of this remains unclear for me at this time, but read on for my reasoning.

Last Wednesday, the day the Army attacked the Red Shirt stronghold in Bangkok, my need to follow the progress of unfolding happenings, became paramount. The local TV reports were all in Thai, CNN and other cable news were left far behind the live action, and, well, I felt totally isolated. My children looked to their father for answers and affirmation of their safety. sadly, I was not able to give it.

For reasons I cannot remember, I tuned to the internet. Through Google searches, I surmised, there may be a way to keep informed. It took a only few tries, and in no time I had made my way to a Google Map showing the dangerous areas of Bangkok. (http://bit.ly/a8p1XG) A foreign resident of Thailand, Richard Barrow, had been keeping an updated account of events and locations and his map that was there for all to see. From his link on that map, I was prompted to Twitter.

For some time now I had a Twitter account, but found it didn't provide much for me. I much prefer Facebook as a way of communication with friends and family. Anyway, I cranked up Twitter, added several links I thought may be of help, and watched to tweets stream down my computer screen.

You must remember that most, if not all, of the tweets are from people just like you or I. Some of the tweets are unconfirmed pieces of hearsay and you must be wary of these. Surprisingly, it doesn't take long to isolate the chaff from the hay. You learn what are the reliable sources, then adjust who you follow or don't.

Perusing the tweet stream, I was able to gather the information I needed to make informed decisions about what to do, as the crisis increased in it's intensity. Not only did I watch, I became a part of this flow. I tweeted and re-tweeted any observations from around my area.

As time went by, I quickly learned how to better harness this flow. I downloaded and installed various programs to my PC and iPhone. I linked my Twitter and Facebook accounts to allow my family and friends back home to be part of this. My monitoring continued throughout the coming days, until the tide ebbed back to other more pleasant events.

Now the emergency has waned, I have had time to reflect over this and write these words. Did this new flicker of information sources help? Oh yes definitely. Will it continue or even grow into something more that the work of ordianry citizens? I strongly believe so.