"This resource guide assesses the broad role of information and communication in disaster situations and complex emergencies. It highlights a number of distinct communication phases or cycles associated with emergency or crisis communication, as well as defining the broad range and diversity of init ... iatives associated with communication in such situations. The guide defines a number of frameworks for use in rapidly assessing a situation, the resultant information needs and the contextual constraints. It also defines a number of important principles associated with effective crisis communication and provides links to ‘best-practice’ resources that offer additional detail." (Conclusion, page 57) more

"This annotated bibliography compiles both peer-reviewed literature, typically sourced from academic journals, as well as a range of opinion and technical resources drawn from agencies that have a humanitarian mandate. It is important to note that this annotated bibliography does not seek to present ... an exhaustive or authoritative list, particularly given the contemporary interest in the subject and the ongoing publication of fresh insights. While a rapidly evolving field, our interest in developing this annotated bibliography is two-fold. First, this document will act as a valuable resource for a wide range of stakeholders with an interest in the role of social networking and media in complex emergencies. Second, the evidence presented here underpins a dedicated issues paper that summarises the role of social networking, social media and complex emergencies. For the purposes of this bibliography the term "complex emergencies" is deemed to cover political emergencies, conflict situations, conflict-reduction and peacekeeping processes, as well as disaster responses and associated humanitarian assistance. This bibliography contains sources derived from an extensive search from within a ten-year range (2003-2013). For the purposes of the literature search, we adopted a broad definition of social media encompassing a variety of software, websites and technologies that enable user-generated content to be uploaded and shared." (Introduction, page 3) more