Back when I was a young graduate student studying communication, I participated in a communication “audit” of a local school.  Participants were asked to log all conversations.  The logs were collected and some statistical magic was performed.  The result was a map showing how information flowed through the organization.  It would be interesting to map how the gas scare last friday was communicated.

For those folks who weren’t in Tallahassee this past Friday, let me catch you up on the story.  When a huricane threatens the gulf coast, folks here just expect that the price of gas is going to go up.  Some would call it “gouging” while others would say it’s just the “free” market reacting.  I just know that it always happens.

Last Friday, with hurricane Ike heading to Texas, a rumor started circulating in Tallahassee that the price of gas was heading up to $5/gallon.  By lunch time, some stations were already sold out.

I was having a busy Friday at work and hadn’t been paying attention to the twitters on my phone.  I was running on fumes so I rode out to my usual spot for gas at lunch.  They were sold out of regular but that’s not unusual for the station.  I figured I’d fill up after work not knowing that the local online and offline communication networks were spreading the rumor.  I understand that one local radio station contributed to the insanity.

In any case, when I finally went searching for gas at 6 PM, I went by 8 filling stations that were out of gas before I finally found a line outside of the Gate station on West Tennessee.  The staff was a little unprepared for the run on the pumps but people were polite and unlike other stations, including one very nearby, did not raise their prices to take advantage of the panic.

While the panic was a bit frustrating at 6PM, it was a fascinating glimpse into the power of our local social networks.  For me, I’ve started carpooling and am using my bicycle a whole lot more.

You can track gas prices in Tallahassee at http://www.tallahasseegasprices.com/.