us airways 1549 & digital crisis management
DESCRIPTION
This is a 'rough' timeline of select social media and online media activity surrounding the crash of US Airways flight 1549 on January 15, 2009. The timestamps, although somewhat accurate, are not absolute nor are they intended to reflect either positively or negatively on the actions of the authors/posters. Apologies for any major omissions. I should add that this is also restricted to the initial activity up to approx 9 AM on the morning of Jan 16, 2009. Video images caught of the crash itself (caught on security cameras) and other items are not included.TRANSCRIPT
Online Crisis Audit:
Analysis of the online response to crash of US Airways Flight 1549
January 15, 2009
Monitoring commenced at 4 pm ET
(All datelines are ET)
Brendan Hodgson, VP Digital, H&K Canada
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
3:49 PM ET 3:49 PM ET 3:49 PM ET 3:49 PM ET ****– first
image appear on
Flickr (within approx.
10 min of incident)
* All times are approximate
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
Circa 4:00 PM ET Circa 4:00 PM ET Circa 4:00 PM ET Circa 4:00 PM ET
– traditional media
reports begin
feeding online
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:05 PM ET 4:05 PM ET 4:05 PM ET 4:05 PM ET –
US Airways site
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:07 pm 4:07 pm 4:07 pm 4:07 pm – Online
media coverage
reaches 30+
articles/feeds in
within minutes of within minutes of
crash
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:12 pm 4:12 pm 4:12 pm 4:12 pm – Within
30+ minutes, video
pulled from online
media coverage is
posted to YouTubeposted to YouTube
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:16 pm ET 4:16 pm ET 4:16 pm ET 4:16 pm ET –
Twitter moves into
overdrive with
hundreds of tweets
on the crashon the crash
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:21 pm ET 4:21 pm ET 4:21 pm ET 4:21 pm ET –
Multiple
photostreams
appear on Flickr
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:22 pm ET 4:22 pm ET 4:22 pm ET 4:22 pm ET –
Up to 90+
articles online
within 40+ min
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:23 pm ET 4:23 pm ET 4:23 pm ET 4:23 pm ET –
US Airways site
45+ minutes
after incident
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:24 pm ET 4:24 pm ET 4:24 pm ET 4:24 pm ET –
Continued
addition of
photos to Flickr
– 17+ added – 17+ added
within the hour
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:25 pm ET 4:25 pm ET 4:25 pm ET 4:25 pm ET –
Already mass
coverage
internet-wide,
(‘000s of (‘000s of
mentions across
blogs, media,
forums etc.)
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:25 pm ET 4:25 pm ET 4:25 pm ET 4:25 pm ET -
Twit pic / iPhone
– first mention
of citizen photos
through twitterthrough twitter
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:30 pm ET 4:30 pm ET 4:30 pm ET 4:30 pm ET –
The definitive
image of the
crisis: taken by a
Ferry commuter, Ferry commuter,
posted to Twitter
via Twitpic within
initial minutes of
incident
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:30 pm ET 4:30 pm ET 4:30 pm ET 4:30 pm ET –
The definitive
image of the
crisis: the
original twitter original twitter
post as provided
by Silicon Valley
Insider
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:30 pm ET 4:30 pm ET 4:30 pm ET 4:30 pm ET ----
US Airways Site
(intermittent
service outages)
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:30 pm ET 4:30 pm ET 4:30 pm ET 4:30 pm ET –
Site ads are
removed from
main corporate
sitesite
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:33 pm ET 4:33 pm ET 4:33 pm ET 4:33 pm ET –
more images –
Citizen and
media-
generated -generated -
begin
aggregating
across key sites
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:38 pm ET 4:38 pm ET 4:38 pm ET 4:38 pm ET –
First statement
hits US Airways
site
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:38 pm ET 4:38 pm ET 4:38 pm ET 4:38 pm ET –
First statement
hits US Airways
site
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:40 pm ET 4:40 pm ET 4:40 pm ET 4:40 pm ET –
News articles hit
400+
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:42 pm ET 4:42 pm ET 4:42 pm ET 4:42 pm ET –
Already more
than 20+ videos
on Youtube –
primarily news primarily news
coverage (no
original video
coverage)
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:45 pm ET 4:45 pm ET 4:45 pm ET 4:45 pm ET –
FAA site / no
mention of
incident
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:45 pm ET4:45 pm ET4:45 pm ET4:45 pm ET -
already 180+
comments on
national/major
media article media article
(USA Today)
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:45 pm ET 4:45 pm ET 4:45 pm ET 4:45 pm ET –
Wikipedia
tracking at
speed of media
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:45 pm ET 4:45 pm ET 4:45 pm ET 4:45 pm ET –
Wikipedia
tracking at
speed of media
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
ONGOINGONGOINGONGOINGONGOING –
Live video
streaming of
passenger
rescues / rescues /
commentary /
3rd party experts
etc.
