Mod 4.1 Writing Task: Creating Generative Value
FarmVille and Disaster Relief for Haiti
Image courtesy of http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/13/2791558.htm
Modern technology and social networking continue to influence and change so many aspects of our modern lives, and now it seems that disaster relief is another one of them.
Most of you reading this would of course have heard by now the news reports on the major earthquake in Haiti last week, and the dreadful loss of tens and thousands of lives arising from it. The country is struggling with the aftermath of the disaster, but thankfully, relief is flooding in from all over the world. Some of the relief is coming from unexpected sources – such as social networking sites Facebook and Twitter. Wyclef Jean, a Haitian musician managed to raise $1 million by appealing to his 1.3 million followers on Twitter, while thousands of Facebook users signed up to Awareness groups to give hope and support to those affected by the devastation. In addition, BBC news reported that the Red Cross had received 8 million dollars in SMS donations.
Australian IT reported how modern technology has come to the aid of Haiti. Online maps, mobile phone donations, wikis and a range of websites are being used to help the earthquake-ravaged country. Google , as well as pledging a $1 million donation, has offered the use of their satellite imagery tools. Microsoft, Cisco and Intel are members of NetHope, an organisation which is trying to establish internet connectivity for the various relief agencies on the ground.
Zynga, the developer behind Facebook's popular FarmVille application, also announced a Haiti relief fund. Zynga's s FarmVille game players were able to purchase White Corn seeds for their Virtual Farm. The purchases, made in real dollars, have so far raised over a million dollars in just five days, with 100% of the funds raised going to the World Food Program (WFP).
In Zynga's other games such as Mafia Wars, Fishville and Poker, players are also able to purchase virtual goods, again with 100% of the funds raised going to the Haiti relief fund. So far players from 47 countries have participated in this fundraising scheme.Last year, Zynga operated a similar scheme with their "Sweet Seeds for Haiti" which was to raise funds and awareness for sustainable and healthy meals for Haitian children and their families. The scheme was successful with $575,000 being raised in the initial instalment alone. This all goes to show that applications like FarmVille are not just about fun and games, they can have a serious humanitarian aspect to them as well.
*If you are interested in donating to the Haiti Earthquake Appeal please visit the Australian Red Cross site for more information*
REFERENCES,
ABC News Online. (2010) Frantic search for Haiti quake survivors Retrieved 19th January, 2010 from http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/01/13/2791558.htm
Chubb, P (2010) Twitter and Facebook Haiti Earthquake Appeal: Power of Social Media PR News Retrieved 19th January 2010 from
Farmville Freak (2010) Zynga raises almost 1 million for Haiti relief fund with the help of FarmVille players. Retrieved 20th January, 2010 from http://farmvillefreak.com/
Google Crisis Response (2010). Retrieved 22nd January, 2010 from http://www.google.com/relief/haitiearthquake/
Lefkow, C (2010) Technology comes to the aid of Haiti. The Australian. Retrieved 19th January, 2010 from http://www.theaustralian.com.au/australian-it/the-hub/technology-comes-to-the-aid-of-haiti/story-fn4k6e9r-1225821111534
Morgan, J (2010) Twitter and Facebook users respond to Haiti crisis Retrieved 22nd January 2010 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8460791.stm
Zynga.com Sweet Seeds for Haiti. Retrieved 20th January, 2010 from http://zynga.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/948/~/sweet-seeds-for-haitiZynga Blog (2010) Zynga creates Haiti relief Fund Retrieved 19th January, 2010 from http://blog.zynga.com/2010/01/zynga-creates-haiti-relief-fund.html
Zynga Blog (2010) Zynga Players Raise Over 1.5 million for Haiti in Five Days. Retrieved 22nd January, 2010 from
http://blog.zynga.com/2010/01/zynga-players-raise-over-15-million-for-haiti-in-five-days.html
http://blog.zynga.com/2010/01/zynga-players-raise-over-15-million-for-haiti-in-five-days.html
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