Rapid response establishes TryingToFindYou.com - the web site for survivors

Within hours of the attacks on American targets UK website consultant Toby Wallis decided to use the power of the Internet to help victims and their families.

Toby established a website at http://www.tryingtofindyou.com to enable people looking for loved ones to pursue their search. A couple of e-mails and a telephone call to California resulted in an offer of help from Rob Young, founder of Webteacher Software, whose company produces Webdata database software. Rob donated a license for the tryingtofindyou.com installation which enabled the site to be up and running within 24 hours.

"It ain't pretty yet, but it works" says Toby Wallis. "Obviously the key was to get the web site up and running as quickly as possible - there's plenty of time for refinement once it's live."

Already there is a database for seekers and survivors who can post details (including photographs) to help make contact with their loved ones. Because the site will be more useful the more information it contains, the next refinement was to add a recommendation page so that visitors can pass on the site's details to their friends. To give the site more profile, International electronic PR company PR Newswire donated an electronic mailing to promote and publicise the site in the media worldwide.

Further developments include a book of condolence, community area and discussion forum, survivor lists, useful contacts and links. The possibility of enabling site visitors to bulk e-mail from their own address books is being investigated.

"Without publicity, the site received 5,000 page views in the first 24 hours of operation, so it is obviously filling a need," says Toby. "It is also fulfilling a need for those who contribute their time, effort and expertise to creating and promoting the site. We all feel helpless in the face of an outrage of this magnitude; we are all happy to be able to do something that may help a little."

Anybody wishing to offer help in developing the site further are invited to contact Toby Wallis.

SOURCE Toby Wallis Communications