Quickly Noted: New Communications Tools from the American Red Cross

While doing a bit of research, I came across two interesting webpages on the ARC website. Interesting because of the embrace of social media as a means to furthering emergency preparedness and helping with emergency response.

First is the new i’m Ready To Help campaign. By chatting on the Windows Live Messenger, advertisement revenues from your chat session will be directed toward fundraising for the ARC. An interesting way to help out given the realities of people using chat programs and online advertising. Now, if I only could get the folks at work to start chatting online so I can have someone to talk to. And yes, it will be about work.

The second tool is something that I thought would be a great idea. Unfortunately, ARC beat me to the punch, and my dreams of millions of dollars in venture capital funding have dried up. Ah well, for the greater good.

Head over to the Safe and Well List page, and bookmark it. As disasters happen, phone lines, email servers and access roads are clogged with families and friends trying to find out if someone they know is safe. This webpage provides a central location for folks who are geographically close to a disaster or event to alert their family and friends of their well-being, without adding to the glut of communications that naturally surround those types of events. I’ll put this link on my Resources page as well.