Twitter, Facebook connecting people in Haiti disaster

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The most poignant pictures and up-to-the-minute information coming out of Haiti in the hours right after the earthquake came from social networking sites. From Twitter , to Twit Pics to Facebook , it is all about people reaching out to people 2010 style.

Social networking sites make it possible to stay connected with the world, even when your area of it is falling apart.

In the chaos of the destructive earthquake, social networking sites became the easiest and often only method of communicating.

Brian Renollet is an engineer and IT Specialist at 24-Hour News 8. He said despite the destruction in Haiti, some of the electronics survive.

"Microwave systems, satellite systems that may not be working all over the country but in small pockets there, are generators that are self powered, things like that," said Renollet.

Verizon Wireless in Indiana told said that nearly all cell towers it builds have generators on site. While it doesn't have its own network in Haiti, a spokeswoman for Verizon said it takes a lot to destroy a cell tower.

She pointed out that even in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, some cell phone service continued. And while phone service requires an immediate connection, social networking sites do not.

"You'd be pretty amazed. You can go ahead and type in, say, a post to your Twitter or a picture to Facebook on your cell phone and it will wait until it has a connection to send that. So it's not an immediate need," said Renollet

That means those who are in the middle of the disaster don't have to spend a lot of time trying to communicate.

"The phone is constantly trying to reconnect, or your laptop if you're using that, is trying to constantly connect and when it does, it will send out what you have ready to send," said Renollet.

That means those in Haiti can send out messages even as they fight for survival.

Another thing that makes social networking sites work so well during tough times is that you don't need to be technically savvy to make them work. Shoot a picture, type a message, hit send and that's all it takes. Then the rest of us get to see what's going on.