Facebook’s ‘Safety Check’ broadcasts your safety status during calamities

by Ardelle Costuna

(facebook.com/safetycheck4ep)

 

Who can forget when Typhoon Ondoy rammed through Metro Manila and turned Marikina into waterworld?

That was also the year when Facebook put Friendster, Multiply, and MySpace into the backseat and became the country’s most widely used social networking site.

These two significant events demonstrated the power of social media during disasters: people shared photos of their flooded homes and calls for help easily reached the authorities.

Social media has proven again and again that it’s an excellent emergency tool. That’s why Facebook recently launched Safety Check, a feature that lets friends who live within your area know if you’re safe after an earthquake or a typhoon.

 

The tool determines your current location. If you are in the affected area, Facebook sends a notification asking if you’re safe.

 

After you choose a response, Facebook will publish a post on your behalf, telling your Facebook friends that you are not affected by the disaster. Your friends can also do the same for you.

You can also mark off the safety status of friends who are in the same location. It’s similar to checking in a restaurant via Swarm or Foursquare, except under grimmer circumstances.