Topics for Discussion

1.An accident on a Shanghai subway line in September 2011 injured 271 people.After the accident，Chinese Internet users forwarded news or comments on Sina Weibo microblog immediately，with constant updates totaling nearly 2.3 million posts on the topic.The Shanghai metro authority was somewhat initially confused but quickly put out 27 posts on its official Weibo account on the day of the accident，including apologies，travel advisories and updates on the victims.Shanghai Metro's first post came 10 minutes after the accident.As a result，the posts about the accident declined sharply by the following day and the amount of rumor or misinformation was minimal.

How can the social networks such as Sina Weibo be effectively used in a crisis management?Some scholars think there must be trusted actors and trusted networks established before the crisis.Only these can serve as an effective backbone for turning a social network into an effective crisis management and risk communication tool.Please give your comment.(https://www.daowen.com)

2.What role does a spokesperson/public relations person play in managing the public communication during a crisis?