What would need to happen on the part of aid organizations and traditional media for Twitter and other social media to be effective in emergency and disaster communications?

When a city councilman in Atlanta, Georgia, spotted a woman on the street suffering a seizure, he quickly pulled out his cell phone. It showed low on battery, so instead of dialing 911 and getting stuck on hold, Councilman Hall tapped out a short tweet:

"Need a paramedic on comer of John Wesley Dobbs and Jackson st. Woman on the ground unconscious. Pls Re Tweet"

Several of the councilman's followers immediately saw his text message and dialed 911. Paramedics arrived quickly to take the woman to the hospital.

Twitter, the microblogging service best known for trivial updates on everyday events and brutal political jibes, has a growing role in emergency response. The service empowers people with the ability to gather and disseminate information about emergencies and disasters, and this information can be far timelier than anything government authorities or organizations such as the Red Cross can provide.