Pundits applaud Facebook’s most useful and significant feature, months after several testings made it come out as a winner.
Facebook, Inc. (NASDAQ:FB) has announced the deployment of its “Safety Check” application, in the wake of the Nepal earthquake that has left thousands dead (and still counting) and leaving many injured, destroying historical buildings and infrastructure in the process, making it difficult for aid workers to access the affected area.
Urgent attention is the need of many loved ones still trapped, especially foreigners who use Nepal as a passageway to reach the highest summit of Mount Everest. Facebook’s safety feature allows a user to convey the message in their Facebook newsfeed to inform their loved ones that they are safe from any natural disaster that has occurred within their surroundings. The CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, rightly points out, “It is moments like this that being able to connect really matters.”
Many pundits have heaped praise on the social media giant’s initiative as the most useful and significant to date. The mechanism of the feature works in a unique manner. Based on the security feature, users within the vicinity or around the neighborhood of the disaster will receive a notification whether they are safe or not. Facebook will then pinpoint their location and verify the information based on the user’s residential address, recent visits, and recent use of the Internet. Then two options will be introduced; one “I’m safe” or “I’m not in the affected area”. When one of the answers is selected, that answer will show on the News Feed.
Likewise, if someone wants to be sure of their friend’s safety, then they can check the status on a designated Safety Check Page, by pointing out the number of friends in the affected area.
The question remains that what actually prompted, if not inspired, the company to come up with this feature, since there is an element of social dimension to this. The social media giant came up with this unique and novel feature after the Japanese Tsunami in 2011. The idea among many strategists is that people used to keep in touch with their loved ones through social media and technology, giving latest news and status about the well-being of affected families or those indirectly affected by it.
In March this year, the company put its Safety Check to test once again after Cyclone Pam stormed the Southern Pacific, and the results were astounding. It reported that over a quarter of a million people used the service to search about the safety of their loved ones. Thus, it is hoped that this feature will provide a peace of mind to many victims and people who are affected by the disaster, one way or the other, to let them be known if they are safe or not.
Facebook’s stock price ended the day at $81.86, a gain of 0.01%.
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