Haven’t blogged lately, but I’ll wander outta seclusion for a good cause. If helping sick kids isn’t a good cause, your causometer is busted.
Lotta folk’s in the internet marketing industry will be converging on San Jose for the Search Engine Strategies Conference in August, and that’s the scene for the big event.
The Best of the Web crew and the folks at Bing are sponsoring the IM Charity Party. Bottom line, attendees make a $50 charitable contribution to get in the door ($30 if they pre-register)… and the sponsors pick up all the costs of the party so that every dime of the proceeds go to the designated charities.
The charities are “Doctors Without Borders” and “The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society”.
Just trying to get the word out… sounds like a good time, and of course it’s for a great cause. :-)
PS – I might add if the Greg and Rob are gonna go suffer for the cause at an open bar and leave me home tending The Herd… they better at least bring me home a T-Shirt.
When I transitioned from Volunteer at Dmoz to working at Best of the Web, there were a few friends that had misgivings about doing what we’d done for so long on a commercial basis. Apparently they didnt agree with the wisdom of the Dmoztivator (see also: Blatant Idea Ripoff) I’d done a few years earlier…
In keeping with the idea of finding middle ground… there’s now another opportunity for those that like to give back to the web thru exercising their Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I won’t go into detail here since I just did it elsewhere, but they can go to the BOTW Blog for details if interested.
For added benefit, the forum intersects with those neer-do-wells that edit the main directory at BOTW, so for some it’s a good opportunity to renew a few old friendships too.
RUMORS OF MOZZIES
BTW – Rumor has it I just got a Mozzie en absentia for “Most Expired Editor”?! ROFL. Somebody send me a link to the appropriate jpg… I’ll put it on here along with my gracious acceptance speech. Thanks (ermmm… I think). :p
It isn’t over for coastal residents yet, there are hurricanes queuing up behind Gustav like kids waiting to see the next must-see movie, but it appears the levees in New Orleans are holding their own despite not *quite* having gotten all the attention we’d like to see since hurricane Katrina came thru.
In addition, the lessons from Katrina appear to have been learned… whether you’re talking federal, state, local… or the citizens themselves. The various branches of government coordinated like a Swiss watch compared to last time.
The national guard was back home and ‘boots on the ground’
The city of New Orleans PD, castigated for leaving to take care of their own last time, was allowed time off in advance to secure their families before the storm hit this time
The civil authority has people in place ro enforce a curfew, and made it crystal clear looters would be dropped immediately in general populace at Angola Prison
The citizens didnt stick around to give stupid macho “We’ve lived here forever so we can deal with it” soundbites… they did the rational thing and got the hell outta Dodge
Measures were taken to coordinate with other states to provide places for those that didnt have options and transport to get them there
MEDIA RESPONSE: “Cry Wolf?”
For any in the media that push the “Did you cry wolf?” storyline… go take a freakin hike. Thank god the city was prepared, thankk god the feds were ready… and god bless the guys that worked on the levees when it got scary. It got real close a rew times, but they held (whew!). It doesnt require a LOT of holes in the seawall to screw the whole thing.
It is REAL easy to discount the danger when things work according to plan. It could have been worse. Sixteen hundred people DIED in Katrina. Taking this seriously was the ONLY rational response.
THANKS TO “The Heroes”
Thank you, thank you, thank you… to ALL the heroes that helped in planning, implementation, and in assisting those displaced by the storm. That includes the internet heroes like a vet in Merkel Texas named Brad Banner who quietly helps match those in need meet those who can help via the Gustav Wiki.
Brad lives nowhere near the affected area, and *could* have been doing things that paid him instead… because aside from his veterinary practice, he’s a member of the BOTW Editor Team. Nonetheless, he did more than most of us. Thanks. Volunteers like you are heroes, and an integral part of the fix.
As a former New Orleans area resident (long ago right after “Betsy” trashed the place), or even just as a human being… thanks to those involved. Better a “close miss” than what we had before.
Rob Jones for President 