What if the protesters at Kent State had had Twitter in 1970 … would four students have died? As America enters what could be a new era of civil unrest, I find myself wondering what role social media will play.
For people who haven’t been following events in Wisconsin, the new governor there, Scott Walker, has introduced a budget that he says is necessary to keep the state fiscally afloat. In reality, Walker’s goal is to kill the public sector unions by taking away many of state workers’ collective bargaining rights. Since the budget was introduced on February 11, it has set off a wave of peaceful protests in Madison, the state capital, that has grown day by day, week by week. The crowds that have gathered – sometimes camping overnight – say this is about much more than their health insurance and pensions. They say this fight is over the very future of the American worker.
So what do the protests in Wisconsin have to do with Kent State? Well for one thing, at least one person has called on the government to disperse the crowds with live ammunition. That man, Jeffrey Cox, the deputy attorney general of Indiana, posted the comment as a tweet on his Twitter account. He has since been fired for his remarks, but imagine if things had gone differently … what if his comment had kindled anti-union sentiment among members of the Wisconsin government? People are bringing their families to these protests. Can you imagine the chaos if National Guard soldiers began firing indiscriminately on the protesters? It makes comparisons between Madison and Kent State downright scary.
Of course Cox isn’t the only one using Twitter to comment on the Wisconsin protests. Just a quick search shows a handful of Twitter feeds devoted to the subject (@tlists1/wisconsin-labor-protests
claims to be the most listed tweeters about Wisconsin Labor Protests). Ranging from discussions of the governor admitting his anti-union agenda and thoughts of planting troublemakers in the crowd during a prank call to evidence of similar budgets in other states falling by the wayside the Twittersphere is abuzz with news from the protests and the ripple effect they’re having across the country.
Cox’s firing doesn’t solve anything with this budget crisis. And all the tweets in the world may not be enough to embarrass the governor into backing down on his union-busting budget. But it does highlight the power of social media to affect political discourse. If Americans think only people in Mideastern countries can harness the power of social media to bring about change, Wisconsin might just be a wake-up call.
Showing posts with label social media. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social media. Show all posts
Saturday, May 25, 2013
The revolution is just a tweet away
I originally published this blog in February 2011. In light of my renewed interest in blogging, online marketing and all things digital, I'm giving it a second life.
The social side of serious illness
I originally published this blog in December 2010. In light of my renewed interest in blogging, online marketing and all things digital, I'm giving it a second life.
There was a time, not so long ago, when terminal illness was a personal thing. If you had cancer the people close to you knew – your family, your coworkers, your friends, your church – but the knowledge stopped there, close to your inner circle. Now, with Facebook and Twitter, everyone’s life is an open book – and that includes their cancer. The question is, does social media make it easier or more difficult to deal with terminal illness?
This question has special poignancy to me because of a little girl I never ever met. Her name was Lucy, and she was diagnosed earlier this year with a rare form of brain cancer. She and her sister attended the child care center where my daughter works, which is how I came to know about her story. All through the summer and fall the family kept everyone who wanted to follow Lucy’s progress updated via something called The Caring Bridge, which I think is basically a blog set up by the hospital where Lucy was being treated. Through ups and downs, progress and setbacks, the family kept everyone apprised of Lucy’s condition.
While the family blogged and cared for their daughters, the community around Lucy grew. Team Lucy – made up of everyone from Lucy’s immediate family to complete strangers like me – participated in Kansas City’s Head for the Cure 5K last summer. A smaller group joined the Lawrence, KS version of the same 5K. More recently, my daughter and I attended a fundraiser for Lucy at Hamburger Mary’s. It was bingo night, and all the proceeds from the evening went toward Lucy’s skyrocketing medical bills. I was happy to give what little I could and grateful that I’d never had to hold a similar fundraiser for any of my children.
I guess all of these walks and fundraisers could have happened without Facebook and the blog, but I don’t think they would have had as big a response. The details the family posted online made everyone feel like they were part of the team rooting for that little girl, and the more dire her situation became it seemed like everyone fought even harder for a happy ending.
