Social networking and community engagement technology made easy

Mashable’s, Stan Schroeder wrote a bit about social networks and the role it plays in how we get news.

As I was reading this, I thought not only of social networks playing a major role in the news arena and how information is passed along, but also the roles it plays in fundraising for a cause. I wanted to share some of the STATS from Mashable in regard to news transmission, as well as explore fundraising for nonprofits and relief fundraising, especially in light of the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile. (These STATS are based out of an American study, but we’ll get to us after bit.)

According to Mashable:

The latest study from Pew Internet analyzes the news consumers in America and various different ways of finding news. Based on a sample of 2,259 adults, the study reveals that three fourths of the people (75%) who find news online get it either forwarded through email or posts on social networking sites, and half of them (52%) forward the news through those means.

According to the report, 59% of those surveyed get news from a combination of online and offline sources.

However, the study also shows that very few people nowadays (7%) are getting information from a single media platform. In fact, nearly half of Americans (46%) claim they get news from four to six media platforms on a typical day. And while TV is still the biggest source of news (78% of Americans say they get news from a local TV station), Internet sits at second place (61% of users get news online), ahead of radio and newspapers. Interestingly enough, relatively few people — only 17% — claim they read news in a national newspaper such as The New York Times or USA Today.

Currently, Australians lead the world on Twitter and Facebook. According to a Nieslen study, which was reported at news.com.au,  Australia’s web-users are the forefront of social networking. We are “posting, poking and Twittering nearly seven hours a month-more than the US, Britain or Japan.” That being said, we are huge contributors when it comes to news and social media.

With different news platforms available, you no longer have to be home to catch the seven o’clock news on your television set. You can access news anytime, anywhere with your computer and your mobile phone. Some have said traditional means of news media ie, newspapers, magazines, etc. will eventually die out. Sure, they’ve been affected. For example, 4.35 million people watch the Chile earthquake and Hawaii tsunami video streams via USTREAM , but I don’t personally believe online is going to kill all other forms of traditional media outright. That’s too black and white. I do believe however that the role of traditional media vs new media is fundamentally changing. And how we get our news will vary according to the situation we’re in at the time. I do both. I watch the news on television almost every evening. But I also look at online news a few times every day. I use both media differently.

I use television as a means for in-depth coverage supported by footage and live interviews. For example, looking at footage of the earthquake in Chile on TV is much more powerful imagery to appreciate the extent of the devastation than reading about it online. It also allows me to catch up on the main events of the day. Television is also a form of entertainment, and a way to relax on the evening, allowing me to sit it back and absorb.

I use online sources for headlines via RSS or visiting website such as smh.com.au and cnn.com to keep abreast of what’s going on throughout the day. It gives me quick, information hit.  But this is more for headlines than in-depth coverage.

Social media changes the rate at which news is spread, especially when it comes to relief efforts. In the devastation of the Haiti Earthquake, In the first 24 hours after the disaster, Philanthropy,com reported that Oxfam America received contributions totaling more than $800,000. At least $10,000 of that came in through a Facebook cause the group set up for earthquake relief efforts.

Fast Company reports:

Several different hashtags are being used as repositories of information, including #chile, #chilequake, and #terremotochile, and organizations like the Chilean Red Cross are issuing news updates via Twitter. Interestingly, Google Person Finder creates a link to a specific person’s entry, and Twitter seems to be one of the main ways those links are getting disseminated.

Chile-related Facebook pages have been popping up left and right, some merely voicing support, some designed to help users donate to disaster relief, and some as communities where users can share information and news about the earthquake and those in the danger zone. Chile Earthquake, for example, has over 10,000 users and is chock full of informational links and, lately, warnings about the tsunamis triggered by the earthquake, reaching as far as Hawaii and other Pacific islands. Global Disaster Relief’s Facebook page is serving as the go-to resource for information for many, with well over 300,000 users.

Despite a population of only 16.7 million (as a reference, California has 36.7 million and New York has 19.5 million), Chileans are extremely active on Facebook–the country ranks fifth in the world in total users despite its relatively small population. The only reason Facebook isn’t the unabashed center of the social networking response is simple: Internet services are mostly out, even in Santiago (the capital and largest city). But it’s still a valuable resource; even Alex Geiger, chief of San Francisco’s Chilean Consulate, contacted his daughters (both living in Chile) with Facebook.

I’m anxious to see the final numbers and effects that social media has had on both disasters.  There is no doubt in my mind that social media will continue to be a spearhead when it comes to spreading news and raising money. As the entire world is able to reach out and raise awareness, change is created.

How do you currently view the news? Has social media changed your previous habits?

posted by Piers Hogarth-Scott in the category Media Social Media Social networking
Tags: chile, earthquake, fast company, mashable, news, stan schroeder