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Posts Tagged ‘The New York Times’

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Catchafire Honors Top 10 Social Good Mavens

In Social Good, Social Media on 11/18/2012 at 3:51 am

Yesterday Catchafire.org, the nation’s leading online pro bono network that connects talent and purpose, announced the Catchafire/Fast Company Most Generous Person Series, which recognizes game changing careers and inspiring acts of generosity beyond deep-pocketed philanthropy.  The series launched November 16 recognizing the Top 10 Social Media Mavens who use social media to do social good.  The series will continue through the winter honoring the most generous designers, tech founders, wall streeters, marketing gurus and filmmakers.

“The Generosity Series celebrates the potential we all have to become change agents in a really big way,” says Catchafire Founder & CEO Rachael Chong. “We’re all about making volunteering super effective by connecting talent to organizations that need that specific skill set. We believe that a great volunteer experience has the power to transform a person into someone who is more aware, more compassionate and actually activated by feelings of wanting to do good.”

Top Ten Social Media Mavens & Their Inspirational Quotes:

ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, PRESIDENT AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, HUFFINGTON POST

“People are hungry for meaning and a life lived as something more than just consumers. They want to play a role in the life of their communities and their country and make a difference in the lives of others”

NICHOLAS KRISTOF, COLUMNIST, THE NEW YORK TIMES; CO-AUTHOR, HALF THE SKY

“One of the paradoxes of the modern world is that it’s really hard to be completely altruistic, because altruism brings with it such selfish pleasures. So altruism isn’t a sacrifice, but a selfish pleasure.”

EDWARD NORTON, COFOUNDER, CROWDRISE; ACTOR

“We’re seeing the sphere of social networking mature in a way that’s very exciting. This is how people interact with each other and get things done. They share their personal and professional lives online. It should be no different when it comes to their philanthropic lives.”

SHAUN KING, FOUNDER, HOPE MOB

“People think and argue and debate about systemic change way too much and fight for it way too little. If all of the people that wanted a systemic change fought for it, they’d happen way more often. Sometimes, it just takes being the person that takes the first step.”

MARK HORVATH, CHIEF EVANGELISTIC OFFICER, INVISIBLE PEOPLE TV

“Twitter allows people to travel vicariously with me under a bridge or into a tent city in real time. But just like in the videos, the way that I stand out most is by sharing the good, the bad, and the ugly about homelessness.”

 CLAIRE DIAZ-ORTIZ, LEADER OF SOCIAL INNOVATION, TWITTER

“One of my greatest desires for the social good space on Twitter is that we will continue to see more and more content coming from the affected populations at hand – rather, from the folks who are often the recipients of aid and charity intervention.”

DANIELLE BRIGIDA, MANAGER OF SOCIAL MEDIA, NATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION

“If you wouldn’t share your ask with your family or friends, don’t share it with your social media contacts. I think the biggest mistake I see is people thinking of social media as simply a marketing channel – it can be so much more than that if you let it.”

CHRISTY TURLINGTON BURNS, FOUNDER, EVERY MOTHER COUNTS; DIRECTOR/PRODUCER, NO WOMAN, NO CRY; SUPERMODEL

“ I think people respond to authenticity and consistency. Listen to others in your space and support those working on yours or related issues. Allow your audience to inform you too.”

JENNIFER JAMES, MOM BLOGGER FOR SOCIAL GOOD

“No one can make positive change in a vacuum and no one can make real positive change without consistency. Furthermore, a writer cannot make positive change if she isn’t truly immersed in the issue. In the case of writing for social change, knowledge is power.”

SCOTT HARRISON, CHARITY: WATER

“Many people think that our only form of giving is sacrificing big jobs and paychecks in the corporate world to work at a nonprofit. But I’m a big believer in eating your own dog food – not asking someone to do something that you’re not willing to do yourself. My favorite kind of generosity is “surprising.” The kind that can bring two people to tears because it comes at such a cost, and it’s so meaningful.”

