Facebook's Safety Check now includes status updates and fundraisers
The company is making improvements based on how people use the feature.
Facebook's Safety Check is a useful feature, but its implementation has experienced some bumps along the way. Now, the company hope to smooth out some of those rough edges with new features it announced today.
The most practical feature is the ability to add more personal context to Safety Check. Previously, users could only declare themselves safe in Facebook. Now they can add further comments to that status, explaining their current situation and what is happening around them. Additionally, Facebook is partnering with NC4, a global crisis reporting agency, to provide more context on the crises themselves. It's a quick way for someone logging into Facebook to inform themselves on what's going on before declaring they are safe.
Facebook is also incorporating their fundraising features into Safety Check. Now, within the Safety Check platform on Facebook, people can easily create or donate to a fundraiser supporting that specific cause. It should be noted, though, that Facebook takes a 5 percent cut of any funds donated through the social network.
Finally, Facebook is expanding its Community Help feature to the desktop platform; previously, this feature was only available on iOS and Android. It allows people within a crisis zone to give help if they can or find help if they need it. Safety Check is a useful feature, given our always-connected lifestyles, and it's nice to see that Facebook is noticing how people are using the feature and adapting it as a result.
