Guest blogger Anne McAuley of McAuley Freelance Writing is a Stratford, CT native now living in Arizona. We asked for her perspective on social media and the news and here is what she had to say.
I was recently asked if the weather in Arizona is an intense as the weather in Connecticut and I had to take pause. My initial response was that the weather is intense in each place in different ways. Arizona is intense in the summer whereas the weather in Connecticut can be more intense in the winter.
Of course my dad always told me that if I didn’t like the weather in Connecticut, I only had to wait a minute. In Arizona, summer dust and wind storms can happen quickly and it is important to know when to be off the road.
Find out what's happening in Stratfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Emergency alerts and social media help us share news and information with each other, keeping us safe in Connecticut, Arizona or places in between.
Having lived in Arizona for nearly 16 years, I follow the Connecticut news via social media. When Superstorm Sandy hit last year, I followed my friends on Facebook and the news on Twitter, sharing what I thought was relevant to those in the area. I was doing this from my living room in Arizona.
Find out what's happening in Stratfordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Pretty amazing to think about the power of our words and social media interactions and how what we share impacts others.
Newark Mayor @CoryBooker was sharing his location, location of food and other needed supplies via his Twitter feed. He even opened his home to people in the area in need of shelter and food. We can relay inaccurate information or we can relay information that can potentially save people’s lives.
The tagline for my business is Words Matter and I think in times of crisis this is especially true.
I receive emergency notifications on my cell phone for important weather and other local news. The latest were warnings about the summer dust storms and an Amber Alert. We stayed off the roads on one particularly windy, stormy night because of the alert we had received. The child in the Amber Alert was located and her kidnapper was arrested. These are the kinds of things that make social media and similar technologies valuable to our communities.
Connecticut Weather Center does a great job of keeping people informed of the weather in their local area. Their goal is to keep Connecticut residents safe especially in times of intense weather. They use social media to reach their audience and share local weather-related news. It’s a great combination of science, news and social media.
As I prepare for a trip back east this fall, I am keeping an eye on the Connecticut Weather Center reports and am looking forward to leaving the intense heat of Arizona if only for a few days. You can find me on Twitter @freemcauley or on my website www.annemcauley.com.
