back to article #ALERT! There'll be emergencies on Twitter for UK, Ireland

Twitter has brought its emergency alert system to the UK and Ireland after it kicked off in the US, Japan and South Korea in September. The microblogging site has signed up Blighty's coppers, firefighters and other government agencies so they can tweet urgent messages at the country in times of crisis, or at least the small …

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  1. Jerky Jerk face

    tweeting hell! what the tweet will they tweet of next?

    #zzzzzzzzzz

  2. Pen-y-gors

    Geographically focused?

    I'm not a keen twitterer so don't really understand the details. Does twitter know your geographical location? If not, surely it's pretty pointless for folks in Aberdeen to get an alert about a lost cat in godalming or a nerve gas attack in Westminster. If they can't focus then there will rapidly be a 'boy who cried wolf' situation.

    1. 404

      Re: Geographically focused?

      Yep - it's a setting to check or not to check for location.

      I have trust issues so if they really want to know, they can ask the NSA.

      ;)

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: Geographically focused?

        they do that here for lost kids etc. but location is based on administrative regions.

        So the UK equivalent is that a kid goes missing at a motorway services in Berwick, they put up notices on road signs in the Scilly isles but not in Edinburgh.

  3. Pete 2 Silver badge

    An untapped market

    > Getting fast and accurate information to the public ...

    One wonders what (future) advertisements would get linked to these emergency tweets? Medical insurance, fire extinguishers, bomb shelters

  4. jonathanb Silver badge

    My grandmother's sister-in-law made $28tn in 3 nanoseconds by working on the internet #alert scamurl.example/dhj2893

    Also, as other people have pointed out, I only want alerts for things in my area. SMS is probably the best way to do that.

    1. Dan 55 Silver badge
      Windows

      Cell Broadcast

      Although I guess that's about as up-to-date as smoke signals now.

      Still works though. If anyone would implement it.

  5. Andy The Hat Silver badge

    Brilliant, I don't Twit but, even if I had such an inane desire, at least I'd be happy in the knowledge that when I finally get home my personal phone will be able to regurgitate all the emergencies I've missed whilst I wasn't able to use my personal phone at work ...

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    There's only one...

    required for Ireland.

    #OhSweetJesusTheImmersionWasLeftOn

    1. Cardinal
      Windows

      Re: There's only one...

      They'd be clamouring for that in Scotland too I suspect.

      (or do I mean Claymore-ing?)

  7. Bluenose

    Surely a better solution

    Is a number of large loudspeakers in place all over the country on public building to send out a warning might work better as they:

    a)can't be turned off when in a meeting

    b)you won't miss the vibration alert when on the train

    c)won't require people to have to join Twitter and

    d) worked pretty well during two world wars.

    Plus of course the problem is Twitter is only useful until the next big thing comes around. Mushroom cloud pictures on Instagram anyone?

  8. Haku

    Twitter?

    Ugh.

    Just ugh.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    thank god we left the cold war behind

    retweeting <Orange bell>When you hear the air attack warning, you and your family must take cover

    #ohbollocks

  10. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    #WhenWillThisFsckinStupidityStop

    OK, so these genii will be tweeting the 4 minute warning when ${designated-enemy-of-the-day} looks at us funny.

    1. ItsNotMe
      Black Helicopters

      Re: #WhenWillThisFsckinStupidityStop

      Probably never, as long as people continue to use all of this lame social networking crap.

      Count me out...I prefer surprises anyway.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hmm

    Good idea if implemented correctly, but I think a blanket text to every phone in an area would be a better solution in a real emergency...

    (Combined with a simultaneous over-riding push message on Facebook and Twitter too for good measure)

  12. dougal83

    Great all three real people on twitter can enjoy that.

  13. Ray Foulkes

    Usual useless inane ....

    It'll be ignorable. Probably "Incident ahead" or "watch your speed" or "only use your own bin for your rubbish".

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