December 26th is not a day that the world is soon to forget. On this humble day, we were reminded of the non-manmade horrors that can occur, due to an earthquake off the coast of Sumatra that resulted in a deadly tsunami. The tsunami, being referred to as the Christmas Tsunami, claimed the lives of more than 100,000 in twelve different countries.
During a time of great need around the world, the technology community stepped up to help out. Reports are showing that numerous corporations are reaching out to those in need. The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation announced a $3 million donation. Microsoft has announced a $3.5 million donation as well. Cisco also pitched in donating $2.5 million, a good portion comprised of Cisco employee donations.
Along with the technology corporations making large monetary contributions, technology is also helping out in another way: providing a means for mass donations. The amount of individuals utilizing websites for donating got so immense, the International Red Cross website crashed, but is now back up. It is reported that within a few days over $18 million had been donated to the Red Cross.
Several web based corporations are doing their part by linking to various charities on their websites. Internet giant, Google, has placed the details of thirteen charities and corresponding links on their homepage. Among the other web based corporations with links to several charities are: Amazon, Yahoo, MSN, AOL and eBay.
