Expanding the reach of SMEM and bridging gaps

I had the great pleasure of having a skype chat with Francesco Ciriaci

@fciriaci on Twitter)  co-founder of CrisisCamp Italia and organizer of an upcoming SMEM forum in Bologna on March 27.

Francesco is a leader in the use of emerging technologies by volunteers in disasters in the European scene. A visit to his blog reveals why. Francesco contacted CrisisCommons to see how the organization could help in establishing a bridgehead for the promotion of the use of social media in emergency management in Italy.


Although he's already very active with different projects merging humanitarian aid and technology, Francesco wanted to hear more from the experience in integrating social media into emergency management from this side of the Atlantic Ocean.


He's particularly interested in the contribution that citizens and volunteers can make when disasters strike and building relationships with official agencies. You can read more about his interests via his LinkedIn profile.

I'm glad to highlight the kind of leadership that makes the whole SMEM movement relevant, not just in North America, but on a global scale. 


It's also another example of the role played by volunteer technical communities (in this case CrisisCommons) in developing relationships and capacities that would be of great service to areas impacted by disasters and the authorities responding to them.


Grazie Mille Francesco and buona fortuna!