Surviving SNOWtorious B.I.G. With a Little Help from Social Media

Washington DC is notorious for its inability to handle snow, so its only fitting that the storm that hit us this weekend has been dubbed Snowtorious B.I.G. Even the President has made fun of us in the past. But this time was no joke–more than two feet of snow fell around the area, trapping many in their homes since Friday, me included. But with social networks I’m as connected as I can be without leaving the house.

Thanks to Twitter I’ve been in contact with the local Department of Transportation, on Twitter as @DDOTDC, leading a one-woman crusade to get our street plowed. I love watching cars spin out as much as anyone, but thanks to a great map of plow locations around town I can see exactly where they’ve been and when. And it ain’t at my house.

Despite our fear of snow, D.C. has been a leader in sharing data like this for public benefit. Back in 2008 the Apps for Democracy competition sparked dozens of great applications to help city dwellers. One of my personal favorites, Next Bus, let me know exactly how long—you guessed it—the next bus would take to get us to the grocery store this morning.

Since the federal government has been closed for two days, and most offices in the area follow suit, every event is canceled, leaving me plenty of time to tweet, play around with Facebook’s new layout, add Google Buzz to my iPhone and even post some YouTube videos to help my family in California understand just what is going on.

The week I moved to Washington DC was the great blizzard of 1996, which ranks 4th on the most snowfall list for DC. Things were bad but coming from Syracuse University I wasn’t scared, until I arrived at a grocery store with locked doors and a bewildered checker asking, “How did you even GET here?” Then it was the experience of leaving one snowbound city and arriving in another, but today, its technology that’s keeping me moving about town, and sane while I’m in the house.

The snow started last Friday, and the city has gone a little crazier with each day. What started as #SNOtorious is now just #SnoverKill. A few hours ago round two began, expected to bring with it anywhere from 5” to 20” by tomorrow. I know we’ll be stuck inside for at least a few more days, but I have my Hootsuite to keep me warm.

What have you been doing–online or off–to stay sane during these storms? Or is cabin fever taking over?

About the Author
Lesly Simmons is a freelance writer and interactive communications and events specialist based in San Francisco, California.
See all posts by Lesly Simmons.