The Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development in partnership with the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center created this document to highlight the potential use of social media in disaster risk management. Facebook and Twitter are the two social media platforms primarily focused on throughout the document. While others are mentioned, the lessons proposed, such as identifying an audience and developing a social media strategy, can be applied other social media platforms based on the goals of the user. Facebook and Twitter are the primary focus due to their widespread use and because they are already being used for disaster risk management purposes.

The document is meant to teach government personnel with the authority to create, or work with others to create, a social media strategy that compliments the existing communication strategy within their government body. The reader should also be prepared to begin posting on social media, or delegate the responsibility to someone who can fulfill the role while using this document as a reference.