In this age of cyber revolutions, news travels in the speed of light. From Twitter to Facebook to YouTube to other social networking platforms and personal blogs, we got to know of the deadly dance of the earthquake and tsunami within minutes of the disaster in Japan.
If you thought the tech giants are keen to reach the news and images of devastation to you, you are wrong. They are equally into social service in many ways – from collecting funds to spreading informations thus helping the people in need.
Google launches Person Finder Web and Crisis Response page
Within hours of the earthquake and tsunami, search giant Google got its Person Finder Web and also a Crisis Response page. The Person Finder site help people locate the missing ones or post data on those who had been located.
“I was in the middle of writing code when the Google Japan office, on the 26th floor of Roppongi Hills in Tokyo, started shaking slowly. The rocking gradually increased, and I looked out the window to see the surrounding buildings all swaying ominously,” wrote Posted Ken Miura of Google Japan and international Crisis Response teams, in a blogpost.
“Although alerts from the building urged us to evacuate via the emergency stairs, I couldn't help but stay and search for information about the earthquake’s epicenter and scale. Amidst a series of aftershocks rocking our office, a small group of us in Tokyo and several other Google offices started gathering information about the earthquake to create the Crisis Response information page,” he said.
Google to donate $250,000 to Japanese relief agencies
Miura also said Google will donate $250,000 to Japanese relief agencies.
Google's service is not limited to this. Its video sharing site YouTube, took no time in getting homemade videos of the earthquake and put it up on the Citizen Tube site.
And on Twitter, it was a virtual tsunami of news and videos. The site has posted tips and information about resources on its Twitter Japan blog. And also many celebrities have made it a platform to campaign for charity.
Lady Gaga tweets for a cause
Celebrity singer Lady Gaga, offering a red-and-white wristband, posted an image image of the her monster paw gesture with the tweet"Little Monsters, show your support for Japan with this 'We Pray For Japan' wristband!".
Gaga also directed her fans to the Citizen Effect web page set up by Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy.
“Eric and his wife Wendy will match the first $100,000 donated to Citizen Effect and Twitpay/RT2Give to help the Red Cross deliver emergency services to the people of Japan. Thank you for supporting this effort and please start your own Citizen Effect project to provide relief to the people in Japan affected by the earthquake and tsunami,” says the site.
The Red Cross it self has also launched a campaign on Facebook through the social media giant's Causes function, initially aiming to raise at least $25,000 for relief efforts.
Meanwhile, Apple has set up an option on its iTunes software to allow registered users to donate from $5 to $200 to the American Red Cross simply by clicking a button for the chosen amount.
On the other hand, social gaming company Zynga hopes to raise $2 million for Save the Children's Japan Earthquake Tsunami Emergency Fund from the users of its games, like CityVille, FrontierVille, FarmVille. Gamers can donate money through the purchase of virtual goods here.
If you thought the tech giants are keen to reach the news and images of devastation to you, you are wrong. They are equally into social service in many ways – from collecting funds to spreading informations thus helping the people in need.
Google launches Person Finder Web and Crisis Response page
Within hours of the earthquake and tsunami, search giant Google got its Person Finder Web and also a Crisis Response page. The Person Finder site help people locate the missing ones or post data on those who had been located.
“I was in the middle of writing code when the Google Japan office, on the 26th floor of Roppongi Hills in Tokyo, started shaking slowly. The rocking gradually increased, and I looked out the window to see the surrounding buildings all swaying ominously,” wrote Posted Ken Miura of Google Japan and international Crisis Response teams, in a blogpost.
“Although alerts from the building urged us to evacuate via the emergency stairs, I couldn't help but stay and search for information about the earthquake’s epicenter and scale. Amidst a series of aftershocks rocking our office, a small group of us in Tokyo and several other Google offices started gathering information about the earthquake to create the Crisis Response information page,” he said.
Google to donate $250,000 to Japanese relief agencies
Miura also said Google will donate $250,000 to Japanese relief agencies.
Google's service is not limited to this. Its video sharing site YouTube, took no time in getting homemade videos of the earthquake and put it up on the Citizen Tube site.
And on Twitter, it was a virtual tsunami of news and videos. The site has posted tips and information about resources on its Twitter Japan blog. And also many celebrities have made it a platform to campaign for charity.
Lady Gaga tweets for a cause
Celebrity singer Lady Gaga, offering a red-and-white wristband, posted an image image of the her monster paw gesture with the tweet"Little Monsters, show your support for Japan with this 'We Pray For Japan' wristband!".
Gaga also directed her fans to the Citizen Effect web page set up by Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy.
“Eric and his wife Wendy will match the first $100,000 donated to Citizen Effect and Twitpay/RT2Give to help the Red Cross deliver emergency services to the people of Japan. Thank you for supporting this effort and please start your own Citizen Effect project to provide relief to the people in Japan affected by the earthquake and tsunami,” says the site.
The Red Cross it self has also launched a campaign on Facebook through the social media giant's Causes function, initially aiming to raise at least $25,000 for relief efforts.
Meanwhile, Apple has set up an option on its iTunes software to allow registered users to donate from $5 to $200 to the American Red Cross simply by clicking a button for the chosen amount.
On the other hand, social gaming company Zynga hopes to raise $2 million for Save the Children's Japan Earthquake Tsunami Emergency Fund from the users of its games, like CityVille, FrontierVille, FarmVille. Gamers can donate money through the purchase of virtual goods here.
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