In the aftermath of September 11, New York's technology industry, realizing how critical the Internet was in maintaining communications during the aftermath, mobilized along with the country to aid relief efforts.

Allison Hemming, a consultant perhaps best known for organizing the networking events known as the Pink Slip Party, and Eileen Shulock of tech association Webgrrls, launched Silicon Alley Cares. The mission: to match up volunteers with technical assistance in order to help relief organizations keep track of the goods and services that came pouring into lower Manhattan.

Other technology-focused groups and associations rallied to offer free office space, unused computers and any tech assistance needed.

The various groups eventually organized to draft an open letter in an effort to coordinate the tech response.

Later, technology entrepreneur Andrew Raseij would get behind an effort to create a National"IT" Guard to mobilize a communications infrastructure during a national emergency.

This week, atNewYork asked some members who helped publicize the Silicon Alley Cares movement to update us with observations about their efforts, the IT and technology industry here and what we've learned in a year. The responses are not meant to fully represent the region's new media and technology industry. In addition, many responses had to be edited down for length.

Instead, they are offered as a kind of snapshot of what some members of the new media/IT industry -- what is still known to many as Silicon Alley -- are thinking as they look back and ahead.

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Eileen Shulock
Webgrrls, co-founder Silicon Alley Cares:
Initial requests for "all hands on deck" support like data entry (transferring some 60,000+ missing persons claims from pieces of paper, for example), quickly turned into SAC-supervised 24/7 technical assistance. By sending technically skilled volunteers into these organizations for initial relief, we actually accomplished two things:

1) Intelligent, skilled and caring people handled the mountain of administrative work that needed to get done quickly;
2) Once those experts were in the door, they could assess the needs for technical assistance, jump in with their credentials and ideas, and then immediately get to work on things like networking computers, merging databases, "Webifying" administrative tasks, updating websites, setting up and troubleshooting e-commerce systems for donations, assessing and coordinating offers of equipment and service, and general project management.

Much of this work went unheralded. There literally was not time for formal planning, RFPs, meetings, strategic alliances or press releases. If the on-scene troops needed a certain skill, we emailed out a call for it and sent the volunteer in to round out the team, often within an hour or two.

This "state of emergency" lasted for several months. We continue to receive requests for help, and are adding to the SAC "service suite" two things: 1) The ability to pull together technically skilled volunteer teams to work on larger Web projects;
2) A Tech Angels program which will match highly skilled volunteers directly with small business owners for an hour or two of intense consultation.

The time has come to recognize that the need for technically skilled volunteers is not going away. There are many valuable initiatives under way, and we plan to formalize SAC -- with or without recognition and support from the city and the state -- as a means of strengthening what thousands of volunteers gave tens of thousands of hours to prove that the city needs.

Tom Watson
Chief Information Officer, Changing Our World; co-founder and former co-managing editor, atNewYork.com:
I think the desire of "the Alley" to help largely outran its ability to do so - and that's fine. All New Yorkers felt the overwhelming urge to help, to do something and in the technology community, we all felt like all those good things we knew how to do must be of some use. I ran around to meetings like a madman, made calls, wrote articles, sent e-mails - and accomplished zippo. But it made me feel better, still connected.

That said, there were some small-scale successes that are worthy of note:
- Webgrrls assistance to the Red Cross in database entry
- Silicon Alley Cares for bringing the community, or some of it, together rapidly
- NYSIA for doing the Silicon Summit downtown, one of the first signs that NY was back
- Andrew (Raseij's) cyber-security work in Congress

And tons of people for just going to work, the day after, the week after, the month after, the year after. What NY does well is build! It's in our beautiful multi-hued blood.

Much of the old factionalism and in-fighting in the Alley has gone away. Much of it is due to the harsh business climate, where survival is key and egos are necessarily kept down. But I think it also has to do with the realization that we're lucky just to be around. Used to be that the Alley was like an Irishman with Alzheimer's -- the only thing we didn't forget was the grudges. Our feuds were legendary -- in our own minds anyway. Who's got time for 'em now? Who cares? As Dylan said in the album released on Sept. 11 - "I've got nothing but affection for all those who've sailed with me."

Andrew Raseij
President, Digital Club Network, advocate for National IT Guard:
I still think the people from the "Alley" still care and would do whatever might be needed to assist the City or State with rebuilding or other support.

Unfortunately, the City and State don't recognize the technology community as an asset nor do they recognize the role technology could play in helping provide emergency communications and support in the event of another tragedy.

For example, the concept of Silicon Alley Cares has been turned into a bill, which passed the Senate by a vote of 97-0 and is now part of the Homeland Security Act with a $50 million appropriation to create a National Tech Corp.

The City and State of New York could easily apply to use some of this money to mobilize Silicon Alley Cares permanently into a "reserve" corps of people who could be mobilized so that we wouldn't look like Kosovars looking for loved ones from hospital to hospital next time (God forbid) there's a disaster.

Bloomberg's administration, which was initially thought of as being very "tech savvy" has not developed any out reach to our community. It's a missed opportunity.

Bruce Bernstein
President, New York Software Industry Association:
The space issue was key, as large numbers of companies were displaced and a good number found space through our Web site listings and through others that were offering space.

The Silicon Alley Community meeting in early October helped companies see what sort of economic assistance was out there. It was attended by about 750 and addressed by FEMA, NYC EDC, NY State ESDC, SBA,etc.

The Software Summit (in March, 2002) was a sign that Silicon Alley was still here and still strong.

Everyone in Silicon Alley has to work to rebuild the industry and to make sure NYC continues to thrive as a center of IT growth and creativity. In fact, I believe that the companies that are still in business are more serious long-term players than many that received notice during the "bubble" period. Silicon Alley will thrive in the next 3-5 years with a more solid "tech" base and less hype.

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