Sadly, Lucy lost her battle with cancer the weekend before Thanksgiving. The family is still posting their story online, albeit with much less frequency now. I guess it’s hard to let go of that grassroots community that sprung up around their little girl. Maybe some of the relationships they’ve forged will live on in her memory. I know my daughter will never forget Lucy, and even though I never met her, neither will I.
Not everyone can or wants to make their battle with cancer as public as Lucy’s family did, but I guess at least in this instance, social media helped a family cope with their grief.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Why don’t I blog more?
I ask myself this question a lot. I know I should be blogging so I have a track record of engagement with social media. I should also be writing just for the sake of writing – wherever it might be. And I definitely have opinions. So what’s the problem?
I think – in fact I know – it’s that opinion thing that’s giving me pause.
I used to blog pretty regularly about politics on a now-defunct MySpace blog. It’s not just inactive. It’s gone. Deleted. Erased. I’m sure if someone wanted to find evidence of my liberal leanings they could use the Way Back machine and find something incriminating, but thanks to my uber-common name and my thorough deletion job, they probably won’t find it in blog form.
Why was I so intent on erasing my point of view from the web? Because I’ve read too many horror stories about people being fired/never hired due to someone stumbling upon an errant blog post or tweet. Just today Salon posted a story about CNN’s Octavia Nasr whose tweet about the death of a Hezbollah leader got someone’s panties in a wad, and just like that – her 20-year career is over.
Now I know I’m no Octavia Nasr. But her firing should give pause to anyone who writes for a living and also engages in social media. It should also make us ask “why.” It’s not as if journalists never had opinions before social media came along; England’s press, for example, has always been pretty open about which publications lean which way. And here in America, where our media claims to be impartial, it’s common knowledge which papers are likely to endorse Republican points of view and which will back Democrats. So why does it come as some big surprise when someone in the media speaks their mind?
I think the answer to that question is a lot more insidious that it looks on the surface. Because while social media has given people more freedom than ever to express themselves, it’s also given those in power more opportunities to punish dissenting viewpoints. Just imagine if Winston Smith had had a Twitter account … Big Brother would have nailed him that much sooner.
Of course we don’t live in an openly totalitarian society. But when people are getting fired for off-hand remarks about people they admire … when web site after web site cautions against posting anything on your Twitter or Facebook feed that might be construed as controversial … when opinionated people like me can’t even blog because they can’t think of anything bland enough to guarantee that it offends no one … the warnings to watch what we say and think are loud and clear.
I hope I can come up with another post soon, because as a marketing professional/writer I know it’s imperative to keep up with social media. On the other hand, I like being gainfully employed, and as a worker bee/cog in the wheel I just don’t know if posting every thought I have online is such a great idea.
I think – in fact I know – it’s that opinion thing that’s giving me pause.
I used to blog pretty regularly about politics on a now-defunct MySpace blog. It’s not just inactive. It’s gone. Deleted. Erased. I’m sure if someone wanted to find evidence of my liberal leanings they could use the Way Back machine and find something incriminating, but thanks to my uber-common name and my thorough deletion job, they probably won’t find it in blog form.
Why was I so intent on erasing my point of view from the web? Because I’ve read too many horror stories about people being fired/never hired due to someone stumbling upon an errant blog post or tweet. Just today Salon posted a story about CNN’s Octavia Nasr whose tweet about the death of a Hezbollah leader got someone’s panties in a wad, and just like that – her 20-year career is over.
Now I know I’m no Octavia Nasr. But her firing should give pause to anyone who writes for a living and also engages in social media. It should also make us ask “why.” It’s not as if journalists never had opinions before social media came along; England’s press, for example, has always been pretty open about which publications lean which way. And here in America, where our media claims to be impartial, it’s common knowledge which papers are likely to endorse Republican points of view and which will back Democrats. So why does it come as some big surprise when someone in the media speaks their mind?
