As the horrible events at the Westgate mall in Nairobi still unfold, I want to highlight the impressive use of social media by Kenyan authorities like the police and ministry of interior. Many can learn from them!
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1. Timely information– information too late is no information.
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We would like to confirm that, the official record of those who died because of the cruel act stands at 62. -
Through our operations this morning, we have killed 2 terrorists and we will be giving you finer details going forward.
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2. Messages to the public– Twitter is an excellent direct channel
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This is a plea, keep off #WestGateMall for your own security. This is a scene of crime and it’s for your own safety. -
The ongoing speculations online are going to jeopardize the efforts to rescue the remaining hostages. Please heed and be calm. Pls RT
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3. Personal professional accounts (here Inspector General of the Kenyan Police)-Creates calm as we see real people are out there doing their best
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Thumbs up to our multi-agency team, we have just managed to rescue some hostages. We’re increasingly gaining advantage of the attackers. IG -
4. Collaboration between agencies– Creates calm as we see agencies work in tandem
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We urge those of us who have posted graphic images to remove them so as to observe solidarity with the affected families~ @InteriorKE
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5. Understanding the basics of Twitter, eg. verification of accounts, hashtags– Creates confidence in the agency
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Thank you @twitter has verified account, so we continue updating and encourage you. As we said: One love!
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We plead with you to keep off #WestGateMall if you aren’t a security agent,volunteer or a member of the media fraternity.WG is a crime scene
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…though there are things to learn, we must keep a critical mind. Also official accounts do best to stick to facts, details and general warnings, and avoid judging the situation as it unfolds.
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The security forces are in control of the entire West Gate building and we are doing what must be done to end this.
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Fire shows Kenya police has lost control of situation, they seem to do their best to cover their failure. Quite hostile to journos #westgate
