The Evolution of Social Media

When I created a Facebook account nearly 5 years ago it was only open to the US college network and primarily used for social purposes. In 2006 it became open to the public and, as time went on, became a way for organizations to promote their efforts and passively engage the public.

Facebook is now available in 40 languages with more than 60 others in development. Most recently, the site was launched in Arabic. While the English version has already gained popularity in the Arab world it is predicted that the ability to use it in Arabic is likely to increase its appeal. This is a monumental gain for the world's 250 million Arabic speakers as Arabic websites only make up 5% of global web content.

This new development, however, did not come without challenges. The Arabic language is not only written from right to left but is influenced by gender. To combat these issues Facebook developers had to be meticulous about web page design. They also built a mechanism to detect the gender of the user and select the appropriate translation.

As social media evolves it is pertinent to capitalize on the benefits it can provide to the world of emergency management. With users connecting all over the world it is possible to share up-to-date information with a broad base of people and organizations.