I think the answer to that question is a lot more insidious that it looks on the surface. Because while social media has given people more freedom than ever to express themselves, it’s also given those in power more opportunities to punish dissenting viewpoints. Just imagine if Winston Smith had had a Twitter account … Big Brother would have nailed him that much sooner.
Of course we don’t live in an openly totalitarian society. But when people are getting fired for off-hand remarks about people they admire … when web site after web site cautions against posting anything on your Twitter or Facebook feed that might be construed as controversial … when opinionated people like me can’t even blog because they can’t think of anything bland enough to guarantee that it offends no one … the warnings to watch what we say and think are loud and clear.
I hope I can come up with another post soon, because as a marketing professional/writer I know it’s imperative to keep up with social media. On the other hand, I like being gainfully employed, and as a worker bee/cog in the wheel I just don’t know if posting every thought I have online is such a great idea.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Social Media-Fueled Activism
There was no Internet (Al Gore’s dial-up connection doesn’t count) back in 1989 when the Exxon Valdez oil spill took place. No Facebook page, no Twitter or YouTube … no email even. But somehow irate consumers spread the word about boycotting Exxon, and the message stuck, at least with me. There are no Exxon stations in eastern Kansas, but when I travel out of state I still go out of my way to avoid them. Sadly, Exxon doesn’t seem to have suffered much because of the boycott, but it wasn’t for lack of trying.
Now it’s a new millennium, and there’s a whole new oil spill to contend with—plus a new arsenal of tools for activists who want to teach big oil a lesson. I’d like to think the nearly 100,000 fans on the Boycott BP Facebook page will have more success in boycotting BP than we did with Exxon back in the 80s, but who knows whether fans will actually hold up their end of the bargain when it comes to putting gas in their tanks.
Even if Facebook fans let me down, I have my fingers crossed that social media users will do a more effective job of disseminating images of the spill, which should arouse a collective outcry from the public once it sees the oil-coated wildlife and decimated coast line. In the past few days I’ve seen a few pictures of pelicans pathetically trying to fly with their oil-covered wings that have made me want to cry. If it’s visual evidence people need to be pushed into joining the boycott, writing a letter or getting just plain fed up, I hope everybody along the coast with a camera is out there snapping pictures to share with the world.
Whether it’s the ubiquity of the messaging that strikes our collective consciences or the poignant pictures pouring onto the web, today’s activists have it made when it comes to organizing and getting their message out. I hope that 21 years from now we can look back on their efforts and say “yes, we truly made a difference.”
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Changing the World One Check In at a Time
A book that renames Earth “Eaarth.”
Group buying as the next big trend on the web.
Delivering happiness via social media.
What do they all have in common? Nothing, except that the ideas have been swirling around in my head, and now I found a place to park them all: CauseWorld.
Let me explain. A few days ago I read a review of a new book called "Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet." Author Bill McKibben claims that we’ve already done so much damage to the planet that it’s really not the same place as it was even a few decades ago, and we’re all going to have to adjust to living on this new, weather-challenged planet. It’s a sobering thought. And maybe because Earth Day is this week too or maybe because I don’t want to live on a planet that bares no resemblance to the one I was born on, I’ve been thinking about things I can do — things we all can do — to make the planet a better, more habitable place.
A few days after reading the book review I read Pete Cashmore’s latest blog on CNN, where he talks about group buying and all the companies that are investing millions in it. I couldn’t help but wonder why investors are so quick to jump on the opportunity to make more money off people buying stuff, but nobody seems particularly interested in spreading a little cash to help save Earth from its downward spiral. OK it’s a big jump I know. But it’s Groupon, not McKibben’s book, that’s getting front-page coverage on CNN.
So I’m thinking about Eaarth and mass purchasing power when I stumble on another blog about spreading happiness via social media. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh claims that’s what he tries to do with all his Twitter posts — a noble goal to be sure. And that’s when it hits me. What could spread more happiness than doing good things for a social cause? And why isn’t there a group purchasing site for people who want to make a difference in the world?
