| FollowFriday : On any given Friday, thousands upon thousands (maybe even millions) of Twitter users enter the hashtag #FollowFriday (or #FF), followed by one or more “mentions.” The idea is for users to share the names of other “interesting people” that they follow and think you should too. These recommendations serve as positive comment cards for the digitally inclined.
JumpstartMyPC.com has decided to bring FollowFriday to our blog. Read on and, if you are so inclined, add these “interesting people” to your own list. |
FollowFriday – Round 16
2010 Hurricane Names
Like it or not, hurricane season is here. Alex, which came in as the second most powerful hurricane of June (all-time) has already dissipated, leaving heavy rains for Mexico and Texas. For many, this storm will serve as a wake-up call that it is time to prepare for a busy hurricane season.
Being prepared means being informed. Traditional news sources like TV, radio and print will provide us with valuable details as new tropical storms develop and head towards the U.S./Mexico, but the information does not stop there. Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites are becoming equally (if not more) effective at spreading important news and, for those of you trapped in cubicles and offices during “normal work hours,” these social sources might be your only link to the outside world.
If you are a “hurricane tracker” or are just interested in staying ahead of the storms, you might want to consider following some of the following sites.
Hurricane Alerts (brought to you by the National Hurricane Center) was designed to track hurricane and tropical storm news and warnings for the coastal United States.
Most of the updates (tweets) are links to articles on web sites, but the posts are frequent and you’ll have no problem keeping up with the latest details on any hurricane.
Twitter: http://twitter.com/hurricanealerts
Web Site: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/
Hurricane Alerts on Twitter
The Weather Channel seems like the most logical choice when it comes to tracking weather conditions. It took some digging, since it is not posted on their main page, but The Weather Channel does have a Twitter account and a Facebook Fan Page.
Updates made during the approach of Hurricane Alex indicate that TWC’s Twitter account does a great job at keeping everyone informed regularly with great information on wind speeds, rain measurements and road conditions. There are also occasional links to articles on weather.com. If I were trapped somewhere with only my cell phone and no computer access, this is a Twitter feed I would want to follow.
Web Site: http://preview.weather.com/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheWeatherChannel
Twitter: http://twitter.com/TWCBreaking
The Weather Channel for Hurricane Updates
Weather Underground is the site to follow for people who like lots of detail. The site was created to provide people with real-time information and they do not disappoint. From advisories to Global Sea Surface Temperatures, you can find it all here.
The Twitter updates from WU are frequent and provide a combination of good details and links to their site. What’s great about following Weather Underground is they post the coordinates of the storm in every tweet, so you trackers can mark it on your maps as new updates are posted. I might get a map just to follow along.
Web Site: http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/wunderground?v=wall
Twitter: http://twitter.com/wunderground
Wunderground is Where You Can Find All the Details
Try out one or all three of the sites we recommended today and check back next Friday for more great #FollowFriday recommendations. Don’t forget, if you want to share this article with friends or family, all you have to do is click on the ShareThis button below.
Tags: #FF, alex, Facebook, Follow Friday, FollowFriday, hurricane, Hurricane Alerts, Hurricanes, The Weather Channel, Tropical Storm, TWC, Twitter, Weather, Weather underground
