Social Networks and Survival

Last month month I talked about the importance of your network in reference to people you know that you can rely on for help in a less than desirable situation. Given that it’s 2009 and we’re online “your network” can and often does refers to a different group of people -not just the ones you know in person locally, but the ones you are connected to online. Your networks on sites like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr or even readers of your own blog can be an endless stream of information, both in and out, that shouldn’t be overlooked. (This image is a fancy visualization of the people I’m connected to on Facebook – that’s a lot of people who are essentially only one click away.)

When talking about disaster scenarios this kind of thing is often ignored because the assumption is if things fall apart it’s not a good idea to count on something that requires power and a cell or internet connection. Those will likely be the first things to fail, right? Maybe not. The problem with this thought process you are only planning for worst case, when in fact you are far more likely to be in a situation somewhere between total chaos and normal every day bliss. Read more…