Guidelines for the use of new media by public and private organisations before, during and after crises

This report provides guidelines for public and private organisations regarding the use of social media in crisis situations. The aim of these guidelines are to advance social media usage by both citizens and organisations during crises in order to improve crisis management activities and, to also enhance the safety and security of citizens. Within this document, a distinction is made between guidelines for public and private organisations. This has been done because public and private organizations may have different tasks, responsibilities and stakes during a crisis situation. In addition, the guidelines are divided into five different categories. 1) Promotion of new media before crisis situations. 2) Communicating with citizens via new media during crises. 3) Communicating with citizens via new media after crises 4) Using information from new media in crisis management activities. 5) Implications for the organisation of crisis management activities.