http://www.metafilter.com/tags/silverbacks Posts tagged with 'silverbacks' at MetaFilter. Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:12:12 -0800 Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:12:12 -0800 en-us http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 60 http://www.metafilter.com/76953/Social%2DNetworking%2DMobile%2DPhones%2Dand%2DCrisis%2DCommunication <a href="http://mobileactive.org/can-social-networking-be-used-social-change">Can social networking be used to effect positive social change?</a> <a href="http://www.ushahidi.com/">Ushahidi</a> (meaning "testimony" in Swahili) is one such project that harnesses mobile technology to <a href="http://www.ushahidi.com/work">empower local citizens to report on crucial and crisis situations in their area.</a> Started as a mashup of <a href="http://peaceheroes.ushahidi.com/">user-generated reports and Google Maps</a> on the <a href="http://mobileactive.org/sms-information-channel-post-election-kenya">post-election crisis</a> in <a href="http://legacy.ushahidi.com/">Kenya</a>, it has now been deployed in the <a href="http://drc.ushahidi.com/">Democratic Republic of Congo</a> and <a href="http://www.unitedforafrica.co.za/">South Africa</a>. They are currently working together with other organisations, such as <a href="http://www.kiwanja.net/">Kiwanja</a>, which uses mobile technology to assist <a href="http://www.ngomobile.org/">NGO communications</a> and <a href="http://www.frontlinesms.com/">outreach</a>, <a href="http://mobility.kiwanja.net/">mobile programming education</a>, and <a href="http://www.silverbackers.org/">gorilla conservation</a>. Currently they're collaborating on prototyping the <a href="http://whiteafrican.com/2008/11/26/help-prototype-the-ultimate-activist-messaging-tool/">"ultimate activist tool"</a>. <a href="http://mobileactive.org/blog">MobileActive</a> is a dedicated blog that <a href="http://mobileactive.org/frontlinesms-mobileactive-org-review">tracks such technology in international development</a> and advocates for the <a href="http://mobileactive.org/mobiles-disaster-relief-video-mobileactive08">use of mobile technology in crisis situations and disaster relief</a>. (This post is a collaboration between <a href="http://www.metafilter.com/user/26466">divabat</a> and <a href="http://www.metafilter.com/user/23476">infini</a>.) tag:metafilter.com,2008:site.76953 Fri, 28 Nov 2008 23:12:12 -0800 communication conservation crisis disaster mobile mobilephone ngo npo phone politics relief silverbacks socialchange tech technology divabat