Origin Story

How a fire (and Twitter) put me on the path toward Digital Kindness

Jun 23, 2022

Ten years ago, a fire — and Twitter — changed my life.

I wasn’t in the fire. I wasn’t anywhere near it, actually.

I was packing up my house in Austin, Texas when the most destructive fire (at that point) in Colorado history swept through Colorado Springs. Roughly 32,000 residents were evacuated; 347 homes were destroyed. It consumed the very neighborhood where I was about to move.

Before the Waldo Canyon Fire, I used Twitter to find answers to basic questions about life in Colorado Springs. I didn’t know a single soul in the city, so Twitter became my go-to source of information. I started following people from the community. I asked about how the schools worked. Recommendations for pediatricians. Where to get my car fixed. Pretty soon my new digital friends and I were chatting about normal everyday things.

I found Twitter helpful and entertaining — but, at that point, it was just a means to an end. I didn’t see it as a powerful way of connecting humans and creating a better world.

I didn’t see it as transformative.

The fire changed that.

From my sofa in Austin, Twitter connected me to Colorado Springs. It made me part of the community before I ever even lived there. And it enabled the entire city to unite in a common purpose. People who might never have met in physical spaces came together digitally to crowdsource information, participate in solutions, and comfort and care for those who lost their homes. Many members of that digital community remain connected today.

When the ash settled, I belonged to Colorado Springs.

My house in Austin hadn’t sold yet. The fire meant I wasn’t able to get to financing for the house I planned to move to. I could have taken it as a sign to stay put, but something about the whole experience convinced me Colorado Springs was where I was meant to be.

I finished packing the truck and moved to a city where I knew no one “in real life.” Because of social media, though, I immediately plugged into a circle of friends and connections that rapidly expanded.

Not only did my Twitter fire experience give me a new community and a new life, it also led me to re-imagine my business. It sparked my ongoing fascination with the upsides of the digital world. I believe in the power of social media to transform lives and communities, so I began helping businesses and organizations embrace that transformative power. (If that’s something your business or organization is interested in, I’m available to lead strategy sessions and workshops.)

I also started researching, writing, and speaking about positive, purposeful use of digital media. I’ve given multiple presentations, keynotes, and even a TEDx Talk on the subject. I’ve released two books Digital Kindness and Digital Grace (shameless plug: you can buy them on Amazon!), with more in the works. And, of course, there’s this newsletter.

Earlier this week I was on a panel of international communications and diplomacy experts for the launch of a digital diplomacy compendium published by the European Digital Diplomacy Exchange. I co-authored an article called Digital Marketing: Trust-Building Tool for Government Communicators with Jacob Anderson — someone I first met on Twitter during the Waldo Canyon Fire.

My life today is nothing like the one I was living a decade ago. I’m happier, healthier, more broadly informed, more compassionate, and more empathetic because of online discussions, ideas, and relationships. Digital discourse changed (and continues to change) my perspectives on many issues, opening up ways of being and navigating life that seemed unthinkable before.

Sure, there are lots of bad things flooding digital spaces. But there are lots of wonderful, uplifting, enlightening things out there as well. Seek out the good. Choose to be part of it. Who knows where those positive interactions might lead.

Have digital interactions had a positive impact on your life? I’d love to hear your stories!

Digital Hope

Discussion about this post