8.31.2008

Gustav: The power of social media LIVE

Watch what's going on around Hurricane Gustav and the power of social media for connecting news sources and "real" people on the ground.

Andy Carvin creates a Ning group for alerts and information. It includes the latest news, traffic cams, a twitter feed, and much more.

Here's the associated Facebook group.

Here's the main Twitter query feed and the GustavFeed set up by EngageJoe.

A Gustav wiki is built based on the Katrina wiki's format, with up to date information. From the site; "It's intended to be centralized site for links to information everywhere else on the web; please publicize it far and wide." It includes lists of aid agencies, helpline numbers, animal rescue info, even an IRC channel. And a list of relevant Twitter resources.

CNN's Rick Sanchez is on Twitter and on the case. He's freely quoting from Twitter, Facebook and Myspace messages during his newscasts on CNN (which I was watching for part of the afternoon) - as well as citizen journalist videos such as this one that I just found off the twitter feed.


Hurricane Gustav In my Back yard from Uway folife on Vimeo.

It goes without saying that all of this has come together in a matter of days (if not hours). Amazing. If I am ever in any kind of disaster, natural or otherwise, Twitter will be the first place I turn.

4 comments:

Dave S. said...

Maddie, nice pick-up on how SM can actually keep us tied to events that can/will/do impact our lives. It's yet another reason why I am so passionate about it and also such a fan of yours (great catch).

Elizabeth Weaver Engel, CAE said...

I'll be posting a few more socnet resources, many of which were active during Katrina as well, to T4P shortly.

And thanks for the attention, Mads.

David M. Patt, CAE said...

This is a valuable niche for social media. It's communicating when it REALLY matters.

Elizabeth Baranik said...

It is truly amazing how you can connect the world to latest news, events, and emergency situations. I know of people where their only communication tool was Twitter during earthquakes and storms, and it is a testimonial to the way social media is forming.