When Networks Collide

This past Monday, I ventured to the Old City section of Philadelphia for a planning meeting for BarCamp Philly. I've never been to a BarCamp, a Podcamp, an Ignite event, or any other social media meetup aside from Harrisburg's monthly Tweetups, but I knew that by participating in the planning, I'd feel more comfortable attending the unconference on November 8th.

So I met some of my Twitter friends, gloriabell and phillygrub, then met some new ones, like interjection and stellargirl at IndyHall (link to their site). After the planning, though...the fun stuff happened.

We made the decision earlier in the day to go to National Mechanics (an awesome Old City bar) to watch the World Series. This was game 5...the one that will go down in history as the first-ever, suspended (due to rain) World Series game. My new "Philly network" was about to collide with my "high school network" since some of my old high school buddies live in the city. After a few direct messages via Twitter, jcourts shows up, along with a few friends. THEN, a local (as in, lives near me, not near the city) decided to meet us at natmechanics for the game. I ended up hitching a ride home with him (he's not on Twitter...yet), thus saving myself the jog in the rain to catch Septa home!

With all the social networking these days, MySpace for "teens", Facebook for "students", LinkedIn for "professionals", Twitter for...umm...everybody, it's interesting to start seeing these different networks collide like they did for me Monday. I only wonder how many of us are ready for these types of collisions...

photo credit: ME!

p.s. WOOHOO PHILLIES!!! CONGRATS ON WINNING THE '08 WORLD SERIES!!!

Social Media and Emergencies (like Hurrican Gustav)

In late August, 2005, the southern United States got to experience Hurricane Katrina. Now, they're looking at Gustav. We watched the tsunami on TV. The earthquakes in Japan, India, California. The wild forest fires on the West Coast.
With all the social-networking, social-media tools that are out there, what are we doing to leverage them in the wake of disaster and emergency relief?
During Katrina, the now-defunct, moblogging site, "Textamerica", used cameraphone images, some Red Cross volunteers, and the power of networking to reunite families that were separated or lost during the evacuations and rescues. Since Textamerica is no longer available (I have one contact from there still...hoping he comes through with an article I can link here), I'm looking at how other social networks: Facebook, Plurk, BrightKite, and especially, Twitter, can help before, during, and after Gustav.
Picture this:

You've evacuated New Orleans, and are staying in a hotel for a few days. Of course, you brought changes of clothes, food, all your legal documents (right?), and multiple forms of currency (credit, checkbook, cash). You also grabbed your cellphone, laptop, and camera (and all the chargers!), and notified your family and friends where you'll be staying.

Now, during times like this, internet, phone, and cellphone towers get backlogged (especially if datacenters are flooded out or without power). You might be able to rely on a hotel's wi-fi, but truthfully, your cellphone is your best tool. SMS or text-messages get queued so they almost always go through, whereas a voice-call will just fail. By checking in to Twitter, a family can post news reports, location, images, and more to their network. More importantly, people who are looking for them can use http://search.twitter.com to find their family, friends, etc.
A few more tips for leveraging social media in the event of an environmental, terrorist, or other emergency:

• Use BrightKite to "check-in" to a location. Have it forwarded to Twitter. Also allows you to post notes, images, and see others who are checked in nearby.
• Have IDs/account #s memorized (or, if you trust it, scanned as images onto your phone or camera).
• Use Gustav's Ning: http://gustav08.ning.com/ as a central hub for all hurricane-related information.
• Be ready: http://www.ready.gov/

Any more tips? I pray everyone in the southern states shelter and safety over the next few days and coming weeks. Following the storm, I plan on looking at social-media as a way to help the cleanup efforts.

Photo credit: www.gisuser.com

Pre- August Harrisburg Tweetup Post

So, after a quick confirmation via Twitter:

I got these:


This is just proof that Twitter is still alive and kicking, and that Harrisburg has one of the most interesting social networks I've ever encountered. I'm definitely looking forward to it, even though this one may be my last in the Harrisburg group (long story).
On a much happier note, I'm dragging along a Chicagoan to the Tweetup, my girlfriend, Cecily (aka @fallingwings). We always talk of the "echo chamber" when it comes to technology, and getting the "what's in it for me" mentality past the "choir" (i.e. people already using the apps/sites on a regular basis). We (the Harrisburg Twitterati) have frequently talked about how we feel our group is unique, and special. As we spread out, move on with our lives, and so on, will we be able to recreate this type of group elsewhere?
Anyway, quick info on the Tweetup for me, and others:
7pm-9pm @ Appalachian Brewing Company (ABC), Harrisburg, PA

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