The NWT government and city of Yellowknife are describing in tweets, Instagram messages etc. how to search key evacuation information on CPAC and CBC. The broadcast carriers have a duty to carry emergency information, but Meta and X are blocking links.
While internet access is reportedly limited in Yellowknife, residents are finding this a barrier to getting current and accurate information. Even links to CBC radio are blocked.
Nonsense. If you put the details that everyone needs to know in one message, and then update it as things change you’ll just run into issues where various apps will consider it old news and drop it off.
It also relies on people to constantly check this one post for updates rather than having the updates pushed to them.
Linking allows them to have a resource that is constantly being updated while also being able to push it, and get it into people’s feeds.
Normally if things change you post a new message. That is how the cell network alert system functions. I repeat, they do not send you a link to a web page with the information you need to know, and there is no doubt good reason for that.
If you think the cell network alert system is fundamentally flawed, that is our top priority as it is how the vast majority of people using apps are going to receive the alerts. The call to improve alerts on Meta/X is way down the list to catch a smaller group of people who missed the cell network alerts. It is critical to reach the widest audience first.
But, again, the right way to get emergency information in front of people is to get it in front of them immediately, not make them navigate through layers upon layers to find the information. Once you get to fixing Meta/X, you are going to have them improve displaying the alerts in their own interface where the people already are. Forcing people to navigate to see an emergency alert will never be relevant. That is just plain bad UX.