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Twitter was flooded with false rumors and speculation. How can you cut through the sea of ??inaccurate tweets and find out what 's really going on?

During the riots in London and the rest of the country over the past few days spread, Twitter has been flooded with rumors, exaggerations and downright falsehoods spread by people useful news.

Here are some simple tips on how to get the most out of Twitter as news breaks - and how not scare people into the process.

Unless you can see it happening, don't tweet about it.

It can be tremendously appealing to the important information that happen - for example - Primark in Tooting has burned to the ground. It 'sa tremendously sad thought for supporters of the leopard-print leggings and cheap handbags in south London, so it' s no surprise that the news spread like wild fire spread to Monday night.

The problem was that it was completely wrong, and only served to spread fear among the people living there. In this case, there was a cloud of smoke hung over the main street, and people who couldn 't see the source of two and two together and came up with 47 - and then helping her friends made worse by Retweets it.

Remember that some people make jokes.

This is how the Tooting Primark story began: with people making silly rhyming jokes about stealing in Ealing and looting in Tooting. The problem there is that only one of those things was actually happening at the time, but people latched onto the phrase as though it was true. If you see those sorts of casual references, bear in mind they might just be there to make a punchline. Once again, if you're not certain, ask.

Note that fear of something happening isn 't the same as knowing that it' s going to happen.

A large proportion of violent rumors on Monday night in London came through people tweet things like \ Somehow, "Oh God, I \ re coming to Brighton / Luton / Scunthorpe. 'M it \ fear,'" in the space of a few Tweets the thoughts in others say "I 'm hearing rumors about them coming to Brighton / Luton / Scunthorpe!" and turned the whole thing snowballed from there. It 's totally understandable that people are of what might happen, scared and want to talk about it - but don' t go out of it, that means that raiders are threatening to descending Scunthorpe.

If you see rumors, they are directly in question.

If you retweet a rumor, even if you 're looking for confirmation that it isn' t true, what do you scare a whole new group of people who have no idea they had that might be in danger, say , a huge fire-breathing Deborah Meaden rampaging towards Westminster.

Instead they continue to exist and thus the spread of fear try tweeting people to ask directly whether they know something is definitely happening, or whether they perhaps a touch between the new dragon 's Den and The Rolling got troubles reporting confused . Try a direct confirmation from someone who has actually got to see Deborah in all its glory.

Get verification.

If the picture is actually from Birmingham, or is it from London? The local police have said nothing about unrest in Scunthorpe? Does anyone have any pictures of the giant Deborah Meaden? If not, you know, \ it 's true?

If you see something you know isn 't is true, try to correct them.

Some people, for unknown reasons, enjoy tweeting random untruths together exclusively in capital letters about Shepherd 's Bush on fire. Some of these people react when politely asked to withdraw their statements, while others respond with a wild tide of random abuse for no readily apparent reason.

But the people according to what 's going on in their neighborhood do you think trying to learn the truth - whether it' s by the survey in person or by someone tweeting pictures of bits Shepherd 's Bush, will definitely NOT ON FIRE . Try to frame to add your tweets - to believe people must have good reasons, more than the other person.

If you 're tweet about things that you can see, to be exact.

Remember, if you can see it and you 've got the means to publish information about it, makes you a de facto journalist. Shall be responsible with your strength. Be specific about where you are and what you can see.

Resist the urge to exaggerate or take what you \ can 't see - keep what' s in front of you. If you tweet pictures do - but stay safe and don 't do to take unnecessary risks. You 're too important to lose.

Follow the people you trust to be exact.

Many local police forces were using Twitter to give out information and rumors field, and it 's well worth it, and you follow them. There are a lot of journalists on Twitter - Tweeter national newspaper like our guardian angel team, including Paul Lewis, and Mustafa Khalili, as well as dozens of reporters from other papers, the BBC, ITN and Sky News teams.

There are also local journalists from local newspapers, freelance and make all kinds committed by people that spread the truth and they don 't gossip. Each community has a few diehards who do this work. Search you, and help them.

The Twitter list of trusted journalists, which is about the unrest that is compiled by the Sky News producer Neal Mann, aka @ field producer, also useful.

If you were still 'out looting and rioting, please tweet about it.

Following this advice the police 's job much easier.