So often the news reports focus on the salacious side of social networks with reports of online predators and cyberbullying. Today's Berkman Center report for the Attorney General's Task Force indicates that the risk of online dangers in these social networks isn't that different from the offline risks. I've also been noticing the positive, collaborative and charitable side of social networks and it's a trend worthy of recognition.
I'm an occasional user of the micro-blogging service Twitter. Some of the people whose messages I receive have used the service as a way to raise money for charity drives. Recently, Laura Tifton, aka "Pistachio" on Twitter asked her nearly 15,000 readers to pledge to blog about women in technology on March 24th as a way to honor the legacy of Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer. They've already hit the desired 1000 participants!
In New Zealand, the Queenstown police set up their own Facebook page. They posted surveillance camera images and video after a thief attempted to crack a safe in their small, South Island ski resort town. With only 400-odd friends listed on their page, the images were enough for someone to identify the suspect! I noticed other local crime images on there just waiting for someone to id the perpetrators. I think the purse thief shown should be careful, her images are very clear! My local fire department is also using Twitter to send alerts. You should check to see if your local city services are also using social networking. You may find a faster way to get that pothole repaired or sign up for an alert about city events.
And in lieu of birthday presents, some notable Twitter and Facebook users asked friends and colleagues to make online donations to build a well in Africa. Their success was reported in a Mashable article titled, “The Well That Twitter Built”. A quick search on the word “donate” in Twitter resulted in my finding one woman’s effort to find sponsors for her walk for children’s birth defects, another to build more wells, and a blood drive campaign. The Mashable story even found that the Twitter followers donated far more money than those on Facebook. Is there a more immediate call-to-action with the short 140 character plea? Does a text message feel more personal, as if the person making the request has called you or knocked on your door? With their success, I’m sure we’ll see more of this sort of charitable and social cause campaigning in all our social networks.