Tech Stream

Twitter and the bushfire crisis

27 February 2009

Listen and download: MP3

Everyone is talking about the online social networking application Twitter. Almost every podcast I subscribe to has mentioned it in the last two weeks. Almost every RSS feed I get or blog I visit has a story about it, sometimes a new one each day. I’ve been stopped on the stairs at work by a colleague and asked “what’s all this stuff about twitter!?” So, to me, it feels like Twitter’s time is now.

The Twitter tipping-point for people in India may have been the Mumbai attacks, and in the US it may have been the plane crash landing in the Hudson. For Australians I think we’ll look back at the devastating bushfires that ravaged communities in regional Victoria in February and know that this was the point at which we understood the value of powerful but simple communication tools of online social networks like Twitter.

CFA firefighters at the Bunyip Fire east of Melbourne. Photo taken on 11 February 2009 and posted to ABC Contribute by Mr Bettong

Ongoing coverage on ABC online has allowed people around Australia and the world to stay in touch with the events as they unfolded. But another way people in the communities affected and those elsewhere have stayed up to date and passed on information is through Twitter. Even this week, as fires again threatened homes in Victoria, the Twitter universe was buzzing with updates from 774 Melbourne, the ABC’s local radio station in the city. I spoke with Simon Brown, the station’s online editor, about how they have used their Twitter feed and the response from the community.

People across Australia and the world have donated their time, resources and money to help those affected by these bushfires. if you are interested in donating money you can do so through the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal.