This weekend President Obama called on us to do whatever we can to raise money and help the people of Haiti in the aftermath of the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that devastated the capital city of Port-au-Prince and much of the surrounding area. I now call on my friends to do the same, and join me in this effort and help me organize the first of several service projects in Haiti.

In the immediate aftermath of the 2005 gulf coast hurricanes that devastated parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, I launched a similar awareness campaign on JustinSchuck.com. Now I come to you again asking for your help and compassion. As we move forward I will provide additional resources on my dedicated Haiti page.

The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund
On Saturday, President Clinton and President Bush announced the creation of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund as a central resource to donate money towards the recovery and rebuilding efforts in Haiti. I feel very proud that these two former presidents have taken this call to action. Their presence will lend a unifying credibility to the fundraising effort. The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund will ensure that all funds raised go directly to the organizations and groups that need it the most. We are being asked to send only money at this time so that people on the ground can decide for themselves exactly what they will need to save lives.

Please visit their website to learn more: http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org

We've come a long way, baby.
Since the 2004 South Asian tsunami and the 2005 gulf coast hurricanes, we have seen great advances in technology and fundraising capabilities. The U.S. State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the American Red Cross used the power of mobile communications to raise an unprecedented amount of money via text messaging. By texting "HAITI" to "90999," users will be charged $10 on their phone bill, the money going directly to relief efforts. The swift action on the part of the government and Red Cross in launching this innovative program made it easy for people to give what they can.

In the months to come, I hope we continue to remember to text our donations so that we can provide a sustained stream of revenue for aid.

Where do we go from here?
Like many I feel restless to help, donations to aid organizations do not ease these tensions. Words eloquent enough to describe the range of emotions I feel for the Haitian people have not found my tongue. I want to be on the ground, getting my hands dirty, clearing rubble, building homes and comforting the impoverished of spirit. It will be several months before we are able to fully understand the scope of this tragedy, but my convictions are simple: I plan to organize, with the help of friends and partners, service projects in Haiti once the immediate crisis calms and the journey of rebuilding a nation begins—as early as this spring if the stars align.

I urge you to heed my call to action and join me in helping the people of Haiti. If you are interested in volunteering or contributing in any way to this effort, please email me directly with the subject "HAITI SERVICE PROJECT" to info@justinschuck.com.

Haiti Tags
To stay up-to-date on the latest from me, use this link to find my blog posts on Haiti.

Twitter Hashtags
I am asking my friends and followers to use the "#JustinSchuckHaiti" hashtag at the beginning of tweets to provide an easy way to follow the conversation on the web.

Labels: AIDS, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Bush Clinton Haiti Fund, Catholic Relief Services, George W. Bush, Government, Haiti, Justin Schuck, JustinSchuck.com, News, Twitter, USAID, Volunteer, Website

Even though I am just getting over Swine Flu (just kidding—it's really just a horrible cold), I thought I would get on my web cam to vlog and tell you a bit more about my business and why you need to hire Justin Schuck Photography for your next portrait, special event, hotel, product catalog, real property or editorial assignment. The video features music by Yogstar.

On Vimeo:

Justin Schuck Photography - Asking for your business from Justin Schuck on Vimeo.

On YouTube:

Labels: Advertising, Blog, business, design, JSDS, Justin Schuck, Justin Schuck + Company, Justin Schuck Photography, New York, Twitter, Video, Vlog

You'll have to follow me on Twitter to catch a sneak peek of the new design direction for JustinSchuck.com, the refreshed logo, and and other elements. (Hint: you'll have to look a little deeper than just my profile page.)

Follow me at http://twitter.com/JustinSchuck

And if you get the chance, vote for me at Twibs (you don't even have to sign up. Just one click.): http://www.twibs.com/business?business=JustinSchuck

I hope everyone's on Daylight Savings Time. It is winter after all. ;-P

-Justin

Labels: design, Justin Schuck, Justin Schuck + Company, photography, Social Media, Twitter

I got @TweetBomb(ed) today. I made a comment about how being TweetBombed on a Sunday is like being named "Price of the Cul-de-sac." In other words, it's pointless. Clearly the jesters behind @TweetBomb decided to tweet me a lesson. I more than tripled my followers today after receiving over 400 @TweetBombs. It's like engineering a lottery windfall, but with tweets! God I'm good. If only all this translated to a 300% increase in my bank account.



At 3:33pm EST the @TweetBombing commenced with the instructions "***TWEETBOMB*** Everyone type "@justinschuck you are prince cul-de-sac" and hit update!" and the flood started. So they proved, there is no bad day to be @TweetBombed. If I'm not one in a million, I'm one in 3,353.

Follow the siege here: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%40justinschuck

To Learn more about TweetBombing, check these links:
http://twitter.com/tweetbomb
http://tweetbomb.wordpress.com
Mobile: http://m.twitter.com/tweetbomb
The Death of @TweetBomb


(Now back to work...)

Labels: Justin Schuck, Social Media, Twitter