Last week we flew to San Francisco to help a client document one of their key projects this year. Social Media Prep Summit brought together people from public and private sector organizations to discuss the opportunities and challenges associated with social media in disaster risk reduction. Airbnb hosted the event that was co-sponsored by R3ADY Asia-Pacific and National VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster). Among the attendees were representatives from Microsoft, Google and Twitter, all coming together to contribute.
The photo above depicts one of the early exercises of they day where participants wrote about the topics they wanted to know more about. Another wall was used for participants to advertise the special knowledge or background that they wanted to share. They then reviewed both sets of Post-Its, noting who in the group they might want to collaborate with. This was an excellent way to quickly find someone to share experiences with. Shared experiences can lead to empathy which can then lead to collaboration and action.