by ryan shell on February 25, 2010
I would like to see another Google public meeting called – possibly sometime within the next week, to discuss the ultra-high speed network initiative.
The purpose of this meeting is to:
- Bring all interested parties, and their resources together
- Discuss what is currently in the works (if anything)
- Brainstorm ideas on how to make Greensboro stand out (this should be a creative period where ideas are exchange and open conversation is had)
- Discuss deliverables and what next steps are
In doing so we can help ensure that this is a collaborative community effort and take advantage of the wealth of knowledge that Greensboro has to offer. There should be a clear leader (The City) at this meeting and a process in place to determine the overall direction that is taken.
Note: Posts on this subject matter will be off format for this site and have my opinion.
by ryan shell on December 11, 2009
Donated trash bags and "picker uppers"
This post originally appeared on RyanShell.com, but I wanted to share it with you here as well. It highlights how I used Twitter to help secure a donation from Home Depot; a donation that was a critical part in a project I wanted to launch that would help the homeless. This is also post number one in the newly created “Making a Difference” series.
Just over a week ago I brainstormed an idea that would accomplish two things:
- Fulfill my responsibility of cleaning up a portion of Lee St., one of several streets I’ve adopted in my hometown of Greensboro, NC
- Engage members (10 people to start) of the homeless community and pay them to help me clean up the previously mentioned section of street
In my eyes, to make this project work I needed to have 10, what I call “trash picker uppers” donated. They are priced at around $30 each and are needed to help pick up some of the less than desirable trash that will be encountered along the way.
I called the local Home Depot, but after about a day and a half of no returned call (local store is understandably busy) I took the project to Twitter and reached out to @HomeDepot. My tweet indicated that I was working on a project to help the homeless and needed a donation.
To my surprised I received a response on Twitter, which led to a couple emails, a phone conversation with someone at the corporate office, a follow up email… and then a call from the store manager at the local store I originally called. The final phone call indicated that the store would be making the requested donation.
This is just another example of how Twitter helped connect the dots… dots, which probably wouldn’t have been connected through the normal channels.
PS – I’m still raising money to help fund the hourly wage for the project; if you would like to make a contribution ($10 would be appreciated) you can do so by clicking here.
