Until recently, the extent of using Facebook for charity has been restricted to “Causes” – user-generated pages for organizations and charities providing a mechanism for allowing contributors to donate online. This has been one way for organizations to “virally” get their message out and acquire new supporters.
However, due to the recent, massive flooding in Atlanta, the local Christian radio station, 104.7 FM – The Fish, has discovered a new way to serve the community through Facebook. The Fish and their morning show hosts, Kevin and Taylor, are using their Facebook news feeds as a platform for posting community needs and responses.
For someone seeking assistance, the individual would post their request to either the main feed of the Fish or to the feed of Kevin and Taylor. Community members receive the status updates in their own feeds and have an opportunity to respond to those needs.
Many would argue that social media has weakened the “back porch community.” For Atlanta this week, Facebook has done the opposite – brought strength and encouragement to a hurting city.
