Twitter Alerts come to the UK as an official emergency notification system - Dr Panos Panagiotopoulos, Lecturer in Management at Queen Mary University

Twitter’s recent launch of Twitter Alerts to users in the UK and Ireland was covered widely in the mainstream media (see here and here). The system allows users to receive information from trustworthy organisations “during emergencies, natural disasters or moments when other communications services aren’t accessible” (this is how it works). Twitter Alerts also come with a warning that that they do not replace other channels of distributing critical emergency information. In the UK, organisations providing alerts through Twitter includes police forces, ambulance services, the Environment Agency, the Mayor of London and the British Red Cross (the full list is here).

Social media can contribute to government responsiveness not only by increasing the speed and volume of interactions with the public - Dr Panos Panagiotopoulos, Lecturer in Management at Queen Mary University

National and local governments are using social media innovatively to become more responsive to their public. Panos Panagiotopoulos argues that government agencies should think about their use of social media as a way to become more responsive and to educate and influence and should focus less on measuring the speed and volume of interactions. Government agencies should use social media to listen and engage proactively with specific audiences. The UK Food Standards Agency’s digital engagement activities show how this approach can be put into practice.