Breaking Down Myths and Empowering Everyday OpportunitiesUse of Social Media (and Technologies), Everyday & in Crisis

Presented by Heather BlanchardChief Evangelist, Co-FounderCrisisCommons

February 25, 2011Atlanta, Georgia

CrisisCamp Haiti• Call to action; global

footprint

• Low barrier to entry; replicable

• 65 events, 8 countries, 30 cities

• 2,300+ highly skilled volunteers

• Focus on mapping, missing persons, language and search

Columbia

United Kingdom

Canada

France

Myths

•Social Media is a PIO Responsibility

•You Can’t Trust the Public

•If it’s not “verified” data, it can’t be used

What You Can Expect

•Connectivity

•Information Overload (i.e. lack of filters)

•Maps, maps & maps

•Shortcodes

•The “Unaffiliated” - New Actors, Diaspora

•iReporting

Source Your Crowd

•Trusted Agencies

•Affiliated Agencies

•Public

Everyday Opportunities“You have to be in it to win it.”

•Public Events (Concerts, Sporting Events)

•Friday Rush Hour

•Potholes

•Community Programs for Open Data

Building Capacity

•Affiliate the Unaffiliated

•Resource Mapping

•Dialogue, Immersion - Connect the dots

Learning From NASA

•Being friends with the public

•Give access to the evangelists

•Be human, be relevant, be there

•Proactive, proactive, proactive

•Data, data, data

Heather BlanchardCo Founder, CrisisCommonswww.crisiscommons.org

Friend me on FBTwitter/Skype: @poplifegirlheather@crisiscommons.org703.593.3823