Dina Mehta is talking about Social Tools. She's begun with a moving set of pictures, where she's been working in the field using blogs, wiki's, Skype etc. Dina's shared via some posts on the Skype Journal her desire to apply more of these tools to enhancing the research process. To get her research stories face to face, (even though Skype has enabled us to collaborate on both research projects and client blogs) brings it all together in a practical manner.

What I enjoyed about listening is the message about having empathy. I think it's something that many bloggers share and identify in each other.

It's also something that Skype helps to enable.

These tools illustrated by the Tsunami blog demonstrate what an outpouring of emotion can do. A crisis is a powerful motivator. It's also demonstrates what happens when there are very low barriers to entry, when the tools are elegant and simple. Her examples of the Tsunami blog and for client implementations makes it easy to see that this is not really about technology. Rather uptake happens when human needs are catered to and barriers to participation are low.

See also:

• Dina's own notes on her presentation
• Mentalized's Points Summary
• Gunnar Langemark's blog
• Frederik's post: "Technology with Heart"
• CPH127
• Allan Jenkins comments that the Tsunami case proves "We don't have the tools is OUT as an excuse"
  
• melo: "The most interesting point for me is that the reason she thinks it worked was that people were helping out in the fields of expertise they had. Each person felt the pressure of responsibility and that made them keep on their respective fields but with a will to share."