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Now you can tell your friends you’re safe via Facebook App

Last year facebook introduced this new app which can used by the people in case of natural calamities they can tell their near and dear
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Last year facebook introduced this new app which can used by the people in case of natural calamities they can tell their near and dear ones that they are safe and sound.  Today there is aneed of this app at the Nepal Earthquake tragedy. This new app called “Safety Check”, was the brainchild of Facebook’s Japanese engineers, who noticed a surge of communication across the social network after the 2011 tsunami battered coastal communities. The new app streamlines that process by taking note of the user’s home city and reaching out in the event of a natural disaster in the area with the text message, “Are you Okay?” A “yes” will be instantly communicated out to loved ones via their Facebook News Feeds.

In times of disaster or crisis, people turn to Facebook to check on loved ones and get updates. It is in these moments that communication is most critical both for people in the affected areas and for their friends and families anxious for news. We want to provide a helpful tool that people can use when major disasters strike, so we’ve created Safety Check – a simple and easy way to say you’re safe and check on others.

Screenshot of the Facebook Home page of a user in the affected area.
Screenshot of the Facebook Home page of a user in the affected area.

During a major disaster, Safety Check will help you

  • Let friends and family know you’re safe
  • Check on others in the affected area
  • Mark your friends as safe

(Note – Only your friends will see your safety status and the comments you share.)

After the Tsunami in year 2011, the Facebook engineers in Japan took the first step toward creating a product to improve the experience of reconnecting after a disaster. They built the Disaster Message Board to make it easier to communicate with others. They launched a test of the tool a year later and the response was overwhelming. Unfortunately, these kinds of disasters happen all too frequently. Each time, we see people; relief organizations and first responders turn to Facebook in the aftermath of a major natural disaster.

Screenshot of the Facebook APP msg. screen on iphone
Screenshot of the Facebook APP msg. screen on iphone

Here’s how it works:

When the tool is activated after a natural disaster and if you’re in the affected area, you’ll receive a Facebook notification asking if you’re safe. The Facebook will determine your location by looking at the city you have listed in your profile, your last location if you’ve opted in to the Nearby Friends product, and the city where you are using the internet. If facebook get your location wrong, you can mark that you’re outside the affected area. If you’re safe, you can select “I’m Safe” and a notification and News Feed story will be generated with your update. Your friends can also mark you as safe.

Apart from the auto tracking Facebook’s Safety Check also allows you to manually update your location if you’re in the affected areas. With Safety Check you can check upon your friends and also mark the ones you’re sure about as safe.

Here is the video guiding you how to use this app

[su_vimeo url=”https://vimeo.com/108971365″]

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