New safety check-in feature on Facebook
With over 1.32 billion Facebook users worldwide, people stay connected with their family and friends by posting a status about their day and sharing pictures of the places they travel. Recently, Facebook launched a new feature for users to keep their family and friends updated on their safety during natural disasters.
Safety Check allows Facebook users to let their family and friends know if they are safe if they are in a location when a natural disaster occurs. This feature was driven by the Japanese earthquake in 2011 that affected nearly 12.5 million people.
The person will receive an alert notification if they are in an affected area. The feature identifies a person by the location they have listed on their profile. The feature also can detect the last check-in location if they have signed up for the “Nearby Friends” feature within Facebook and also can locate them from the last place they logged into the social site from.
If the location is not accurate for the current situation, a user can update it in real-time that they are not in the affected area.
The feature asks if the user is safe, and when they choose the “I’m Safe” option, a post is then created and sent via the newsfeed to alert that user’s friends and family. They can also add friends that are with them as well to the safe list, for example in the times they are unable to access their Facebook or may not have an account with the social site.
Facebook leaders said in a statement that this feature is a great way for people to communicate with their loved ones if they are in an unsafe environment.
“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,” the statement explained.
This new feature allows users to actively stay updated on their friends and family’s safety. The feature is available globally on iOS, Androids, desktops and other phones.
Learn more about the feature, here.
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health enews staff is a group of experienced writers from our Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care sites, which also includes freelance or intern writers.
check on this
This sounds like a nice feature, but you’d better hope you’re able to get a cell signal.
This is a really cool feature!