While waiting for my dentist's appointment this afternoon (Don't ask. I fear all things tooth related. Oh, and fish.), I was reading the SF Chronicle and ran across this interesting Op-Ed called "Why eBay matter for Homeland Security."

10 points for title. I'm not so sure how many points I award the idea yet. The author, Daniel Prieto is a former AOL exec who asserts that just as eBay matches those crazy salt and pepper shaker collectors with crazy salt and pepper shaker sellers, a tool could be built to match typical emergency relief needs with the companies and donors who can meet those needs. He writes:

Building an eBay-like system to match regional disaster-response needs with companies that can pledge assistance ahead of time or help out in real time would save dollars and lives. Properly built and maintained, it would ensure that the vast majority of private pledges and donations are put to good use, instead of going unused.

Yes...theoretically. But who would build this system? And who would run it? And why would people use it? Who would know about it? The reason eBay works is that EVERY DAY there is someone in Des Moines who really wants a complete set of porcelain figurines representing the classic childhood rhyme "The Cat and the Fiddle." So there's a constant demand for eBay. And if you're not buying a classic football shaped telephone from Sport's Illustrated circa 1987, then you're neighbor surely is. So eBay is part of our culture.

Technology tools are only useful when they can be integrated into the culture of the users. Craigslist worked for emergency relief because it was part of the culture. A giant Homeland Security database probably never will.