On April 21, award-winning social media agency fishbat gives kudos to Twitter for donating a promoted trend to The One Fund Boston, a foundation created to benefit victims of the deadly Boston Marathon Bombings on April 15.

According to an article published by Mashable, Twitter decided to help those affected by the devastating explosions during the Boston Marathon this week by donating a “promoted trend.” The hashtag #OneBoston, which was trending Tuesday following the bombings, was promoted as a way for people to contribute to relief efforts, as well as rally support for victims.

Justin Maas, vice president of client relations for social media agency fishbat, says, “Hashtags cost approximately $200,000 to promote for a day. Only large companies can afford to promote specific hashtags because it’s so expensive. So Twitter’s donation was no small gesture, it was a big deal. I think it speaks volumes for Twitter’s moral values as a company and I give them props for helping out so quickly after the tragedy.”

The article says the hashtag represents the efforts of the One Fund Boston, an organization created by the governor of Massachusetts and Boston Mayor Tom Menino on Tuesday and sponsored by John Handcock.

Maas says Twitter was one of the social media networks responsible for a lot of the positive support that came out of the tragedy. “Less than an hour after bombs went off at the marathon, people were tweeting their support and sharing news stories about the disaster,” he says. “People were also tweeting names of Boston streets and intersections to avoid due to safety reasons. The Boston Police Department also tweeted relevant information almost instantaneously as new evidence was found.”

Though there were false reports circling the Internet, including incorrect death toll numbers and fake victims, Twitter proved to be a useful safety tool for those near the carnage, Maas says. “I think through the entire crisis, Twitter was a great safety tool, as well as a huge supporter for victims. I really have to applaud them on their efforts.”

fishbat, Inc. is a full service social media agency. Through social media management, search engine optimization (SEO), web design, and public relations, fishbat strives as a marketing firm to raise awareness about your brand and strengthen your corporate image.
#####