The #bpboy hashtag came to my attention on July 12, at about 2:00 PM. I noticed that about 350 tweets had already been created with the #bpboy hashtag so I created a Twitter archive for all future tweets that would use the #bpboy hashtag. In less than twelve hours there were thousands of tweets. You can view the archive here and some interesting stats here.
I think there are a number of lessons to take away from this story:
1) The power of Twitter within the Jewish community. It is clear that many Jews are using Twitter as a communication tool. Even ultra-Orthodox Jews in Boro Park.
2) It is possible to create a real sense of community on Twitter. There were so many tweets from concerned people who wanted to help or express themselves it was just amazing to see.
The question them becomes, could Twitter have been an even more powerful tool within this community? For example, it took about 9 hours from when the boy went missing until a hashtag was created and another 12-14 for the hashtag to take off. Put another way, it took almost 24 hours for this Twitter community to be created and for them to find each other. Looking to the future, could Twitter be used in such a way that it might prevent another tragedy?
I think it can. For starters, Twitter could have been used to alert people much earlier that the boy was missing. Time was crucial here. By the time authorities were notified, the kidnapping had already taken place. In general, the sooner the right information gets out, the better the chances of recovery. Imagine if as soon as the boy was reported missing every cell phone within the community received an urgent bulletin with a picture of the boy attached explaining to look out for him? The speed in which a large group of people could be reached would be of tremendous value.
Second, Twitter could also be used to guide the rescue efforts more efficiently by tweeting where help is needed or what resources are lacking. Some of this was done, but to best of my knowledge there was no communication with the community at large to check Twitter if they can. For example, Hatzolah and Shomrim both tweeted during the event but to the best of my knowledge no announcement was made that their tweets could be followed on Twitter. How were people to know? If these organizations would have relayed that information, people might have been out in the field instead of trying to figure out if and where their help was needed. It would have relieved stress from overburdened command centers.
Third, a lot of rumors or misinformation could have been posted on Twitter as well. If people would know to follow certain people or lists, the spread of misinformation could be prevented. Imagine if somebody would have tweeted a rumor the boy was found and everyone could go home. It could have been a disaster. Having clear and reliable information made available could go a long way towards preventing rumor mongering.
The bottom line is, Twitter can be an effective communication tool particularly in times of emergency, we need to tweak it to perfection!
I am particularity interested in using Twitter as a platform for communication within the Jewish community as such I have created a mock website to explain my vision. If you could leave some feedback about this article or the website which is called TweetingJews.com I would love to hear from you! (Please realize at this point the website is only projecting a very general idea.)
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