Posts from — July 2008

This guest post comes from Jonathan Fields. Jonathan is the author of Awake At The Wheel and the twelfth in my series featuring social media dads.

Kids Connecting

I’ve always had this deep desire to show my 7-year old daughter, Jesse, just how interconnected we are to others around the world. Living in NYC has made the task quite a bit easier. It seems at some point, someone from nearly every culture ends up here. And we get to meet them.

But, the power of social media to demonstrate this point and fuel her exploration really hit home the other day as she strolled in from camp. I was sitting at the dining room table, finishing off a few quick thoughts for a blog post, she came running over for her post-camp hug and kiss. Then she turned to my screen and saw twitter open with all the photos of the folks in my timeline and began to ask questions about each.

“That one lives in Australia,” I shared, “and this person is in Malaysia. Oh, and here’s a friend from North Carolina and another in Spain.” In an instant we’d found ourselves gathered around the dining room table, chit-chatting with friends from all over the world. This simple tool made clear to her how technology can bring together people from all walks of life. It allowed her to see, with her own eyes, how immediately connected we are. And, it also revealed how similar we all are.

And, though I make a point of extracting myself from work when she’s home, it’s not unusual for Jesse to ask me to take a quick peek at who’s on twitter, just so she can see the faces and giggle at the messages (at least the ones I pre-screen). In fact, seeing me blogging and dancing around a variety of social media led her to ask me whether we could create a blog for her. And, with my trusty Macbook Pro in hand, we did just that (it’s passworded).

The whole experience makes me wonder how powerful it might be to have a twitter that was devoted exclusively to fostering conversation among kids around the world in a safe, monitored environment.

Imagine the impact.

Millions of kids, forming impressions, bonds and experiences not through information filtered and colored by the grown-ups who provide access, but rather by their own, direct experience. Imagine them simply having the ability to invite friends from all over the world to hang out and chat. To ask questions about life, relationships, values or even simple daily activities.

To me, if there is a killer application for social media, it doesn’t lie in the realm of grown-ups. It’s not about business or marketing or content-sharing. It’s in the opportunity to allow kids from radically different cultures around the world to connect, to form their own opinions and break down barriers that have created artificial separations for decades or even centuries.

How different, I wonder, might the next generation be if we could foster such an experience?

Follow Jonathan on Twitter here.

Being a mom is challenging and if it weren’t for the workable balance created between my passion for social media and my family, I might just lose my mind entirely. That is why I love success stories that involve moms and using the tools of social media used to enhance their lives and establish careers.

Kelby Carr writes a fantastic post about how social networks are changing the way women do just about everything-from making friends to sharing news as well as finding jobs……..

“Well, one of my fellow moms on Twitter and my Type-A Mom beauty and fashion editor, Jessica Smith, just landed her dream work-at-home job. She didn’t get the Sunday classifieds (who does anymore?). But she also didn’t use some of the more modern methods, such as a job portal site like Monster.com or the uber-popular Craigslist. She used a much more Job Hunting 2.0 method. She posted on Twitter.”

One of the coolest things about this story is that by Tweeting her desire to work in marketing/biz development, Jessica did not have to participate using traditional “job search” strategies. Now, don’t get me wrong, this form of career placement will not work for everyone, but the fact that it worked at all and got the CEO of Wishpot, Max Ciccotosto, to recognize her, is in an of itself a great story.

Jessica still went through all the normal steps like sending in a resume and going through the interview process, however her new job title is nothing typical. She is now the Chief Mom Officer of Wishpot, a social network for shoppers.

The key here is the fact that Max was watching the conversation to see if anything “interesting” caught his eye and that just happened to be…..Jessica! Max goes on to say that the Chief Mom Officer position is a very valuable one and companies would do well to consider tapping into this form of conversation…….

“I think that it’s invaluable to have a great passionate insider in the markets that are being targeted. If a company is targeting moms than I’d definitely recommend getting their own Chief Mom Officer.”

Moms today are rearranging their schedules to handle not only family but a career as well. Jobs that are family-friendly, and allow one to work from home are ideal for the CMO. The tools are there it is just a matter of companies realizing the value of social media and making it work for them and their employees.

Everyone knows that homemade chicken soup warms the chill and heals the ill, but I would like to take this concept one step further and suggest that social media can not only nourish us perhaps heal the cynicism in our hearts. What I’m trying to say is, it might just very well be good for our soul.

Several years ago I began selling stuff on Ebay. I would go to garage sales, store sales, and find things around my house to market in my Ebay store. The few, and I mean few, extra bucks I made was not nearly enough to warrant the time I spent taking pictures, listing items and shipping boxes but the positive feedback I received was what made the experience totally worth while.

Why does something so insignificant as a positive vote or a quick thank you mean so much? Because by nature, we need affirmation, we need appreciation, and we need acceptance, at least I do anyway, and that’s why I love social media.

The tools of social media can be used as a key to open the door to connections to those with similar interests. The joy of meeting people from all over the world and developing those interactions into friendships is exactly one of the reasons Shana Albert loves social media. It’s about the strokes and we all need to be stroked. Without them, life is like living in a vacuum.  Happiness comes when our efforts are appreciated and in some way rewarded. A stroke–a smile, a word of praise, or a thank-you note–shows that our contributions are valued…….

