Everyday Delphic Sage helps clients leverage social media for marketing and promotional purposes. Yet it's in times of need that we realize the true power of social media.
Let's consider how people are learning about the earthquake in Japan. Video of water surging through a Japanese town has gone viral on Facebook. On the day of the quake, there were 1,200 tweets per minute from Tokyo. Hundreds of thousands of videos have been posted on YouTube describing the disaster, showing us aerial views and sharing stories of valiant rescue efforts. Social media has helped to bring these disasters happening half a world away closer to us. I suspect many of us feel more personally involved, which can only have a positive impact on the amount of funds raised to help those affected.
People are texting donations and/or making online donations to The Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, Doctors Without Boarders and many others. How are these organizations driving people to take action? Through Facebook and Twitter, in addition to other traditional media outlets. The response has been inspiring.
If you are looking for a way to make a difference, consider the following:
- The Salvation Army, text "Quake" or "Japan" to 80888 ($10 donation)
- American Red Cross, text "RedCross" to 90999 ($10 donation)