Monthly Archives: May 2011

US Senate hears testimony on the role of social media in crisis response

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If you watched today’s hearing in the United States Senate on the role of social media in emergency management, “you witnessed a turning point in Gov 2.0,” says Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department. It’s certainly an important moment for the global community that has used these channels to communicate, coordinate and response to both recognize and share. CPAN’s video of the event is embedded below:

 

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/videoLibrary/assets/swf/CSPANPlayer.swf?pid=299342-1 

The Social Media for Emergency Management (SM4EM) blog has a great summary of SMEM on Capitol Hill, including a link to Crisis Commons co-founder Heather Blanchard’s written testimony.

The excellent speakers provided key examples of use and statistics on the use of social media during crisis situations. Some of these incredible examples included:

  • Direct communication between an eyewitness & Director Fugate during an emergency
  • Pace of fundraising that the Red Cross has experienced through their text campaign
  • The use of iPhone applications to share information about shelters
  • Google’s Person Finder application supporting recent disasters which was active 90 minutes after Japan’s earthquake
  • Skype use between communication between disaster victims and their families at home
  • Use of Google Maps by soldiers for planning

Here’s a few other insights that stuck me, along with related coverage:

  • “it’s not the technology tool, it’s the data behind it, and the people able to coordinate info”-Heather Blanchard (@poplifegirl)http://j.mp/fHhN2R
  • “The best thing would be no “social media” people but that it’s an integral part of every position”- Wendy Harman (@wharman) http://oreil.ly/gsocRc
  • “geotagged social media and data can provide real-time, on the ground situational information”-Heather Blanchard, http://oreil.ly/9VRguV
  • “When we talk about information overload, what we’re really talking about is a lack of filters”-Heather Blanchard http://oreil.ly/gsocRc
  • FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate (@CraigatFEMA) said under oath that he tweets himself. http://bit.ly/muJd9O
  • Fugate also said that some of his peers now rate social media and mobile as important a revolution as radio

Read more:

A little sweat never hurt nobody

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The White House partnered with superstar musician Beyoncé Knowles and the National Association of Broadcasters on a “flash workout” that’s actually fun. First Lady Michelle Obama is using it as part of her Lets Move! campaign against child obesity.

The official dance video with Beyoncé and wide selection of teens is, in this thirtysomething correspondent’s opinion, both fun and well edited.

It says something about 2011 that the First Lady of the United States went out and danced around a bit herself.

My favorite video, by far, however, is when Beyoncé showed up and surprised students at PS/MS 161 Don Pedro Albizu Campus in New York City.

I can’t help but wish more celebrities donated their time, passion and interest to inspiring kids to get up and move more. Well played.

Taking stock of global freedom of expression on World Press Freedom Day

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In 2010, only 1 in 6 people lives in countries with a free press, according to a new report on press freedom from Freedom House. There is a long road ahead to establishing and protecting freedom of expression for humanity.

Freedom House Survey of Global Media Independence

This week, defenders of free expression are celebrating the progress of press freedom and recognizing the challenges that persist globally on World Press Freedom Day 2011. This is the 20th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration that helped to establish UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day. The United States is hosting this year’s World Press Freedom Day in Washington, D.C. at the Newseum. You can watch the livestream below and follow the conversation on Twitter on the #wpfd hashtag, both of which are embedded below.

wpfd2011 on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

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To learn more about global freedom of expression and and the organizations that protect journalists and support the collection and dissemination of news about our world, visit: