Twitter and Australian Red Cross band together to launch emergency search prompt

Image: Screenshot/Twitter Twitter Australia has announced a joint effort with the Australian Red Cross to introduce a natural disaster and emergency search prompt. The feature will direct anyone in Australia who searches for certain keywords on Twitter, such as bushfire, flooding, and cyclone, to Australian Red Cross resources and the organisation’s official Twitter account for updated information. “Staying up-to-date about emergencies is critical, whether that’s tuning into local radio or seeking updates on Twitter. In a flood, fire or cyclone, when you search on Twitter, you can now more easily find Red Cross updates to check your relatives are safe, or tips on getting prepared for example,” Australian Red Cross head of emergency services Andrew Coghlan said. Twitter also took the opportunity to advise users to find updates about a crisis in real time on Twitter by following other trusted sources such as @ABCemergency, @BOM_au, and local fire services, as well as using local hashtags like #QLDFloods or #NSWFires that the company said are often used to “coordinate and streamline conversation”. “To ensure these hashtags remain useful, refrain from using them for unrelated topics,” Twitter said. During Australia’s Black Summer last year, Twitter bots and trolls used the social media…
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