“The laws of karma state that our personal actions & behavior influence future experiences. In other words, we’re responsible for our own destinies and the ultimate happiness & success we achieve. I can’t think of any other environment in which karma is more relevant than social media”

But is it really about karma and the return of our investment or is it about feeding our soul a nourishing bit of connectivity that fulfills an inherent need? I asked some friends on Plurk their opinion of why social media is good for the soul. Here is what they said……..

I must say, I agree with those above that mention things like needing interaction and friendship, connecting with someone and interacting on a level playing field. In a world where technology can often lead to isolation and loneliness social media can open a door to a new realm of connectedness. For example:

Donna makes a very good point here in her example of Tim Jackson’s biking accident. Strangers have come out of the woodwork (or Plurk world I should say) to support, connect and love on Tim. Not only has it been a huge encouragement to Tim but the relationships built around Tim’s situation are a perfect example the fact that conversations carry thoughts, ideas and emotions, and these are fundamental building blocks of relationships and relationships help form who we are now and what we will be later.

A good example of these relationships forming into who we are now is the recent evolution of Plurkshops. As Beth Harte explains, “through the tools of social media, democratic communities form to provide a global platform for sharing of thoughts, knowledge, experience and kindness.”

Its been said that no man is an island unto himself…….

“The magic of social media, if there is any, is simply in its ability to let people connect and share ideas more easily than ever. It allows us to build bridges to connect our individual islands and to find each other.”

We are all one part of an interconnected world that thrives on even more interactivity. What we do online in these social networks reverberates for days, weeks, months and maybe even lifetimes after we have long since gone. We are doing more than conversation, we are building legacies that will touch people’s lives, their businesses, or on a simpler level, helped somebody relieve stress at work (if only for a moment).

In closing, my questions to you are these, How do you think your Tweets and Plurks are affecting people in your life? Did you think that your Facebook profile would be used to support a cause and cure a disease? And, did you know that your comments on a blog may have given someone the encouragement they needed to carry on another day? How is social media good for your soul?

A blogging friend of mine recently wrote a post about July being Juvenile Arthritis Awareness Month, a topic that is very near and dear to my heart.

You see, when I was in 6th grade, about 30 years ago (yikes), I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. Essentially, it was described as an infection of the large intestine resulting in debilitating arthritic flare ups in my ankles, knees, hips, and wrists. Some times it was a “hot” pain that required ice packs and some times it was a “cold” pain and relief came with a heating pad. Regardless of what kind of pain I was in, even Motrin (back when Ibuprofen was only available with a prescription) did not work.

After many doctor visits, hospital stays and medications I am happy to say, that I have been free from joint pain and intestinal infection for many years. However, many children aren’t as fortunate as I have been and suffer with similar symptoms and pain. In fact, 1 out of 250 children have been diagnosed with some form or another of arthritis and many cases often go misdiagnosed or overlooked.

In order to create awareness and fight for the cause, I have recently joined the Arthritis Foundation’s Facebook group, Flickr group and I have downloaded a widget on my blog. I hope that you will be encouraged by my story to leave a comment about how you have used social media to promote your cause and if you don’t have one, feel free to place the JA Foundation widget on your blog, because kids get Arthritis too.

For the last few months, Muhammad Saleem and Hank Green have been working on a little project that would allow people to share environmental news in a social media setting. The result is a fabulous site called EcoURLs.com and contains selected content by top envirobloggers……..

“Every story at EcoURLs is linked to other social news sites, so you can digg, reddit, stumble, and bookmark at delicious all from one place in a matter of seconds. Thus, if you like the content, you can help promote it at all of these places, and ensure that it gets the traffic it deserves.”

Topics include: science, technology, transportation, nature, politics, entertainment, recycling, food and business. And while there are many different blogs that deal with each of these topics individually, EcoURLs brings them all together for easy promotion and navigation.

Since EcoURLs is still in beta, Ecogeek would love for you to check it out and let them know what you think of the new site. Personally, I think it’s a great idea. Anything that provides a one stop shop for all things Earth is okay by me!

Happy 4th to all the readers of Social Media Mom! Enjoy your holiday and celebrate your freedom.

One of the things I love doing on Plurk is posting song lyrics. Nothing brings more people out of the woodwork than a familiar song, tune or lyric.

Music gets people excited, stimulates the brain and is just plain social. The Internet is definitely the most utilized tool when it comes to music and social networking and Brian Wallace, over at Nowsourcing, has put together a great list of websites that offer the most unique features, have the biggest audience, or mix both aspects together most effectively.

My favorite is Last.fm………..

is a great music social networking site because it truly brings music and socializing together. It helps you find friends based on musical tastes and helps you find new music through your friends. Its hard to tell whether its more of a website for socializing or a musical haven. A great indicator of compatibility between friends is music, so why not make it one of the first factors when meeting new people. Last.fm is the best because it makes music the first part of your social networking experience and can link people with similar tastes as well as help you find new acts.”

Music is the one thing in life that breaks down barriers and connects mankind in a way that nothing else does, so check out the rest of Brian’s post and let me know what social music sites you prefer and why.