After a long history of hardships, Haitians are now enduring a long and disastrous aftermath from last month’s most severe natural disaster in current history. The death toll is estimated at over a quarter million, the damages exceeding those of the Asian tsunami in 2004, and the costs are billions more than that of Katrina. Being one of the poorest Third World countries, Haiti is no stranger to suffering, with poverty, disease, debt, and a long list of political problems with dictatorship having existed for decades.

With their previous beloved leader, Aristide, sent into exile and the current president, René Préval, walking around in a daze, the Haitian people are short-handed on powerful leaders, and are relying on short form aid instead. Relief efforts for the massive destruction and displacement of Haitians are endless, and the partnering of big brand relief organizations with social media sites could make the overwhelming process more efficient. But for real-time news about the relief progress and inside perspectives from locals in Haiti, social media networks are revolutionizing the way we stay informed. By following local publishers, donors are empowered to make more informative decisions on how to help.

Although the Red Cross has the most branding power and continues to receive millions more in donations than any other agency, there are many more organizations with progressive, innovative approaches that hold a certain expertise. Questioning the legitimacy of an organization with an unknown name is only logical; there are predators who are using this ravaged country as an excuse to wring cash out of well intentioned donors. The less informed the donor, the more likely their funds will go to familiar agencies like Red Cross and UNICEF. There have been debates of pooling U.S. disaster funds to spread the help to other organizations that are more specialized, yet it doesn’t seem like a timely solution to what needs immediate attention.

There are easy ways to donate and some sponsors are doing it for you. If you become a follower of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund by March 2^nd, Rudy’s BBQ will automatically donate fifty cents to CBHF. (You can participate via the CBHF Twitter account). You can also sport your support with a Fashion for Haiti t-shirt (@fashionforhaiti on Twitter). New York community group To Haiti With Love, is asking artists to create and donate. Art will then be auctioned off via their website, tohaitiwithlove.co.uk. Also, if you are an eBay shopper, you can automatically donate during your checkout.

To read what people on the ground in Haiti are saying and to learn about other ways you can help and become a part of the plan, check out the publishers and citizen journalists below on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/MakHaitian

http://twitter.com/mediahacker

http://twitter.com/firesideint

http://twitter.com/RAMhaiti

In the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr. day, I’d like to take a break from our regularly scheduled social media programming to discuss a nationwide activity that occurred over the weekend. I, along with several other tech savvy individuals in various cities across the US and in London, participated in the CrisisCommons project CrisisCamp, a technological call to action in an effort to aid Haiti. These impromptu sessions, organized only a couple of days beforehand, allowed participants to see how social media and open source development can aid as a direct response to Haitian citizens. As an attendee of CrisisCamp Brooklyn, organized by Ohad Folman of Freelancers Union, we started off by brainstorming several ideas only to hit a roadblock that many of us had not considered, having grown accustomed to living in the wired world – how do you reach out to people through technology when the area is without order or electricity?

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On January 1st, Haiti celebrated their independence day. Less than two weeks later, the country is in dire straits. On Tuesday, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the small country, approximately 10 miles west of the capital, Point-au-Prince. While Twitter hashtags notoriously point the way to frivolous conversation, #Haiti is currently one of the top trending topics of conversation. Popular music artist and Haitian native Wyclef Jean is asking followers to retweet the following message:

So far, it has been reported that a hospital has collapsed in the wake of the disaster, and the New York Times has reported that the US Agency for International Development is currently in the process of deploying disaster response teams to the scene. The area, including the Dominican Republic, is also reportedly on a tsunami watch.

Please stay tuned to Twitter by following and contributing to the #Haiti hashtag. The Twitter community rallied for the Iranian citizens, and the same can be done for the people of Haiti in their time of need.

Also follow @YELEHAITI for more information. http://yele.org