Specific Events and Blogs
| The power of blogs is most evident at times of crisis. This section gives three examples of how blogs have entered the mainstream as an informational resource. In each case, blogs became part of the story as well as a conduit for following a news event. Witnesses posted their impressions, giving readers a sense of immediacy and unprecedented access to an event as it occurred in real-time. The following examples also show how pervasive blogs have become in our culture; they are becoming part of the public record not only as a news-gathering vehicle but also as proof or evidence of someone's experience. We start with the Hurricane Katrina disaster because it shows how the online response had matured into a sophisticated and effective form of communication that combined the sense of community after 9/11, the eyewitness videos of the Southeast Asian tsunami disaster, and the live dispatches from the Iraq War. Hurricane Katrina Destroys New Orleans, Mississippi, and Other Areas Along the Gulf CoastIn August 2005, a devastating hurricane swept through the Gulf Coast, destroying everything in its path, including the city of New Orleans. In the aftermath, bloggers in the area shared information and tried to help with logistics. As the days moved forward, bloggers all over the country established information systems, organized fundraisers, and coordinated volunteers to help the victims of the disaster. In some situations, blogs even helped to save lives by providing crucial communications vehicles for survivors to signal their location to rescuers. When floodwaters submerged the city of New Orleans, it destroyed the area's crucial infrastructure, cutting power and communications. Resourceful residents were able to use some working technology such as the instant messaging functions on cell phones and wireless routers to help get the word out, despite the confusion and despair. Two blogs deserve special mention because they were vital communication conduits during the search and rescue operations. The Interdictor http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor/ Trapped by rising flood waters in downtown New Orleans, DirectNIC crisis manager Michael Barnett turned to his blog, The Interdictor, to send out information on an almost hourly basis. Michael wrote about his team's efforts to protect their computer equipment, forage for supplies, and give instantaneous accounts about the incidents of chaos they witnessed on the streets. Barnett even had the presence of mind to upload webcam feeds of the streets outside his office. NOLA.com http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breakingtp/ NOLA.com is the website for the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper. When the hurricane made it impossible for the paper to produce print editions, its staff published updates and dispatches on the site. Evacuees outside the area logged on to get the latest news. When land lines and cell phone reception became blocked, flood survivors used the text messaging function to send calls for help to the outside world, which NOLA.com then published on its site, which was monitored constantly by rescuers, who then sent in teams to save them. Other Hurricane Katrina blogsCollaborative Mapping To Share Information On Status of Specific Houses or Neighborhoods Planetizen Tech Talk http://www.planetizen.com/tech/ Volunteers coordinated the creation of a satellite map meshed with a geographical information system (GIS) to assist residents of New Orleans in assessing the damage to their houses and apartments. Hurricane Update http://hurricaneupdate.blogspot.com/ Kay Trammel established this blog covering all the New Orleans Hurricane Katrina blogs. Kay posted information about databases being set up to help displaced people connect with their family and friends. A Nurse with a Little Bit of Attitude http://www.livejournal.com/users/auryn24/298757.html?view=1614341 A nurse in New Orleans posted updates on the crisis as she worked in an overwhelmed hospital, awaiting evacuation. The blog's author shares detailed information on how and why FEMA officials took so long to respond to the crisis. Tapscott's Copy Desk http://tapscottscopydesk.blogspot.com/ This conservative blogger posted information about the unfolding events and made efforts to defend his president in the face of criticism about his lack of leadership within the midst of this crisis. WDSU TV Blog http://www.wdsu.com/news/4908558/detail.html A TV station's blog giving advice and council about what locals should do. It has time stamps but no date stamp, so I'm not sure how useful it was to those affected, but it's an interesting phenomenon.
2004 TsunamiIn December 2004, an underwater earthquake triggered a tsunami that wreaked havoc in the Indian Sea, devastating the coastline of Indonesia, Thailand, and India. In many cases, the blogosphere beat the mainstream media in collecting and delivering relevant information. South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami Blog http://tsunamihelp.blogspot.com/ This focused group blog seems to be primarily about the Boxing Day tsunami in South-East Asia, but jogs over to Hurricane Katrina in the southern United States. Contributors seem to be British, from the tone of the posts. The site added links to aid agencies, people searches, and so on. And a really interesting count of the dead by nation fed from Wikipedia and apparently not updated since January 2005. Tsunami http://tsunamist.blogspot.com/ This team blog is a little hard to read (white on blue), but gives a good overview on how bloggers reacted to the tsunami and its impact on a region. Blog of a Serial Killer Joseph Edward Duncan IIIThe darker side of blogs has also been revealed. In May 2005, a family in Idaho was brutally murdered. After murdering Brenda Groene, her 13-year-old son, and her boyfriend, the killera registered sex offender named Joseph Edward Duncan IIIthen kidnapped two of the family's children, Dylan and Shasta. Duncan was subsequently captured in July 2005 when a restaurant worker recognized the kidnapped girl. After Duncan was charged with murder, rape, and kidnapping, investigators and journalists learned he had kept a blog that was still operational. Called The Fifth Nail, the site showed anyone who visited a glimpse into the mind of a child molester and killer. The Fifth Nail http://fifthnail.blogspot.com/ The personal blog of accused child-molester and murderer Joseph Edward Duncan III. Duncan makes oblique references to fighting unnamed demons as he tried to rebuild his life after serving time in prison for child molestation. Most chilling of all, the last entry on the blog is dated May 13, 2005, just three days before the Groene family murder and kidnapping. |
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