evolving, and, in retrospect, interesting patterns emerged around themes related to social computing, including organizational development, brokering of volunteers and know-how, and communicating with the media and general public. Many could be improved through better software.

Experience. The volunteer effort began via overlapping email threads among Gray’s colleagues and friends in the hours and days following his disappearance. Various people exchanged ideas about getting access to satellite imagery, hiring planes, and putting up missing-person posters. Many involved reaching out in a coordinated and thoughtful manner to third parties, but it was unclear who heard what information and who might be contacting which third parties. To solve that problem a blog called “Tenacious Search” was set up to allow a broadcast style of communication among the first group of participants. Initially, authorship rights on the blog were left wide open. This simple “ blog-as-bulle-tin-board” worked well for a day or two for coordinating those involved in the search, loosely documenting our questions, efforts, skills, and interests in a way that helped define the group’s effort and organization.

Within a few days the story of Gray’s disappearance was widely known, however, and the blog transitioned from in-group communication medium to widely read publishing venue for status reports on the search effort, serving this role for the remainder of the volunteer search. This function was quickly taken seriously, so authorship on the blog was closed to additional members, and a separate “Friends of Jim” mailing list was set up for internal team communications. This transition led to an increased sense of organizational and social structure within the core group of volunteers.

Over the next few days, various individuals stepped into unofficial central roles for reasons of expedience or unique skills or both. The blog administrator evolved into a general “ communications coordinator,” handling messages sent to a public email box for tips, brokering skill-matching for volunteers, and serving as a point of contact with outside parties. Another volunteer emerged as “aircraft coordi-

Interesting patterns
emerged around
themes related
to social computing,
including
organizational
development,
brokering of
volunteers and
know-how, and
communicating
with the media
and general public.

nator,” managing efforts to find, pilot, and route private planes and boats to search for Gray. A third volunteer assumed the role of “analysis coordinator,” organizing various teams on image analysis and ocean-drift modeling at a various organizations in the U.S. A fourth was chosen by Gray’s family to serve as “media coordinator,” the sole contact for press and public relations. These coordinator roles were identified in retrospect, and the role names were coined for this article to clarify the discussion. Individuals with management experience in the business world provided guidance along the way, but much of the organizational development happened in an organic “bottom-up” mode.

On the communications front, an important role that quickly emerged was the brokering of tasks between skilled or well-resourced volunteers and people who could take advantage of those assets. This began in an ad hoc broadcast mode on the blog and email lists, but, as the search progressed, offers of help came from unexpected sources, and coordination and task brokering became more complex. Volunteers with science and military backgrounds emerged with offers of specific technical expertise and suggestions for acquiring and analyzing particular satellite imagery. Others offered to search in private planes and boats, sometimes at serious risk to their own lives, and so were discouraged by the team and the Coast Guard. Yet others offered to post “Missing Sailor” posters in marinas, also requiring coordination. Even psychic assistance was offered. Each offer took time from the communications coordinator to diplomatically pursue and route or deflect. As subteams emerged within the organization, this responsibility became easier; the communications coordinator could skim an inbound message and route it to one of the other volunteer coordinators for follow-up.

Similar information-brokering challenges arose in handling thousands of messages from the general public, after being encouraged by the media to keep their eyes open for boats and debris, reporting to a public email address. The utility of many of these messages was ambiguous,