Frustrating limits of online communities
Posted by Karoli in Photography December 10th, 2006
I have an Aussie friend on Flickr, JulesAngel, who is one of the most encouraging and sweetest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of interacting with.
She’s had her share of troubles lately, but trouble isn’t a stranger to her. She’s overcome cancer, chronic back pain, unemployment, but still she always has an encouraging word of appreciation for everyone. She’s truly one of the most wonderful members I’ve ever found in an online community.
Last week her hard drive gave out, leaving her without a computer and causing her to lose nearly all of her photos. She’s managed to get online for a couple of minutes to let her Flickr friends know what happened, but that’s it. I sent her mail offering to either replace the hard drive or the laptop, but I’m in the US and she’s in Australia, so I don’t even really know how to do that.
I’m frustrated. I’m willing to use the money in the lens account and some extra to get her back up and running. As cynical as I am about online interaction, this is one time that I’m not. I believe she’s genuine. And she communicates so well through her photos. Only, I can’t figure out how to get a gift to her without anything more than Flickr info.
I wish there were a clearinghouse or some way that a gift could be given to someone without revealing their contact info, so their privacy isn’t violated if they don’t want it to be.
Anyway, assuming I hear from her via email, what is the best way to get a fix to her fast? PayPal? Direct order from an Australian-based company?
Technorati Tags: Flickr, online communities, gift-giving
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December 13, 2006 at 1:03 am
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