LJG Partners

Nowhere on Earth is Mobile being felt more than the disaster relief in Haiti.  When traditional networks fail; PCs are inaccessible; and a world-at-large wants to give–the mobile Internet is filling the information gaps and uniting the world in efforts to help those who need it most. At the writing of this article mobile and SMS efforts included:

• Ustream, an iPhone app that allows live video-streaming from iPhones over a Wi-Fi or 3G connection, allowed iPhone users to immediately upload streaming video coverage to YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter to share with family and friends.
• As of January 21st, Americans pledged more than $40 million via SMS for the Haitian relief efforts. Compared to $400,000 raised via SMS during the 2005 Hurricane Katrina disaster.
• When the call went out to use text messaging to donate to the Red Cross, millions responded from wherever they were because they had the technology and knew how to use it.
• The unprecedented use of cell phones for giving was noted by the Pew Research Center, noting that 14% gave money via text message, compared to 12% by telephone.
• The Red Cross expects that donations made through more established channels – writing a check or on the Web – will still outweigh text-message giving, but that the cellphone campaign may be reaching people who might not otherwise have made the effort to get involved.