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:50 pm ET 4:50 pm ET 4:50 pm ET 4:50 pm ET –
Story leads on
home page of
virtually every
major media major media
website
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
5:00 pm ET 5:00 pm ET 5:00 pm ET 5:00 pm ET –
2nd statement
from US Airways
posted to site
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
5:00 pm ET 5:00 pm ET 5:00 pm ET 5:00 pm ET –
2nd statement
from US Airways
posted to site
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
Approx 5:00 pm Approx 5:00 pm Approx 5:00 pm Approx 5:00 pm
ET ET ET ET – Dark Site
launched
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
5:00 pm ET 5:00 pm ET 5:00 pm ET 5:00 pm ET –
updates
continue to feed
through major
blogs / blog blogs / blog
publications
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
5:01 pm ET 5:01 pm ET 5:01 pm ET 5:01 pm ET –
personal impact
statements –
how they or
people they people they
know have been
directly affected
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
4:55 pm ET 4:55 pm ET 4:55 pm ET 4:55 pm ET -
articles appear
on the online
impact of the
story – less than story – less than
1.5 hours after
incident
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
5:01 pm ET 5:01 pm ET 5:01 pm ET 5:01 pm ET –
3rd party sites
feed critical data
related to
incident (e.g. incident (e.g.
FlightAware’s
tracking of the
plane)
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
5:09 pm ET 5:09 pm ET 5:09 pm ET 5:09 pm ET –
live streamed
video press
statement from
CEOCEO
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
5:25 pm ET 5:25 pm ET 5:25 pm ET 5:25 pm ET -
350+
comments
within nearly 2
hours of incidenthours of incident
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
5:45 pm ET 5:45 pm ET 5:45 pm ET 5:45 pm ET –
approx.
thousands of
blog mentions
within 2+ hourswithin 2+ hours
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
5:55 pm ET 5:55 pm ET 5:55 pm ET 5:55 pm ET -
diversity of
observations from
Twitter – re. media
calling for eye calling for eye
witnesses, spread of
images, ambulance
chasing lawyers,
media analysis etc.
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
6 pm ET 6 pm ET 6 pm ET 6 pm ET ---- third
statement posted
by US Airways
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
6 pm ET 6 pm ET 6 pm ET 6 pm ET ---- third
statement posted
by US Airways
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
6:05 pm ET 6:05 pm ET 6:05 pm ET 6:05 pm ET –
images continue
to propagate
across the web
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
6:10 pm ET 6:10 pm ET 6:10 pm ET 6:10 pm ET –
ex-US Airways
employee
Twittering on
accident – mis-accident – mis-
identified as
spokesperson /
inadvertent
brand-jacking(?)
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
Approx 6:31 pm Approx 6:31 pm Approx 6:31 pm Approx 6:31 pm
ET ET ET ET – Message
posted to
NYC.gov site
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
6:35 pm ET 6:35 pm ET 6:35 pm ET 6:35 pm ET –
Pilot’s web site
(found and
disseminated via
Twitter)Twitter)
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
Approx 6:30 pm Approx 6:30 pm Approx 6:30 pm Approx 6:30 pm
ET ET ET ET – “Ambulance
chasers” move
online (3 hours
after incident)after incident)
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
6:30 pm ET 6:30 pm ET 6:30 pm ET 6:30 pm ET –
Fourth statement
– transcript of
CEO’s media
statement posted statement posted
online
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
6:30 pm ET 6:30 pm ET 6:30 pm ET 6:30 pm ET –
Fourth statement
– transcript of
CEO’s media
statement posted statement posted
online
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
Approx 7:00 pm Approx 7:00 pm Approx 7:00 pm Approx 7:00 pm
ETETETET – more
photos emerge
from citizen
journalistsjournalists
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
By Approx 8:00 By Approx 8:00 By Approx 8:00 By Approx 8:00
pm ETpm ETpm ETpm ET –
additional images
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
As of 8:30 pm As of 8:30 pm As of 8:30 pm As of 8:30 pm
ETETETET---- US Airways
FB group comes
to life with
messagesmessages
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
Day 2Day 2Day 2Day 2 AMAMAMAM–
Data pulled from
Flightaware to
create a map
tracking the tracking the
movements of
the aircraft
US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549US Airways Flight 1549
Day 2 Day 2 Day 2 Day 2 – More
than 39
Facebook groups
celebrating the
pilotpilot