On March 3rd, over forty people from around Adelaide gathered together to discuss how technology can be used for social good. The Inaugural Tech for Social Good Event in Adelaide, South Australia was held as part of the global NetSquared events, which are an initiative of TechSoup Global.

Guest speakers from the Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation and #Quiz4QLD presented compelling examples of how the rise in social media has the capacity to produces amazing results for social good. During the event, tweets were sent out via our @ConnectingUp account using the #Net2ADL hashtag. Participants also tweeted as the event progressed, drawing audiences from interstate and overseas.

Continue reading to find out more!

Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation

For many, the step into social media is still a daunting one, especially where there is a lack of understanding and education of how it works and what it is. Jane Durbridge and Jill Newman from the Women's and Children's Hospital Foundation drew upon their experiences to share how social media was introduced to an initially apprehensive organisation. Jane's baby-steps approach and perseverance, paid off. Women's and Children's Foundation now have a significant local social media presence. They continue to connect with people who are passionate about their cause are now engaging with them on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. This representation has led to donations and funding for projects where they have been able to positively impact the lives of others.

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Quiz for Queensland

In just sixteen days, following the tragic Queensland disasters, four people managed to pull together the #Quiz4QLD quiz night. Alison Kershaw, who headed up the organising team, shared her experience, and how social media was used to gather momentum behind a cause which was already gripping the nation. Word rapidly spread through social media, with the event also being featured in various news channels across the country. The Facebook event alone was shared with over five thousand people. Through connections on Twitter, and on a $0 budget, Alison and her team managed to bring together a successful event, with substantial prizes ranging from hotel accommodation to cupcakes. Over one hundred people attended #Quiz4QLD, raising over five thousand dollars to support relief funds for Queensland.

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Discussion Groups

After the key speakers, the attendees were separated into different groups to brainstorm and discuss what a world with only one form of communication would look like, with the pros and cons being written down and shared with the group. Different groups were given different communications mediums to discuss: social media, face to face, email, handwritten notes and analogue phones. It was great to hear some of the in-depth insights which came out of the discussions.

Future NetSquared Adelaide Events

This first NetSquared, Tech for Social Good event was a great success, with many people staying longer to share stories and network. Seeing such an enthusiastic group of people interested in social good through technology was an encouraging start to the NetSquared Adelaide events. There has already been interest sparked in group projects, think-tanks and idea sharing at future NetSquared Adelaide events. Our hope for NetSquared Adelaide is that it becomes an organic community of like-minded people who are excited about the potential for social good that technology offers.

If you would like to find out more on the events, you can connect with us through one (or all!) of the following sites:

• MeetUp - The Adelaide NetSquared MeetUp Group
• Facebook - NetSquared Adelaide
• Twitter - follow the #Net2ADL hashtag