Turns out, there is. It’s called CauseWorld, and it works kind of like Foursquare: you check in at participating merchants, and you earn karma points that you can donate to the organization of your choice. Then you can tell your friends on Facebook about the good deed you’ve done. Pretty cool, huh? I’ve already downloaded the app, and I can’t wait to find a participating place to go where I can try it out. When I find out how it works, I’ll be back to write another post.
In the meantime, I’m still going to angst about the changing planet and why mass consumerism gets more hype than our home, but at least now I know of one small way I can use social media to make myself — and maybe Eaarth — a little happier.
Group buying as the next big trend on the web.
Delivering happiness via social media.
What do they all have in common? Nothing, except that the ideas have been swirling around in my head, and now I found a place to park them all: CauseWorld.
Let me explain. A few days ago I read a review of a new book called "Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet." Author Bill McKibben claims that we’ve already done so much damage to the planet that it’s really not the same place as it was even a few decades ago, and we’re all going to have to adjust to living on this new, weather-challenged planet. It’s a sobering thought. And maybe because Earth Day is this week too or maybe because I don’t want to live on a planet that bares no resemblance to the one I was born on, I’ve been thinking about things I can do — things we all can do — to make the planet a better, more habitable place.
A few days after reading the book review I read Pete Cashmore’s latest blog on CNN, where he talks about group buying and all the companies that are investing millions in it. I couldn’t help but wonder why investors are so quick to jump on the opportunity to make more money off people buying stuff, but nobody seems particularly interested in spreading a little cash to help save Earth from its downward spiral. OK it’s a big jump I know. But it’s Groupon, not McKibben’s book, that’s getting front-page coverage on CNN.
So I’m thinking about Eaarth and mass purchasing power when I stumble on another blog about spreading happiness via social media. Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh claims that’s what he tries to do with all his Twitter posts — a noble goal to be sure. And that’s when it hits me. What could spread more happiness than doing good things for a social cause? And why isn’t there a group purchasing site for people who want to make a difference in the world?
Turns out, there is. It’s called CauseWorld, and it works kind of like Foursquare: you check in at participating merchants, and you earn karma points that you can donate to the organization of your choice. Then you can tell your friends on Facebook about the good deed you’ve done. Pretty cool, huh? I’ve already downloaded the app, and I can’t wait to find a participating place to go where I can try it out. When I find out how it works, I’ll be back to write another post.
In the meantime, I’m still going to angst about the changing planet and why mass consumerism gets more hype than our home, but at least now I know of one small way I can use social media to make myself — and maybe Eaarth — a little happier.
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Questioning the Trends of the Twitterfirst Century
It's official. Nobody I know gets Twitter. And if nobody I know is using it, do I really need to worry about it?
My tech-savvy kids are certainly not fans. "Twitter is dumb," my 18-year-old says as she multitasks on 3 electronic devices at once. "Just post your status updates on Facebook." My youngest did sign up for an account so she could follow Apolo Ohno during the Olympics, but her interest faded as soon as the games came to a close.
My friends don't get it either. I have friends who post YouTube videos frequently, and friends with 100s of friends on Facebook. I know quite a few people on LinkedIn too. So it's not as though all my friends and coworkers are social media rubes. They just don't see the point of Twitter.
And my work -- they definitely don't get it. We have a Facebook and a Twitter account, but I'm not really allowed to post much on either one. I couldn't even get an article about social media in our internal newsletter. Management doesn't want staff actually interacting with anyone, thus putting a lid on any momentum we might gain in gathering fans and followers.
I've read lately that Twitter's growth has tapered off, and that only a fraction of its 75 million users have active accounts. So does it matter that I'm living in a Twitter void? It certainly dashes my hopes of ever becoming a social media maven, but as far as communicating with everyone I need to in my little world, Twitter's not worth a tweet.
My tech-savvy kids are certainly not fans. "Twitter is dumb," my 18-year-old says as she multitasks on 3 electronic devices at once. "Just post your status updates on Facebook." My youngest did sign up for an account so she could follow Apolo Ohno during the Olympics, but her interest faded as soon as the games came to a close.
