Christine Walker presented an analysis of social media commentary during the 2011 Victorian floods in Australia. Over 12,000 social media comments related to the floods were analyzed from sources like Twitter, blogs, forums and news sites. The analysis found that social media provided real-time commentary from affected areas and helped spread information and warnings. However, not all information on social media was accurate. The presentation concluded that emergency services need to actively track social media during disasters to help inform their response, while continuing to widely disseminate official messages to the public.

1. Main
Stage,
November
3,
2011
2011 - What a disaster!
Social media analysis of a disaster event
Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research
A
Presenta*on
from
the
Fes*val
of
NewMR
Main
Stage
–
November
3,
2011

2. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
2011
What a disaster!
Social media analysis of a disaster event

3. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
Social Media in the Victorian Floods

4. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
Yasi
Irene
ChristchurchJapan
Yasi

5. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
Brazil
Pakistan Jeddah
Toowomba

6. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
You and me at home, safe, on the couch

7. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)

8. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
Victorian Floods
January & February 2011

9. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
Source: Victorian Police Tweets January

10. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
Horsham

11. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
Melbourne

12. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
Is social media being used?
What is being said?
How do emergency services
need to respond?

13. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
Social media
comments
were
accessed
using Buzz
Numbers
social media
monitoring
Comments
were
cleaned as
relevant
Comment
was
classified on
the basis of
‘intent’
Analysis of
data set
undertaken
To Victorian
Flood locations
and rivers
Via Human
reading

14. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
300,000 + social media comments on floods
12,405 comments related to
the Victorian floods

15. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
15
62
197
722
1959
2490
6975
0 1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000 8000
Video
Forums
Facebook
Blogosphere
News
Twitter
Number
of
comments
Source
of
Comment
Communication
Channel

16. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
16
No.
of
Comments
889
641
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
10/1/11
11/1/11
12/1/11
13/1/11
14/1/11
15/1/11
16/1/11
17/1/11
18/1/11
19/1/11
20/1/11
21/1/11
22/1/11
23/1/11
24/1/11
25/1/11
26/1/11
27/1/11
28/1/11
29/1/11
30/1/11
31/1/11
1/2/11
2/2/11
3/2/11
4/2/11
5/2/11
6/2/11
7/2/11
8/2/11
9/2/11
10/2/11
11/2/11
12/2/11
13/2/11
14/2/11
15/2/11
16/2/11
17/2/11
18/2/11
19/2/11
20/2/11
21/2/11
22/2/11
23/2/11
24/2/11
25/2/11
26/2/11
27/2/11
28/2/11
1/3/11
2/3/11
3/3/11
4/3/11
Number
of
Comments
Per
Day
895
654

17. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
146
895
654
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
0
200
400
600
800
1000
10/1/11
11/1/11
12/1/11
13/1/11
14/1/11
15/1/11
16/1/11
17/1/11
18/1/11
19/1/11
20/1/11
21/1/11
22/1/11
23/1/11
24/1/11
25/1/11
26/1/11
27/1/11
28/1/11
29/1/11
30/1/11
31/1/11
1/2/11
2/2/11
3/2/11
4/2/11
5/2/11
6/2/11
7/2/11
8/2/11
9/2/11
10/2/11
11/2/11
12/2/11
13/2/11
14/2/11
15/2/11
16/2/11
17/2/11
18/2/11
19/2/11
20/2/11
21/2/11
22/2/11
23/2/11
24/2/11
25/2/11
26/2/11
27/2/11
28/2/11
1/3/11
2/3/11
3/3/11
4/3/11
Comments
per
Day
Compared
to
Number
of
SES
Releases
(All
Sources)
SES
Releases Total

18. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
18
68
170
177
539
591
930
1016
1541
1837
1983
3553
Official
Posts
Social
Media
Indirect
Commentary
People
in
the
floods
Message
Spreaders
-­‐ Information
Message
Spreaders
-­‐ Warnings
Recovery/Post-­‐flood
issues
Spectators/Commentary
Message
Spreaders
-­‐ News
Message
Spreaders
-­‐ Relief/donations
News
Volume
and
Type
of
Comment
No.
of
Comments

19. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
19
0%
17%
1%
14%
2%
25%
13%
9%
19%
1%
3%
5%
7%
9%
11%
15%
17%
30%
Official
Posts
People
in
the
flood
M.S.
Info
M.S.
Warnings
Post-­‐flood
issues
Spectators/Commentary
M.S.
News
M.S.
Relief
News
Type
of
Comment
by
Flood
Area
Vic
Floods Melb
Floods
M.S.
–
Message
Spreaders
No.
of
comments

20. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
20
192
0
50
100
150
200
250
13/01/2011
14/01/2011
15/01/2011
16/01/2011
19/01/2011
20/01/2011
21/01/2011
22/01/2011
23/01/2011
24/01/2011
25/01/2011
26/01/2011
27/01/2011
28/01/2011
29/01/2011
30/01/2011
31/01/2011
1/02/2011
2/02/2011
3/02/2011
4/02/2011
5/02/2011
6/02/2011
7/02/2011
8/02/2011
9/02/2011
10/02/2011
11/02/2011
12/02/2011
14/02/2011
15/02/2011
16/02/2011
17/02/2011
18/02/2011
20/02/2011
21/02/2011
22/02/2011
23/02/2011
24/02/2011
25/02/2011
26/02/2011
27/02/2011
28/02/2011
1/03/2011
2/03/2011
3/03/2011
Comment
from
People
in
Flood
Situations

21. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
21
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
10/01/2011
11/01/2011
12/01/2011
13/01/2011
14/01/2011
15/01/2011
16/01/2011
17/01/2011
18/01/2011
19/01/2011
20/01/2011
21/01/2011
22/01/2011
23/01/2011
24/01/2011
25/01/2011
26/01/2011
27/01/2011
28/01/2011
29/01/2011
30/01/2011
31/01/2011
1/02/2011
2/02/2011
3/02/2011
4/02/2011
5/02/2011
6/02/2011
7/02/2011
8/02/2011
9/02/2011
10/02/2011
11/02/2011
12/02/2011
13/02/2011
14/02/2011
15/02/2011
16/02/2011
17/02/2011
18/02/2011
19/02/2011
20/02/2011
21/02/2011
22/02/2011
23/02/2011
24/02/2011
25/02/2011
26/02/2011
27/02/2011
28/02/2011
1/03/2011
2/03/2011
3/03/2011
4/03/2011
Mentions
of
Locations
by
Date
Swan
Hill Kerang Horsham
Charlton Dimboola Ballarat
Warracknabeal Rochester Melbourne

22. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
22
• The disaster communications model has been
‘one to many’ via the press
• Now ‘one to one’ also occurs
– In some cases ahead of services
– Will have implications for message accuracy
– Citizen reports could inform emergency services, but
what is accurate
• Message out still absolutely key and one to many
will continue
• But will expand to include publishing direct to
social media (as in Yasi)

23. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
23
• Good will is evident in the commentary
• No calls for help
• Every crisis will take a different shape in social
media
• Need to set up tracking in advance of events
• This analysis being used as a guideline for social
media practices for government disaster agencies
and more broadly
GOOGLE: “OESC social media” for the full paper

24. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)

25. Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research, Australia
Festival of NewMR 2011 - Session 2 Schedule: 03:30-05:30 (GMT)
Q & A
Christine Walker
Alliance Strategic Research
Sue York
NewMR

26. Main
Stage,
November
3,
2011
2011 - What a disaster!
Social media analysis of a disaster event
Christine Walker, Alliance Strategic Research
A
Presenta*on
from
the
Fes*val
of
NewMR
Main
Stage
–
November
3,
2011