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Social media and social networks are being used increasingly for fundraising, communication updates and at times of disaster – from posting updates on Twitter to sharing information on YouTube.
Here are some examples that caught my attention this week.
The disaster in Haiti has been much publicised in the traditional media and earlier this week I noticed that the Red Cross was a trending topic in Twitter and was appearing in real time Google search results as a result of so many people posting status updates to Twitter about their relief fund and how they are supporting the disaster.
On Facebook former US President Bill Clinton can be seen in a video on the Facebook Page for Global Disaster Relief sharing his thoughts in terms of how people can hep with the Haiti disaster. He also encourages people to become a fan of the Global Disaster Relief Fund – check the end of Bill Clinton’s video HERE.
Oxfam are using YouTube videos to share updates about how they are sending aid to Haiti – and also encouraging donations.
Oxfam are also using podcasts and the iPadio.com platform to publish updates from one of their team members who is reporting from the border of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Listen in here – they also report that they have also lost an aid worker and members of their family.
Find the details of the Oxfam earthquake appeal here on their website – note how they have added content from their social media outreach to their page on the Oxfam website.
At times of natural disaster the social web has provided platforms that we can quickly discover the latest news on what is happening and aid agencies can share compelling stories and encourage donations and support.
I am sure that in months to come there will be many blog posts and articles written about how social media supported the Haiti disaster. But I’ve also noticed that the public (myself included) are becoming to expect news to be delivered through these channels, I know last year when the Dioxin food crisis was announced, one of the first places I turned to to get an update of what was happening was YouTube – and found there were no resources there from any Irish source.
So I was pleasantly surprised to find that my local County Council had a link on their website to a new blog they have launched for emergency updates. You can see a link posted on their website in the image below.
On their blog they comment:
As a consequence of the reduction in water supply pressures which are being implemented across the County, some businesses and households will experience a loss of water supply. In addition to the impact of this general reduction in water pressure, businesses and households in the following areas will lose supply as a consequence of specific restrictions being implemented.
What other recent examples have you seen where social media channels are enhancing the outreach and fundraising where natural disaster has struck?
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