A work at home mom discusses social media and networking.

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.

Every so often someone will start a thread on Plurk regarding social media and last night was no exception. Amber Naslund, from the Brandbox blog, started a “Plurkshop” thread about managing conversations, and after close to 700 comments the overall consensus is that it’s all about community………

“The spirit of community conversation is more important than trying to control it. And controlling it is futile, anyway, so it’s best to embrace it. Listen and engage as best you can.”

The value exchanged in online conversations are so worth finding the right tool to manage them. Amber has a great list of sites that allow you to manage your conversations in a way that still enables you to listen and participate.

I did not participate in last night’s Plurkshop thread but I did listen and the value gained from following the conversation led to this post. If that’s not a good enough example of how important it is to join, listen and manage your conversations, I don’t know what is!

It’s official. I’ve been so distracted by Plurk and just life in general, I’ve done something I never thought I’d do…..I let my blog go. Evidently, most bloggers go through some sort of issue where their writing stalls and lack of posting becomes the norm but if you want a vibrant blog, and I do, then you have to post on a regular basis. At least that’s what Problogger, Darren Rowse says……………

“I know it’s not easy - all successful bloggers go through patches where it’s challenging to keep things rolling - however if you put your mind to it you can definitely get things back on track. It is never too late to get your blog rolling again!”

So, as I get my blog back on track and start posting fresh content on a regular basis, I will be tapping into some of the great ideas Darren has on how to get your blog posting frequency higher. I might start by “Declaring War on Blogger Apathy“. With everything going on in my life, as of late, I have had no motivation, passion or drive and it’s time to take blogging back! By starting a new series or simply moving forward with some familiar topics I can break through the apathy and get motivated.

Darren also recommends finding a blog buddy so I have been tackling some great ideas with my dear blogging friend Shana Albert. I must say, if TheNanny612 can’t motivate you, ain’t no one can, and there may be some fun things ahead for the readers of Social Media Mom that includes podcasts, videos and interviews, so stay tuned.

Finally, Darren says “Just Do It”! Okay, he didn’t really say that, but essentially that is his ninth tip to get your blog back on track; “step away from the distractions that might be stopping you from blogging and go and do it.”

I’m slowly learning how to capture the things in my daily life and re-purposing them as posts, and it will be interesting and exciting to see which direction this blog takes as I do so. For some reason, I have a feeling it will have to do with kids but I don’t know……. Have you let your blog go? What have you done to get back on track? Leave me a comment with some of your ideas and ways to keep your blog fresh and free from bloggers block.

photo via Problogger