I woke up at 9:30 am EST today, and like every Saturday, I turned on my computer and checked my Facebook wall, which was scattered with status updates from friends in Hawaii who had posted about a Tsunami warning. I was instantly concerned. As all of Hawaii was still asleep (it was 4 am there), I was in New York trying to figure out how serious the situation is back home.
Until today, when I needed to know what was going on halfway around the world in real-time, I did not understand how useful Twitter, Facebook or online streaming video can be. I have been watching
streaming live video of Hawaii's shorelines on CNN,
reading tweets from total strangers in Hawaii about the progression of the Tsunami and viewing
mobile uploads of crazy gas station lines in Hawaii. It is interesting to see how a sudden, urgent event plays out online: UFC champion BJ Penn has been video blogging his preparation for the disaster on his site
BJPenn.com and Hawaii's newspaper
The Honolulu Advertiser (
@HonAdv) needed some help learning how to tweet.
Social media is surely changing the way we get news, and obviously, media channels are learning to adapt; however, the easiest and quickest way to find out what's going on is a phone call, and after talking to my family, I know that they will be okay and I have nothing to be concerned. Stay safe Hawaii!
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