Twitter, which started as a way for friends and family to share quick 140-character messages, has gone mainstream. So much so, I’ve even heard suggestions that school districts consider using it as a means to notify parents and students of emergency situations on campus.
It’s an interesting idea. After all, Twitter is free and can reach hundreds, even thousands of followers in seconds. It can reach people by their smart phones, laptops, or desktop computers.
But it is also notorious for crashing. It can’t reach people with a voice message on their landline or mobile phones. It can’t send someone a fax with your message. It can’t send a report indicating which messages were received. And it can’t automatically translate a message in up to 10 different languages.
Mass notifications systems can do all that and more.
When your message is about an active shooter on your campus, a chemical spill nearby, or some other emergency, you need to know that it will be delivered in the method and language the recipient has selected.
- Public schools at the starting line: Beginning a new pathway with scholarship granting organizations - August 14, 2026
- The foundation for student success is a positive classroom culture - August 13, 2026
- The biggest back-to-school challenge - August 12, 2026