Now that I've gone and bashed Twitter... apparently it has at least some utility, because the Red Cross used it to raise a record-breaking $8 million in less than 48 hours. They sent a Tweet to 30 celebrities, who then retweeted it to their fans. The message went viral: if you text 90999, you will donate $10 to Haiti. Donations came pouring in.
It's pretty amazing watching the American people and the American military mobilize in response to the crisis. I've met a few skeptics who think the US is just playing a cynical game of national interest, but there's one thing I'm sure of. At the end of the day, every American who texts money to the Red cross, every helo or C-130 pilot delivering food, every relief worker distributing meals or digging for survivors among the rubble, cares about just one thing: helping the people of Haiti. I'm proud of the generosity and goodwill of the American people. And I wish all the best to my brothers and sisters in the US military who are participating in the relief effort. I wish sneak on board a C-17 and join you. Godspeed, and stay safe.
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I was all ready to write an "In Defense of Twitter" reply to your last blog about just this. I have seen the power of a tool like twitter in disaster and emergency response. Not just in raising money, but in allowing a decentralized quick communication tool that networks to a HUGE audience.
As a SAR pilot, I can't tell you how valuable it has been in the last few years. To give you one example...the night of the earthquake I was texting a friend who was on duty in Florida. She saw the news and I replied "better get some sleep. you're probably getting launched tonight" THe next morning I was able to check Twitter and see that a C-130 from Florida had been sent as the first on scene asset in Haiti. Our service is small and we don't often get the news coverage that our bigger brothers and sisters get...tools like this are a critical comms tool for us. My friends are now able to check Twitter before they go on duty at 3 in the afternoon and see if there are any ongoing cases they might fly on without having to bug the already overburdened Ops Duty Officer. it's pretty cool. And I, stuck in my government issue cube, can see what they're up to and silently cheer them on and wish I was there :)
Our service blog has been amazing too. Everyday there has been a link on Twitter announcing an update to the blog with one of our many amazing junior enlisted describing first hand what they are doing in Haiti. It reminds me why I stay in. Twitter saves me the time of checking the blog two or three times a day to see if there is an update.
I felt like you did once, but I've seen the power of this tool. It's a little like learning radios when you're a new pilot. At first it is overwhelming and too much chatter...then you learn how to focus on what's important and filter the rest. For me, I know my audience and they know me, so if I'm linking to an article or something, I'm sending it to people I know want to read the same things as me...I don't really worry about trying to reach out to others. It's just more efficient than email. When my sister and I were camping in Scotland, it was easy to post an update on Twitter each night from my sister's phone if we didn't have wi-fi. That and a blog we kept was a way for our family and friends to keep tabs on our adventure and find comfort in knowing we were safe. A little "hey we updated the blog" message saved them the time of checking it all the time. Had I had it in Alaska, it would have been a lifesaver. Just being able to see posts from my family on what they were up to would have made it a lot less lonely and isolated. As stupid as it may seem, it can make you feel connected.
No one social media tool fits every person. We all learn what works for us personally. As a leader, I had to learn to not let my skepticism impede others' optimism. In Alaska, I didn't understand the whole text message craze and MySpace thing and was quick to write them off. Now, I understand and am still amazed when someone leaves a voicemail :). I don't use Facebook or MySpace (they're not my thing), but I understand the power. The key is to not wait to understand something to embrace it's potential. Find the people who work for you who understand it and let them find a way to use it towards the mission. It's pretty amazing the things they'll come up with. I'm finding that most of leadership is getting out of their way.
I think it's worth noting that the only infrastructure that didn't collapse from a 7.0 earthquake in Haiti was the internet. The military needs to recognize that.
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