[Yr7-10it] Bushfires and the social media
stephen at melbpc.org.au
stephen at melbpc.org.au
Mon Feb 9 21:40:15 EST 2009
Hi Greg and all ..
Good on you, Greg ... it would be difficult to imagine a more stressfull
situation than which you and your parents face .. and, all one can do is
echo what 'everyone' in our 7-10it group will be feeling for you & yours.
Regarding Facebook, I for one am undecided. This media does seem to give
many people some degree of pleasure .. but i guess one could ask at what
cost to real-life, and, the quality-social-contact they may otherwise be
finding in our real world? I'm sure i don't know an answer. However the
Age article posted did make one point that the CFA uses Twitter for many
members in terms of training (was it?) which also impacts on the issue.
Anyway, all the very best Greg, and do keep us all updated re your folks?
Cheers,
Stephen
> Fortunately they are at this stage, thank you. As are friends to the
north of Melbourne
caught in the horrendous blazes that occurred through that region. I was
defending my
Parent's property on Saturday when the change sent the Bunyip Ridge fires
up the Tarago
valley. Thankfully the change was not quite as vigorous as predicted, and
the ember
attacks were not as sustained in the area as they were in others.
Unfortunately I was not
able to be there today when a new outbreak occurred less than a kilometer
away and burned
across the ridge that borders their property. I also do not know if I
will be able to get
back in before the end of the week, when the next weather change will
likely bring the
Walhalla-Nojee fires back down on them. So you can see it has been a
stressful few days
and I was not feeling subtle when I responded.
>
> I love IT as much as the next geek (OK, I don't get Facebook. How does
some anonymous
person behind a pseudonym, clicking a button, become my friend ? Can I
borrow money from
this person ? Would I ask them to babysit ? Has "Friend" become the most
de-valued word on
the internet ?), but it annoys me when the IT press tries to turn things
like Facebook and
a Google map into something of world importance or great significance.
For the most part
they have little real value, and are of transient interest until the same
journos decide
what is the next big thing. When the fit hits the shan, as they say in
the classics,
Facebook has about as much longevity as Corey and his partying ways. This
is doubly true
when a first world country such as ours cannot even provide the basic
infrastructure
required to access these things to the more vulnerable parts of society.
>
> Sorry to Stephen - my response was not aimed at you personally. Just a
note of general
frustration.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Greg
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au on behalf of Bane, Janet A
> Sent: Mon 2/9/2009 3:35 PM
> To: Year 7 - 10 Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List
> Subject: RE: [Yr7-10it] Bushfires and the social media
>
> I hope your folks are OK Neil. I know its hard for us "city slickers"
to imagine what it
was like in the bush. We can only do our bit by donating to the appeals
that have been
set up. I know our school has asked everyone, students and staff for a
gold coin
donation (as a minimum) to be sent to the Red Cross.
>
> I don't think Stephen was being disrespectful, just pointing out how
social networking
sites such as facebook and twitter and google earth were being used as a
communications
tool for the rest of us concerned citizens, be they in Victoria,
Australia or other parts
of the globe.
>
>
> regards
>
> Janet Bane
> Patterson River SC
>
> _____
>
> From: yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au on behalf of Greg Neil (Mr)
> Sent: Mon 09-Feb-09 2:59 PM
> To: Year 7 - 10 Information Technology Teachers' Mailing List
> Subject: RE: [Yr7-10it] Bushfires and the social media
>
>
>
> Which is all well and good, if the local infrastructure could provide
services to country
Victoria. For my parents at least, in Western Gippsland, this was of
little use as they
were without electricity for 48 hours, and without telephones for 24,
from well before the
main threats reached them. Even if we pout the PC on the generator we
weren't going to get
anything. Thank goodness for ABC radio, because they have no mobile
reception, and power
and phones that are poor at the best of times, and useless when really
needed. Worship
this as innovation is you want, but facebook means nothing in the real
world. In fact,
Facebook et al are for people who don't live in the real world. When the
smoke is so thick
it is darker than night, you can't afford to sitting at facebook or
google hoping to find
out if the fire is just over the next hill.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: yr7-10it-bounces at edulists.com.au on behalf of
stephen at melbpc.org.au
> Sent: Mon 2/9/2009 1:57 PM
> To: oz-teachers at rite.ed.qut.edu.au; oztl_net at listserv.csu.edu.au;
link at anu.edu.au;
yr7-10it at edulists.com.au
> Subject: [Yr7-10it] Bushfires and the social media
>
> Social media lights up as Victorian bushfires rage
>
> Asher Moses February 9, 2009 - 11:22AM
> http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/web/social-media-lights-up-as-
> victorian-bushfires-rage/2009/02/09/1234027910408.html
>
>
> As the worst bushfires in Australia's history raged across Victoria,
> Twitter, Flickr and Facebook lit up with condolences and horrific first-
> hand accounts, while many used innovative online mapping tools to
assess
> the risk of the fires reaching their own homes.
