Two fun examples of social engagement:

  • The Getty Museum asked museum visitors to imagine the first line of the letter depicted in the painting Lady in Blue. Excellent write-up on Social Media Today.
  • Harvard Business School asked followers to fill in the blank: ”The worst business-related advice I’ve ever received is _____.” Some of my favorite responses are “Go to business school” and “Marry her.” They published a word cloud of responses on Twitter.

A post-hurricane story of community and social media

This weekend I witnessed something amazing. It started with a tough situation and showcased the thoughtfulness of many individuals.

My colleague Sally approached me, holding a wooden picture frame in her hands. She explained how she had finally managed to visit Bay Head following Hurricane Sandy (access to many NJ shore towns has been painfully limited as local police and cleanup crews have been working to make the areas safe). Surrounded by houses wrecked by the storm, Sally had found this photograph in surprisingly good condition.

“If I were this girl’s father, I know I would want this back,” she said. “And I don’t know how, but I feel like social media might be the way to do it.”

Without even a name to go on, I worried that we might not be able to track down the owner. But perhaps if enough people saw it, someone might recognize the people in the photo.

Saturday afternoon I uploaded the photo to Tumblr, Facebook, and Google+. I contacted groups and Twitter handles that have been connecting the community with post-hurricane information. Many kind people retweeted the message, and later that evening, the Lavallette is Strong Facebook Page linked to it. That post alone spurred 100 individuals to share it on their own profiles. New Jersey resident Michele noticed it through a friend and shared it on her own page. She then took the additional step of posting it to other shore-related pages, including Jersey Shore Hurricane News. Sunday morning, JSHN reposted the image for its followers, who shared it over 1,300 times, and that’s where recognition happened.

Within 15 minutes, one person commented that he knew the family pictured. A few hours later another person identified the woman in the picture by name. Shortly after, the woman herself, Aimee, added to the post that it was indeed her in the photo.

Less than 24 hours after sending our request into the social sphere, we successfully found the family!

This could not have happened without the members of our community looking out for each other and spreading the word. People, both local and around the world, have been sending heart-warming messages of support. And it has been incredible seeing so many community members step up during these trying times. Many people have lost many things to the storm, and photos are among some of the hardest to replace.

One generous individual, Dennis, offered to do a complimentary restoration of the photo. DA, another photographer, says that she will perform free cleanings for any Sandy victims who can get pictures to her.

Reuniting found objects with their owners will hopefully become common as more residents are able to return to their towns. A number of groups and pages have sprung up on Facebook that can serve as local resources, such as this group for Mantoloking/Bay Head and a page for Sandy Lost and Found.

Specifically for photographs, For Shore is trying to organize collection points for found photos and scanning and uploading of the images. Not limited to the hurricane, there is also a website called ifoundyourcamera.net that seeks to reconnect lost photos and owners. Another resource available is the ability to rebuild memories—300 volunteer photographers are offering complimentary photo shoots to Sandy survivors under the initiative Souls Rebuilt.

Are there other resources for recovery and rebuilding that we should be aware of? Please share in the comments.