Editor’s note: Rachel Haot is the first Chief Digital Officer for the City of New York, where she leads NYC Digital and is focused on the city’s digital media strategy.
From hackathons to social media, open government is transforming the way that Mayor Bloomberg’s administration and New York City government serve the public. And there has been no greater testament to open government’s… → Read More
[Note: This is the first of a weekly series, if your company is doing something amazing to help a charitable cause or doing some good in your community, please reach out.]
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s…Newark, New Jersey Mayor, Cory Booker. You might have heard a story or two about the United States’ most famous mayor, be it from our own Disrupt conference, BuzzFeed, Twitter and pretty much… → Read More
Apple is donating $2.5 million to Hurricane Sandy relief, according to an internal staff email obtained by 9t05Mac this morning. The lump sum donation is in addition to the company’s collection of monetary support from iTunes customers and Apple employees. Apple’s iTunes donations pass on 100 percent of their value to relief efforts, and the company features a link on its home page for donations. → Read More
We’re just now learning what level the devastation that Hurricane Sandy caused on the East Coast, specifically in New York City, and people are starting to send the wagons around to raise money to assist those in need. We learned yesterday that mentions of blood donation and the Red Cross skyrocketed on Twitter during the peak of the storm, and other organizations are starting to get involved. → Read More
Recovering from Hurricane Sandy is no small feat as most of Lower Manhattan is still in the dark without power. I talked with a couple of people working in startups who had to find a place to get back work. But the most difficult part was probably to set aside the devastation and get the businesses back on track. Those companies are fragile and can’t risk a companywide blackout for a week. → Read More
As you know, the devastation of Hurricane Sandy has hit millions. Many turned to Twitter to discuss what they were going through. Today, the company shared some interesting facts and numbers having to do with Hurricane-related activity on the site.
What does this tell you? Twitter was a fine replacement for cell phones and landlines that weren’t working. The interesting thing about these… → Read More
We’ve seen a few companies rally behind the victims of Hurricane Sandy, and today Airbnb joins the fold.
The peer-to-peer home sharing startup has decided to waive all of its fees for both hosts and guests in Sandy-affected areas. They are also encouraging hosts to lower prices and take in refugees who may be without power, water, or a home at all. → Read More
Facebook Gifts launched with the ability for you to buy something meaningful for a friend or family member on the social network. I’ve tinkered with it a bit and have bought a few gifts, including a bonsai tree and Starbucks gift cards. My mind immediately jumped to “wouldn’t it be cool if I could donate money to a charity on behalf of my friend for their birthday?”, and well, that happened today… → Read More
Online consignment shop thredUP is launching a timely new feature called Groups, which allows consumers to use the service in order to generate cash donations for charitable causes. As you may have guessed, the company is kicking off the launch with a group dedicated to Hurricane Sandy relief. → Read More
If you think Sandy’s slow, steady passing is a sign of good things to come, think again. It’s going to take days (at the very least) to restore power to many of the 7 million+ people living in darkness, and cell service is expected to get worse before it gets better.
According to the FCC, 25 percent of cell towers in ten states were disrupted or damaged during the Hurricane. Landline outages… → Read More
The fallout from Hurricane Sandy is still affecting startups left and right. New York’s Fab.com sent a memo out to customers today saying that it is temporarily halting shipments of packages because its New Jersey-based warehouses are currently without power.
The company’s headquarters in New York’s West Village also remain without power and are closed. CEO Jason Goldberg says that about a… → Read More
While Twitter plays both the rumor mill and fact checker for Hurricane Sandy news reports, Facebook is how people are leaving notes for loved ones about their particular situations. “We are ok” was the most shared term on Facebook as of 10am EST today. Others in the top 10 included “power” (lost power, have power), “made it,” and “safe.” Here’s the full list and why Facebook and Twitter trends… → Read More
Hurricane Sandy has clearly taken its toll on the East Coast. At least 7.4 million homes and businesses are without power this morning across seven states. Public transit has been shut down in New York City, along with the Nasdaq and NYSE. Frankenstorm has truly been unprecedented, and so, unprecedented changes are to follow in the tech world.
For example, the top three apps in the Apple App… → Read More
As we brought to your attention last night, Google set up what it calls a “Crisis Map” as we waited for Hurricane Sandy to make land-fall. It has, and damage has been done, including massive power outages in all affected areas.
Tonight, the company has updated this map to include that information. Here’s what the Maps team had to say: → Read More
If Hurricane Sandy wasn’t scary enough, it’s newest victims are in the blogosphere. We’ve just learned that Gawker’s fleet of sites, including Gizmodo are down. Also Hurricane Sandy victims? The Huffington Post and BuzzFeed. → Read More
Hurricane Sandy, what may essentially be the biggest storm to hit the North Eastern seaboard in history, is barreling toward us, through the Atlantic, at this very second. It’s estimated to cause between $2.5 and $3 billion in wind damage alone, and has already claimed dozens of lives on its way to the States.
To that extent, the nation’s major wireless carriers want you to know they’re ready… → Read More
According to Reuters, the U.S. Stock Market will be closed on Monday due to interference that will be caused by the logistical nightmare that comes along with such a huge weather event like Hurricane Sandy. Parts of New York City have already been evacuated.
As early as six hours ago, it was said that the NYSE would not be closing down, but that decision has apparently been reversed as the… → Read More
Google has a fantastic program that prepares the world for major events involving Mother Nature, and it has set up a crisis map for people on the East Coast preparing for Hurricane Sandy. → Read More
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