My friends don't get it either. I have friends who post YouTube videos frequently, and friends with 100s of friends on Facebook. I know quite a few people on LinkedIn too. So it's not as though all my friends and coworkers are social media rubes. They just don't see the point of Twitter.
And my work -- they definitely don't get it. We have a Facebook and a Twitter account, but I'm not really allowed to post much on either one. I couldn't even get an article about social media in our internal newsletter. Management doesn't want staff actually interacting with anyone, thus putting a lid on any momentum we might gain in gathering fans and followers.
I've read lately that Twitter's growth has tapered off, and that only a fraction of its 75 million users have active accounts. So does it matter that I'm living in a Twitter void? It certainly dashes my hopes of ever becoming a social media maven, but as far as communicating with everyone I need to in my little world, Twitter's not worth a tweet.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Reach out and touch someone -- from Twitter
I've never met anyone I follow on Twitter in person.
But I'm about to take that next important step and segue from interacting online to socializing off line.
Tweetups are nothing new to the Lawrence crew that's celebrating its first anniversary of getting together tonight. They've been meeting, eating and drinking for a year now -- even raising money for some great local charities. I look forward to meeting all these people who started out with nothing in common but a love for social media and and now, a year later, have so many shared memories of good times together.
Don't get me wrong. It's nice to know people are listening to you in the ever-expanding twitosphere. Just yesterday a comedian named Marc Wootton started following me after I tweeted about his new show called LaLaLand. I know he only found me because he's set up searches to scour the 'net for mentions of his name, but we're connected all the same.
I look forward to following my new Twitter friend, but there's still no online equivalent for a good old face-to-face meeting. We can follow all the celebrities and politicians and media mavens in the world, but it's unlikely we'll ever break bread with them or work together on a common cause.
Maybe someday technology will completely replace the need for personal interaction. But for now I'm looking forward to the 3-dimensional satisfaction of making some new friends in the flesh.
But I'm about to take that next important step and segue from interacting online to socializing off line.
Tweetups are nothing new to the Lawrence crew that's celebrating its first anniversary of getting together tonight. They've been meeting, eating and drinking for a year now -- even raising money for some great local charities. I look forward to meeting all these people who started out with nothing in common but a love for social media and and now, a year later, have so many shared memories of good times together.
Don't get me wrong. It's nice to know people are listening to you in the ever-expanding twitosphere. Just yesterday a comedian named Marc Wootton started following me after I tweeted about his new show called LaLaLand. I know he only found me because he's set up searches to scour the 'net for mentions of his name, but we're connected all the same.
I look forward to following my new Twitter friend, but there's still no online equivalent for a good old face-to-face meeting. We can follow all the celebrities and politicians and media mavens in the world, but it's unlikely we'll ever break bread with them or work together on a common cause.
Maybe someday technology will completely replace the need for personal interaction. But for now I'm looking forward to the 3-dimensional satisfaction of making some new friends in the flesh.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Staying on track with marketing trends
When I was reading a blog post today on a site I visit regularly, one sentence really stood out:
“I believe that the hardest part of SEO is simply keeping up with the trends. “
Boy, you can say that again!
Marketing has changed by leaps and bounds since my first little job marketing paperback books to rural libraries. Email marketing, SEO, SEM, social media -- the tools are definitely bigger and better today. The challenge is using them effectively.
Earning my Master Certificate in Internet Marketing from the University of San Francisco has kept me up to speed on SEO changes. The newest information I can find about title tags, URLs and external links reflects changes I’m trying to bring to the site I work on at my job.
Now I just need to stay on top of all the other marketing pieces floating around in the online universe, such as mastering Twitter, building a personal brand, networking and keeping my technical skills up to speed – just to name a few. My blog is one element of those efforts. By posting here more regularly and sharing what I’m doing to keep up with online marketing, I hope I’ll start to hear from others who are tackling these challenges too. Maybe we can give each other a tip or two!