Follow the conversation on Twitter with #GenerositySeries and learn more about Catchafire.org:

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How to Track Hurricane Sandy Through Social Media

In Culture, Digital Media, Social Media on 10/28/2012 at 7:50 pm

Every major broadcast network has hour-by-hour hurricane updates, but social media is still the best source of information for communicating and receiving information in real-time. With 4,749 Twitter mentions/hour of hashtag #Sandy, the social network provides an abundant amount of information quickly and efficiently. And even more importantly, you can get these alerts on the go, no matter where you are!

Here are the most-influential sites to visit:

The Weather Channel Social

The site pulls in all weather-related tweets based on one’s geographic location. Site visitors customize the Twitter dashboard by filling in their zip code after which they receive relevant tweets. The site also shows users which state has generated the greatest amount of tweets and allows users to click on each state to see the specific tweets within that location. The site also has updates on flight statuses within specific locations.

The New York Times Interactive Map

This interactive site allows visitors to look up the Hurricane Sandy forecast with their zip codes and track the storm’s current & projected paths. The site projects three different views of the hurricane: map, satellite and radar.

NASA Satellites

NASA demonstrates animated satellite imagery over the last two days, tracking Hurricane Sandy’s move from the Bahamas into the U.S. eastern seaboard. NASA satellites provide forecasters at the National Hurricane Center with infrared, visible, cloud height, temperature and rainfall data as Sandy continues to affect the U.S. East Coast.

Sesame Street Hurricane Kit

For those of you who have kids at home, Sesame Street has compiled a series of videos, tips and activities that can help young children learn more about hurricanes and natural disasters, help them feel safe, and cope with emotions.

Google Crisis Map

Google just launched an interactive crisis map that shows NYC residents evacuation zones, Red Cross emergency shelters, public alerts, traffic conditions, and links to other authoritative storm resources.

Top Twitter accounts to follow:

  • @fema: The official Twitter feed of Federal Emergency Management Agency
  • @MTAInsider: The official Twitter feed of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York
  • @NYGovCuomo – Official Twitter account for the Governor of New York State
  • @redcrossny – Official twitter stream of the American Red Cross Greater NY Region; serving NYC, LI, Lower Hudson Valley & Greenwich, Ct.
  • @twc_hurricane: The Weather Channel’s all-hurricane tweets
  • @NASA: Lovely satellite photos and animations of not-so-lovely storm
  • @breakingstorm: Real-time severe weather updates

For a complete list of accounts to follow, subscribe to the #Sandy Twitter List: https://twitter.com/femaregion2/new-york-state-sandy/members

Top Twitter Hashtags to follow:- s

  • #Sandy
  • #HurricaneSandy
  • #Hurricane
  • #Frankenstorm
  • #Sandypets
  • #Evacuation
  • #NYC

Must-have mobile apps:

  • Hurricane by American Red Cross (available via iTunes or Google Play): Includes real-time storm monitoring, locations of open Red Cross shelter, simple steps and checklists people can use to create a family emergency plan, preloaded content that gives users instant access to critical action steps even without mobile connectivity, toolkit with flashlight, strobe light and audible alarm, and badges users can earn through interactive quizzes and share on social networks
  • FEMA (available via iTunes, Blackberry App World or Google Play): This app contains preparedness information for different types of disasters, an interactive checklist for emergency kits, a section to play emergency meeting locations, etc.

Stay safe everyone!

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The Social Nature of Human Beings + Sharing 2.0

In Digital Media, Social Media on 09/10/2011 at 5:37 pm

Social context shapes the human behavior and sharing information is innate to who we are.  We’ve been sharing information for centuries as a means to communicate, entertain, and pass on our cultural values from generation to generation. Today, as we are no longer bound by the physical realm (pencil and paper), the Information Age allows us to share more content, more often with more people, and more quickly.

In order to understand and take advantage of the two-way dialogue between brands and consumers today’s social media technologies enable, it is crucial to understand why people share, the different personas of online sharing, and most importantly, how we, marketers, can influence this sharing of information and generate earned media about our brands and products.

