On Sunday a major 7.2 magnitude earthquake shook eastern Turkey. At least 240 people have been confirmed dead and over 1,000 have been injured. As people around the world pray for those affected by the quake, videos of the disaster are rolling into YouTube, giving us a firsthand look at the disaster.
Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews. 
Yesterday the general manager at G&C Tire & Auto in Chantilly, VA, David, was busy recording a new commercial when the 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck and it was all caught on tape.
All the way up in New York, and even in Toronto, we at the Social Times felt the buildings shake. None of us were quite sure what it was. Google News was silent, even Facebook didn’t have a peep. Where do I go, for an immediate reaction and validation of whether it was an earthquake or not? It has to be a search of the term “earthquake” on Twitter. And yes, immediately, everyone on Twitter realized that the tremors had shaken the entire Eastern coast of North America. This pretty much underscores the power and importance of Twitter, even when it’s not helping rebel causes and starting government reform.
Google aims to eliminate the language barrier faced by users who wish to share messages of support for earthquake- and tsunami-ravaged Japan with its launch of Messages for Japan, which serves the dual purpose of automatically translating posts into Japanese and helping to raise funds for the country’s recovery efforts.
YouTube announced the launch of the YouTube Person Finder, a channel dedicated to video messages from victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. More from product marketing manager Tai Hasegawa via the YouTube Blog:
We’re in the process of adding more than 80 video messages shot at the shelters by TBS, a major TV station in Japan, and we’ll try to increase the number of videos by adding more content from other TV stations and news network in the coming days.
We’re also trying to include videos shot by the individuals impacted themselves, but we have to wait until the infrastructure situation there recovers.
You can search for videos via the search box within the module: Enter the names of a missing person in Kanji, Katakana, or Hiragana letters (sorry Japanese letters only); the name of the place they lived; or the name of the shelter locations. You can also browse videos by Japanese alphabet on the playlist embedded within the video navigator in middle of the channel.
Our hope is that this channel will help victims and their families to establish each other’s safety, and that the video messages will reach many viewers and motivate them to contribute to the recovery and restoration of the disaster-stricken areas.
Just one week after the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan it is becoming more and more evident just how tough a toll this has paid (and is still paying) on the Japanese people, their land, their homes and their spirit. They are currently in need of all the help they can get and if you want to help, either by way of donation or by showing your support, then we want to help you do that. From donations to help and support, we’ve compiled a list of great ways you can help Japan through social media. Read on to find out more.
Read more
The earthquake and tsunami that victimized Japan March 11 accounted for a whopping 66 percent of Tweeted news links for the week of March 7-11, despite occurring on the last day of the period, while the upcoming 2012 presidential campaign dominated the blogosphere, and the most-watched news and politics video on YouTube was a Spanish news report about a soccer player kicking an owl during a game, according to the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism’s New Media Index.
The disaster was followed on the list of most-shared news links via Twitter by: the civil war in Libya, at 15 percent; a report in The Sun that Justin Bieber skateboarded through an airport terminal in Birmingham, at 13 percent; Google, at 10 percent; and a preview of the Apple iPad 2 from Mashable, at 7 percent.
The race for the 2012 presidential election accounted for 37 percent of news links shared by bloggers, followed by: the death of Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post columnist David Broder, at 17 percent; the executive order signed by President Barack Obama to create a formal system of indefinite detention for prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, at 10 percent; a column in The Washington Post by George Will questioning the United States’ intervention in Libya, at 7 percent; and a Washington Post interview with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko regarding allegations that the recent election there was fraudulent, at 6 percent.
ABC News senior vice president of digital Paul Slavin sent the following email to his staff commending them on their efforts in covering Friday’s earthquake in Japan and Pacific tsunami, noting that the site streamed more video Friday than on any other day in its history:
Although the tragedy in Japan is still unfolding, we are proud to report that Friday, March 11, was the largest single-day consumption of video in the history of ABCNews.com.
Divisionwide coverage contributed to nearly 4 million video starts on the site, exceeding notable events including the 2009 inauguration, the 2008 election, and Michael Jackson’s memorial, among others.
Also of note, ABC News Digital ranked No. 8 in Nielsen in February, marking the 22nd consecutive month we have been in the top 10 news websites in the country. Our average rank over that period has been No. 8, and prior to that, we were consistently 14th.
With continued excellence in breaking news coverage, consistent technical improvements, and redoubling our commitment to essentials such as SEO, we are confident that the future will bring even more success.
BBC News launched several online components for its coverage of Friday morning’s massive earthquake in Japan and the resulting tsunami in the Pacific Ocean.
Its coverage includes a live events page, featuring a video stream of the latest news; a wave map to help predict the height of waves throughout the region; a video page offering clips of the earthquake’s impact across Japan; and up-to-date analysis and updates on a reports page.
Google set up a Google Crisis Response page for Friday morning’s massive earthquake in Japan and resulting tsunami.
The most prominent feature on the Google Crisis Response page is Person Finder 2011: Japan Earthquake, which allows users to either search for information about people in the area, or to post information about people for others to see.
The page also includes a list of resources, maps, and breaking news.