Networking is next on my list. I’ve joined the Social Media Club KC, where I hope to not only meet some local social media geeks but also learn how they’re using social media in their personal and professional lives. I work alone on my in-house web site and online marketing efforts, so it will be great to hear what’s working (or not) for others in my field.
Keeping up with the trends is hard. But not impossible. Here’s to keeping those career development balls in the air in 2010 and maybe even adding a few more to the mix.
“I believe that the hardest part of SEO is simply keeping up with the trends. “
Boy, you can say that again!
Marketing has changed by leaps and bounds since my first little job marketing paperback books to rural libraries. Email marketing, SEO, SEM, social media -- the tools are definitely bigger and better today. The challenge is using them effectively.
Earning my Master Certificate in Internet Marketing from the University of San Francisco has kept me up to speed on SEO changes. The newest information I can find about title tags, URLs and external links reflects changes I’m trying to bring to the site I work on at my job.
Now I just need to stay on top of all the other marketing pieces floating around in the online universe, such as mastering Twitter, building a personal brand, networking and keeping my technical skills up to speed – just to name a few. My blog is one element of those efforts. By posting here more regularly and sharing what I’m doing to keep up with online marketing, I hope I’ll start to hear from others who are tackling these challenges too. Maybe we can give each other a tip or two!
Networking is next on my list. I’ve joined the Social Media Club KC, where I hope to not only meet some local social media geeks but also learn how they’re using social media in their personal and professional lives. I work alone on my in-house web site and online marketing efforts, so it will be great to hear what’s working (or not) for others in my field.
Keeping up with the trends is hard. But not impossible. Here’s to keeping those career development balls in the air in 2010 and maybe even adding a few more to the mix.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Growing Pains
"If you never push yourself, you're not growing. You're not learning anything new."
This sage advice came from my good friend who was trying to coax me up a wall of concrete dotted with minuscule hand and foot holds. We were rock climbing -- a sport I've recently taken up, and I was trying a new route for the fist time. I listened to her advice and managed to make it up on the wall, which was a feat in itself since it started at an incline, and almost halfway up before my shaking arms got the best of me. Next time, I told myself, I'll make it all the way.
I remembered her advice again today when I decided to make my first blog post.
I've blogged before, but only because I needed to vent my political viewpoint. Now I'm blogging to prove I have something to say about social media. Two very different animals. The blogosphere is literally overflowing with posts about Twitter and LinkedIn and Facebook. What can I contribute? What can I possibly add to the conversation?
How will I know if I don't reach for that next hand hold and try?
I recently completed my master's certificate in online marketing through the University of San Francisco. And I've been working on the Internet in one capacity or another for more than 10 years. So I have a good foundation upon which to launch this new endeavor. But new things can be intimidating. Daunting, even. Just like those big concrete walls I've been gradually learning to conquer.
Here's to mastering the nex route, err, post.
This sage advice came from my good friend who was trying to coax me up a wall of concrete dotted with minuscule hand and foot holds. We were rock climbing -- a sport I've recently taken up, and I was trying a new route for the fist time. I listened to her advice and managed to make it up on the wall, which was a feat in itself since it started at an incline, and almost halfway up before my shaking arms got the best of me. Next time, I told myself, I'll make it all the way.
I remembered her advice again today when I decided to make my first blog post.
I've blogged before, but only because I needed to vent my political viewpoint. Now I'm blogging to prove I have something to say about social media. Two very different animals. The blogosphere is literally overflowing with posts about Twitter and LinkedIn and Facebook. What can I contribute? What can I possibly add to the conversation?
How will I know if I don't reach for that next hand hold and try?
I recently completed my master's certificate in online marketing through the University of San Francisco. And I've been working on the Internet in one capacity or another for more than 10 years. So I have a good foundation upon which to launch this new endeavor. But new things can be intimidating. Daunting, even. Just like those big concrete walls I've been gradually learning to conquer.
Here's to mastering the nex route, err, post.
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