A recent three-phase study, titled “The Psychology of Sharing,” published by The New York Times Customer Insights Group explores the answers to these very questions.

Why do people share?

  • to bring valuable and entertaining content to others
  • to define ourselves to others
  • to grow and nourish relationships
  • for self-fulfillment
  • to market causes or brands

Six personas of online sharing: 

Altruists are helpful, reliable, and thoughtful.  Many altruists stay connected with email and pass along information in attachments and links. 

Careerists are intelligent web users who have been quick to see the immense value of social networking.  Careerists use websites like LinkedIn and FaceBook to build professional profiles and relationships. 

Hipsters are young, popular, creative, and prefer the cutting edge of technology.  They’re less likely to email, opting for newer, quicker methods of communication, like text, Twitter or Skype message.

Boomerangs share content for validation and reaction.  Empowered with information, Boomerangs use social websites like Twitter and Facebook to post thoughtful questions and comments to engage other users.

Connectors are creative, thoughtful, and relaxed.  They are likely to make plans via email and Facebook, hook up online discounts, and take advantage of freebies and promotions. 

Selectives are resourceful, thoughtful, and careful about the information they share.  Someone who is a Selective sharer may prefer to send an email or private message to communicate, rather than a social update or post.  These intelligent sharers understand the permanence of everything posted to the web, knowing that every message is indexed, even if you delete it or move it to your desktop trash bin.

Key factors to influence sharing:

If you appeal to the motivation to connect with each other — not with just your brand — you will encourage sharing.  Here are some tips to remember when soliciting replies, posts, or other online content. 

  • keep it simple
  • have a sense of humor
  • create a sense of urgency

Once you determine what online sharer persona your target audience is and understand what and why they share information, you can create more relevant and appealing content that will inspire ongoing sharing and word-of-mouth buzz.

Download the complete study here.

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Reporting In 140 characters In The Time of Disaster

In Digital Media, Human Rights, Social Media on 02/02/2010 at 5:13 am

By Irina Skaya

“Twitter saves lives,” – said Ann Curry, news anchor on NBC’s Today morning program.

In my last blog, I discussed how critical social media has been in gathering news information about the Haiti disaster, and how it has changed the way we learn and consume information.  Today, the first day of Social Media Week, I attended a “Social Media and Haiti Disaster” panel discussion at The New York Times, made up of Ann Curry (@anncurry), Robert Mackey, NYTimes Reporter (@robertmackey), Erik Parker, Journalist (@theparkerreport), Andrew Rasiej, Political and Social Entrepreneur (@rasiej), and Jason Cone, Communications Director at Doctors Without Borders. As a follow up to my last blog, I’d like to discuss how microblogging has revolutionized the way journalists report stories during a catastrophe, and how Twitter has played a crucial role in the Haiti relief efforts, and influenced others to aid this poverty-stricken country during the recession in our own country.

Key Takeways

  • Twitter is the best way to update information on-the-go when electricity is limited and the Internet connection is weak – Contrary to his counterparts, Erik Parker used Twitter to inform the rest of the world of the devastation in Haiti.  Other reporters on the ground were filing stories on their laptops, only to later to find out that the Internet was down. Moreover, when Erik’s professional camera ran out of battery, he used his iPhone to record video footage of the immediate consequences following the 7.0 earthquake.
  • Twitter teaches people the power of information – Microbloggers are empowered to share information, but sometimes they can cross the line by publishing graphic images of the devastation that editors of professional publications would never chose to run.
  • In the rise of online citizen journalism, verification of shared information is more important than ever – Journalists used geo-targeting Twitter tools to verify the people who said were in Haiti were really there.
  • “It’s a no brainer that Twitter is a way to help people and positively influence others” – said Ann Curry.  Thousands of people used Twitter to communicate information about the disaster and help Haiti in form of tweeting about the much-needed medical supplies, raising money, and finding the missing loved ones.
  • Social media is a great way to keep the Haitian people’s story alive even after the media coverage dies down.

For full coverage of the event, search hashtag #smwnythaiti.

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