Jan 10
16
Did Social Media Prove Its Worth In Haiti?
The recent tragedy in Haiti affected people all around the world. Communication was imperative but not readily available. Friends and families couldn’t verify who was safe, relief groups were unable to organize properly, and Haiti was unable to help themselves recover. Governments and disaster relief groups rushed to help any way they could. However, the damage was done.
Help was needed and social media answered the call.
“A 48-hour-old fundraising campaign to help Haiti earthquake victims, done solely through text messages, was already stunning Red Cross officials on Thursday when it hit $3 million. By Friday morning, the tally had more than doubled.
The campaign, made viral on networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, had raised $8 million by Friday, according to a Twitter message from the White House that was re-posted on the Red Cross account.
The organization also has accounts on Facebook, Flickr and YouTube as well as its own blog, and hosts an online newsroom that provides updates on the organization’s disaster responses. (CNN)”
Social media tools also helped relieve some unease by linking families and friends together.
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by gchesman: Did Social Media Prove Its Worth In Haiti? http://www.prscoup.com/?p=126 Gabe Chesman…
Hi Gabe, thanks for the post. The real test for the social media phenom and it's impact on Haiti will be in the coming weeks and months. Sure it's been an incredible vehicle for raising funds however, as far as staying power goes, we'll just have to wait and see whether or not these efforts are wasted like they have been in the past.
My hope is that the millions of people who've opened their wallets for Haiti these last few days take the time to look into the question “what is Haiti”. She will only rise from the ashes once the international community educates itself and sheds it's misconceptions.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Caleb Donegan, Gabe Chesman. Gabe Chesman said: Did Social Media Prove Its Worth In Haiti? http://www.prscoup.com/?p=126 Gabe Chesman [...]