It is interesting to see how the internet and social media has played a large part in how organizations such as the CDC get their information out in a time of crisis.  According to the Pew Research Center, it appears that the internet and various social media sites like Facebook and Myspace are in the top ten online sources regarding getting information about the swine flu.

Visits on Health Information Web sites (courtsey of Pew Research Center)

Visits on Health Information Web sites (courtsey of Pew Research Center)

For public relations professionals, it is very important to make sure that we know where people are getting their information, and how trustworthy and credible these sources are percevied as being.  It is no surprise that the number one source of information is the CDC, but it is interesting to see how high the social media sites compared to other government sites.  It goes to show that social media is a way that individuals communicate and share information with people that they know.  Listed below is a very interesting graph that shows what are the most “useful” internet sources for the swine flu from the Pew Research Center.

Hope you all are having a good day!

Best Wishes,

Karen