Thursday 26 February 2015

Will Facebook's Amber Alert Feature Draw In Online Marketing Firms?

By Paula Hess


Amber Alert, for the uninitiated, was designed in 1996 to alert the public of child abduction cases. It has proven itself to be successful, as the name in question has gone on to be linked with Google and Bing. Even though these names has increased the credibility of Amber Alert, the latest bit of news I've come across involves Facebook. Based on this, as well as the benefits of the aforementioned system, it's clear that this will be a story for any and all online marketing firms to focus on.

Facebook will soon be working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, allowing Amber Alerts to be sent through the social media page. Specifically, messages will be tailored to individuals based on the locations given on their profiles. What this means is that messages given to New Yorkers will not be the same as those given to New Jersey residents. In the words of Emily Vacher, who serves as Facebook Security, Trust and Safety Manager, the social media channel will become, "...the world's largest neighborhood watch."

What about the details of these alerts, you may wonder? It's been said that the alerts in question will contain photographs of the children taken or even information about the vehicles detected. To say the least, these points of interest should help to make the recovery of abducted children easier. Of course, one can make the sound argument that the idea of similar information plays a part in this, as everyone will have the same understanding of what a particular case entails.

I am of the opinion that a story like this should grab the attention of online marketing companies across the board. Keep in mind that social networking can be done, as information from Amber Alerts should be distributed across every user's friend list. What this will do is raise awareness, which will allow others to see what they can do in order to help any child abduction case. User engagement is strong, as firms like fishbat will tell you, and this is further evidence of such a claim.

The truth of the matter is that Amber Alerts are serious, which only makes this story involving Facebook that much more information. Child abduction cases garner tremendous amounts of news but there are many readers who ask the question, "What can I do to help?" I believe that it's important to focus on how these alerts are given and, potentially, the ways in which they are shared. Only then will a story such as this prove to have long-term benefits.




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