Did you know Google also doubles as an active crisis response team? I found out vicariously through @alexpriest’s Tweets yesterday, from the #google4np session in D.C., and was blown away by the amount of activity the company has when it comes to devastating natural events. For instance, Google served as a mediator and networking solution in the Gulf Oil Spill, Haiti disasters, and now the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. It is, in a sense, acting like the levelheaded leader with a megaphone in a chaotic room.  The service really gave me pause - can search engines be more than just pithy answer machines, and instead jump to the aid of millions in a time of need too? With Google’s “Person Finder” - a result of its employees’ 20% free time experimentation that untangled a collection of similar sites to create one accessible feed - and its monetary arm that inspires philanthropy by large and small donors alike (the American Red Cross, Unicef, Save the Children, International Medical Corps., and others are all featured), Google is becoming more of a vital tool rather than just a valuable one.  The most exciting part for me to see is Google emerging as a worldwide communicator. Think about it: the site is available in nearly every country, in every language, and with features in every sector from finance to maps, shopping to news. By organizing them in such a way (i.e. when you shop with Google, proceeds go toward relief efforts, translating into Japanese, providing breaking news updates, giving transportation status alerts, and providing information hotlines), it’s clear that this is a worldwide effort, rather than just a response. To learn more and be impressed yourself, visit Beth Kanter’s site, or take a look at its constantly updated crisis response page. 

Did you know Google also doubles as an active crisis response team? 

I found out vicariously through @alexpriest’s Tweets yesterday, from the #google4np session in D.C., and was blown away by the amount of activity the company has when it comes to devastating natural events. For instance, Google served as a mediator and networking solution in the Gulf Oil Spill, Haiti disasters, and now the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. It is, in a sense, acting like the levelheaded leader with a megaphone in a chaotic room. 

The service really gave me pause - can search engines be more than just pithy answer machines, and instead jump to the aid of millions in a time of need too? With Google’s “Person Finder” - a result of its employees’ 20% free time experimentation that untangled a collection of similar sites to create one accessible feed - and its monetary arm that inspires philanthropy by large and small donors alike (the American Red Cross, Unicef, Save the Children, International Medical Corps., and others are all featured), Google is becoming more of a vital tool rather than just a valuable one. 

The most exciting part for me to see is Google emerging as a worldwide communicator. Think about it: the site is available in nearly every country, in every language, and with features in every sector from finance to maps, shopping to news. By organizing them in such a way (i.e. when you shop with Google, proceeds go toward relief efforts, translating into Japanese, providing breaking news updates, giving transportation status alerts, and providing information hotlines), it’s clear that this is a worldwide effort, rather than just a response.

To learn more and be impressed yourself, visit Beth Kanter’s site, or take a look at its constantly updated crisis response page.