Keep calm and tweet: Bulgarians turn to blogs for quake info

Twitter's ubiquitous "Keep calm and tweet on" poster caption acquired new meaning for quake-hit Bulgarians Tuesday. Lack of any official information on traditional media for about an hour after a 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck near Sofia early Tuesday prompted people to flock to microblogs and social networks, searching for information but also reassurance. "A very social night," the Dnevnik newspaper cited an unnamed Facebook user as saying, concluding after a slew of quake-related statuses and hashtags filled the social networks. People were generally sharing their experiences and inquiring about the tremor's magnitude. But later on, when news came in about the lack of casualties or serious damages, tweets and Facebook statuses also relaxed. "By now 119 people liked the earthquake and 188 recommended it," said another user, also cited by Dnevnik. "Aftertweets are expected to continue for a week," another Twitter user, Plamen, shared. Officials meanwhile warned that many Bulgarians were hardly aware of what to do in case of a major earthquake.