Social media at its very best!

Last year I wrote a post highlighting some of the excellent work Australian not-for-profits have achieved within social media. And while most of those are still fine case studies, I must say I've become somewhat jaded at how social media has been used for social causes since then. At some point, it seems that simply getting people to spread a message via social channels became more important than actual tangible outcomes. Which misses the point completely! And it's for that exact reason that I'm highlighting the work of Flood Aid today. Because it is truly is a brilliant example of how social media can be used in a way that makes a difference to people affected by misfortune (in particular those impacted by the floods in Australia).

When social media doesn't make a difference

Before I outline the extent of Flood Aid's awesomeness, I'll elaborate a little further on my beef. You see, in my opinion the use of social media to support social causes has become increasingly tokenistic. A couple of recent examples related to Breast Cancer awareness are cases in point:

1. An unofficial campaign encouraged users to report the colour of their bra via Facebook
   
2. An 'I like it' campaign asked females to state where they liked to keep their purse – Eg. 'I like it on the kitchen bench'

Both campaigns were wildly successful from a participation perspective. For a day that is. And then they disappeared, never to be thought of again. What's more, I question the core reason for people's widespread participation. Was it really to help raise awareness of Breast Cancer? Or was it for a quick laugh based on the sexual innuendo each meme inferred. My suspicion is the later. Yet even if participant intentions were good, the gesture itself is highly tokenistic in nature. It does little for the cause. And this is my point. It's a point which was also raised by Jonathon Crossfield in his excellent analysis of the RUOK campaign (highly recommended read!).

Status updates and Tweets don't solve problems! But Flood Aid does!

Flood Aid's purpose is simple. It aims to connect people affected by the floods with others in their local area that are willing to lend a hand. Simple, yet highly effective because it solves a key problem faced by those affected by disaster. While donations rack up by the millions across the country, it takes time for that money to filter out to affected individuals and their communities. In the meantime, victims are left to fend for themselves in terms of finding shelter, repairing property and cleaning up. It is often the inability to deliver an immediate response where governments and aid organisations are criticised (Hurricane Katrina anyone…?)

Enter Flood Aid! Users are able to both request help and offer help. It connects those in need with people willing to help. Requests for assistance typically cover issues relating to:

• Re-carpeting of housing affected by floods
• Replacing damaged furniture
• Replenishing supplies lost in the flood
• Transportation and logistics

Conversely, a range of generous souls are offering a broad range of services via the site including:

• Offers to donate furniture and other goods
• Offers of accommodation to those that have lost their home
• Offers to provide professional services such as carpentry, renovation, hard labour & data recovery for damaged PCs
• Offers to babysit children while victims resolve living arrangements and other issues

What makes this project even more remarkable is the speed with which it has been been launched. A call for arms via social media was met with over 500 responses from digital specialists. That group was filtered down to a team of core contributors, and within a matter a days the site was live.

At a time when social media tends to be dominated by narcissists, self-promoters & marketing stunts, it's comforting to know it can still be used to change people's lives when it matters the most. Congratulations to everyone involved in getting this project up and running!

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