>
> Mainstream news outlets, battling to provide comprehensive coverage of
> the tragedy, have incorporated accounts published on the social
> networking sites extensively in their reports.
>
> Using online social media to spread vital information and personal
> stories is becoming increasingly commonplace in times of crisis, but
this
> may be the first time the social networking sites have been used
> extensively during an Australian disaster.
>
> Google's engineers have created a map containing the latest up-to-date
> information about fire locations and their status, based on data
provided
> by Victoria's Country Fire Authority (CFA).
>
> http://mapvisage.appspot.com/fires/FireMap.html
>
> The map, updated in real-time with information about the number, type
and
> size of fires in a particular location, buckled as thousands of web
users
> sought out updates. But the site appeared to be working as normal this
> morning.
>
> Google created the map after the CFA's website struggled to cope with
the
> surge in people looking for information about the fires.
>
> "We hope that it's of some use to people who may be affected, to
> emergency services personnel, and that it takes some load off other
> websites which are being inundated," Google wrote in a blog post.
>
> Aus-emaps.com created its own map of the fire locations - derived from
> data provided by Federal Government body Geoscience Australia through
its
> Sentinel national bushfire monitoring system - before Google but also
> reported slowdowns due to high demand.
>
> http://www.aus-emaps.com/bushfires.html
>
> On Twitter, "bushfires" is as of this morning the No.1 "trending topic"
> as users traded first-hand accounts, news, and information on how to
> donate and seek help. http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23bushfires
>
> Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, through his Twitter account, has published
> messages telling his 7000 followers how to make cash and blood
donations,
> find out more information on the fires and seek emergency Government
> assistance.
>
> http://twitter.com/KevinRuddPM
>
> "Red Cross donation page is down, which is a good sign," wrote steven-
> lewis.
>
> Another users, carloscomputers, wrote: "My thoughts go out to those
> affected by the bushfires. I really feel for you poor buggers."
>
> One Twitter member and volunteer firefighter, cfavolunteer, has been
> posting updates on his progress since late January.
>
> http://twitter.com/cfavolunteer
>
> Yesterday, he wrote he had "experienced and seen things today that no
one
> should ever see".
>
> He added: "7th February 2009 will go down in history for all the wrong
> reasons. I hope people are safe, especially after what I have seen."
>
> CFA has even created its own Twitter account, CFA_News, to aggregate
the
> latest news updates on the fires.
>
> http://twitter.com/CFA_NEWS
>
> Another unofficial Twitter account providing information on the fires,
> cfa_updates, has published over 9000 messages and has 330 followers.
>
> http://twitter.com/cfa_updates
>
> On Flickr, Victorians flooded the site with amateur images of their
fire-
> ravaged state.
>
> A user going by the handle Aussie Pecker published several particularly
> striking images of burnt out cars, houses and bushland, devastated
> displaced residents, a clothing donation drive in Whittlesea and family
> reunions. http://www.flickr.com/photos/14654415@N07
>
> Several more photographs can be found in the special Flickr group
created
> to collate images of the fires.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/998526@N20/
>
> On Facebook, at least three groups have been created in remembrance of
> those who lost their lives in the bushfires. The biggest, "Applaud the
> CFA heroes & empathise with the victims of the 09 Vic bushfires", has
> almost 7500 members. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?
> sid=c015ec3a2230ae71d73525cc70037943&gid=48846541698
>
> "Without the selflessness of the people on the fireground and those
> unsung people behind the scenes this tragedy could unbelievably have
been
> much worse," wrote Facebook user Marci Medley among scores of other
> tributes.
> --
>
> Cheers people
> Stephen Loosley
> Victoria, Australia
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