Some #SocMe advice from a former social media emergency manager

Christina Stephens
Aug 28, 2017 · 5 min read

Note: Updated with a few points for Hurricane Irma. But all of this is relevant for every disaster. Be a good social media citizen!

Whenever a major disaster like Hurricane Harvey (updated: or Irma) hits, I pay attention to how social media is being used for better (or sometimes worse) as part of emergency preparations and response. Social media has undoubtedly changed how we communicate before, during and after a major weather event. This is, without a doubt, a postive, live-saving advancement in communication — bringing critical updates to the masses where they are will always be a strong strategy. That these updates are easily shared and received on mobile devices is even better.

I managed social media for Louisiana’s state government response during disasters in the relatively “early” days of doing so —starting with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010. I know what it’s like to get 8,000 Facebook page followers in a few hours, which in 2012 for Hurricane Isaac in Louisiana seemed like a huge deal. But with even more social media users, and especially mobile social media users, sharing information during diasters, it can be hard to cut through the most useful information in the noise of the updates. And when bad information rises to the top, it’s hard to combat.

(As an aside: social media also breeds an unhelpful level of real-time Monday morning quarterbacking. Everyone on Twitter is suddenly an expert on things like evacuating major metropolitan areas and running mass care shelters. This post won’t address that. However: before you post, consider how informed you are about the topic or complaint at hand.)

Below are three things this former Social Media Emergency Manager wishes people would do to help the highest quality news and updates rise to the top during a disaster.


Check the time of the posts you share.

One of my biggest beefs with Facebook during disasters is the seemingly uselessness of its algorithm, which prioritizes popular posts (sometimes) at the expense of timely ones, to share the latest news. This morning (Monday, August 28), at 5 a.m., Facebook was serving me posts from 20 hours ago about Hurricane Harvey’s tracks and impacts from Facebook Pages that actually had newer, better information availible. As both a communicator and a citizen, this is concerning. In disasters, the newest information is always the best information.

On Friday afternoon when I was running errands, I overheard people at a business upset that our Governor had just issued a state of emergency. They were insistent that it had just happened and it meant something had changed for the worst. They were upset that something terrible would happen Friday night in Louisiana.

Only Louisiana’s Governor issued his emergency declaration on Thursday, the day before, following a meeting of his Unified Command and based on the state’s need to take precautions. Facebook had prioritized the news of the emergency declaration on Friday afternoon because the topic had been heavily talked about following the announcement on Thursday.

(Updated: Lest you think Facebook fixed this problem for Hurricane Irma, know that yesterday, Friday, September 8, my Mom was shocked to be served an Irma track from Tuesday, September 5, at the top of her newsfeed.)

Because Facebook’s algorithm judges relevancy based on likes, comments and shares, the breaking news you see in your newsfeed might be many hours (or days) old. So you, like the people discussing that update on Friday, could be viewing older news in current context, which isn’t always helpful.

Look for timestamp info in a post’s text, on a post or embedded in a post’s image.

The National Weather Service puts dates and times on its tracking and forecast images (usually in the bottom left corner) and you can always go to hurricanes.gov for the latest ones. They’re put out every three to four hours during a major weather event. Most meterologists will reference a time and date in their posts as well, because they understand how rapidly changing weather can render a forecast useless. (You can also look for the time an update was posted on the actual Facebook post.)

WHAT YOU CAN DO: In a rapidly changing weather event, you need the latest information to make the best decisions about your safety. So make sure you’re sharing the most recent update availible, or linking to a page that is constantly updated.

Don’t spread bad info from untrusted sources.

There are dozens and dozens and dozens of great sources for disaster information. Established journalists, meteorologists, government agencies, and nonprofit groups. Find your trusted sources and stick with them. Spreading bad information doesn’t help anyone.

If something seems too crazy to be true, it might be. And good Internet Citizens don’t share bad news. So make sure to verify the facts in a crazy viral post. If it involves a national political figure, the post may have already been factchecked by Snopes.com or explained by a media outlet. Beware of your own confirmation bias when reading news. We’re more likely to believe things that confirm our worldview or opinions. For example — that tweet that pops up about how the U.S. doesn’t have a FEMA director because the President didn’t appoint one? That’s not true. The FEMA director was confirmed this summer.

(Updated: Also, “they” aren’t creating a Category Six designation for Hurricane Irma. That’s something that’s been discussed for years, but it is still just in the discussion phase.)

In Twitter, use the circled bell icon to turn on mobile notifications for when someone tweets.

Sharing obviously bad news keeps it active and it makes you look uninformed or like a bad source of information. Remember: in social media land, we vote with our engagement. Before you share or retweet a post during a disaster, consider its truthfulness and its value to the overall conversation.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Verify that news you are sharing comes from an actual news source. One way to always have the best updates from social media is to set key Twitter accounts for mobile notifcations in your Twitter app. The app will let you know when the sources you trust have posted a new update.

Updated: For Hurricane Irma, FEMA has launched a central page to help with rumor control. Check it out.

Don’t needlessly tag people in disaster areas on Facebook.

Early this morning, I waded through many general Facebook posts from well meaning people tagging everyone they knew in Houston, which was a sweet sentiment. However, these well-meaning posts clogged pages when I was looking for new updates from my friends themselves. Comment directly on a person’s own Facebook post or send them a message. Leave their page clear for their updates. (Unless you’re posting an update on their behalf because they do not have the access to do it themselves.)

This seems to be a newer thing in recent years, posting real-time memorials or tributes. And while the intent is kind, the effect can be to flood a possible disaster victim’s Facebook page with sentiment when people need information.

WHAT YOU CAN DO: Comment directly on an update posted by someone riding out bad weather to offer your support. Or just message them directly.


During disasters, we can all play a role in making sure people have the best information availible so that they can make good decisions for themselves and their families.

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Christina Stephens

Written by

Lover of the Louisiana Life | Newbie Freelancer | PR Lady | @BRFoodies tweeter | @BRSocMe Board Member | #GeauxTigers | #WhoDat | Opinions = my own, obvs

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