Advertisement

How Social Media Can Rock Causes

Table of Contents Social Media to InfluenceSome Prime Examples of Social Media for CausesMy Own Start with Causes…
global social media
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

You always hear in the news of someone going on vacation and posting it on Facebook and then his or her home is robbed. Oh, “social media is bad” think many people, right?

Well, it really depends on how you use it! Announcing you are going away (with no one left at home) may not be the best way to use social media today.

However, many charities and causes do use social media for the good, making it the best use of social media.

Advertisement

Social Media to Influence

According to Georgetown University and Waggener Edstrom Worldwide:

More than 3 in 4 respondents (76%) agree that it’s important to them personally to influence others to care about the charities and causes that they care about.” The top 3 things given to charities were: Time, money and skills in that order. According to their survey: “82% respondents agree that social media is effective in getting more people talking about causes or issues.”

Social media definitely influences us, and as bloggers we know that better. You can use social media for causes besides promotion of your posts.

Some Prime Examples of Social Media for Causes

Here are some big or small organizations and people that extensively use social media to promote the good work they do.

The United Nations is using social media for its World Needs More campaign. You can see they used Twitter, Facebook and YouTube for their social media venues to promote this campaign. It is used to raise funds quickly.

If you do check out their website, it is quite a website! You will notice the use of hashtags on each page, like hope, shelter and courage. It will be interesting to see how much funds they do raise via social media.

Are you surprised the United Nations is using social media?

The United Way is using social media for its national preparedness month, which was September. They also use the big 3; Facebook, Twitter and You Tube. I’m surprised not to see Pinterest being used.

PBS – This one surprised me with their massive audience on Facebook, Twitter, and on YouTube. Their show “Downton Abbey” became a success because of social media.

PBS does take advantage of promoted tweets. They also use Get Glue, an old favorite of mine when watching television or movies. A check in media with discussions of those watching while you do.

Rock Scar Love is a unique business promoting clothing for those who have suffered from scars. The scars don’t have to be physical, they can be emotional too.

Amy Tippins founded this company back in 2010. She uses her growing media presence and loyal social media network to spread the message of self-acceptance and paying it forward. So what’s her message? Rock your Scar. Amy did a video that inspired many others to share her YouTube message across many social networks.

American Red Cross is another large non-profit using social media to raise funds. They were the first to have a Twitter account of all the big non-profit corporations.

PibblesNMe – You may know Brenda from the blogging circles. She has been doing an amazing job via social media to save dogs (and cats) who are in shelters waiting for a home.

She uses Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Google Plus to deliver her messages. She is saving these pets from being killed and spreading awareness about animal shelters in her local area.

One shelter even banned her from their Facebook page when she brought attention to things that were not being done right. Now that’s a powerful influence!

My Own Start with Causes via Social Media

My start with a cause online for the retail site Fancy Scrubs came by accident. I was carrying a line of clogs called clogs for a cure and one of the first purchases came from a woman who bought the ovarian cancer butterfly clogs who founded Teal Toes. This came about via Twitter. She had seen my tweets on ovarian cancer and the clogs.

Advertisement

I decided then to donate a portion of our sale of teal clogs and scrubs to Teal Toes. I’ve met Carey several times since then when she visited the Rhode Island area.

I have had a team for Fancy Scrubs the past 3 years for the annual ovarian cancer walk locally. It’s a great way to help a much needed cause as ovarian cancer is not as well-known and sadly kills women of all ages every year. We use social media regularly to help promote the cause every September and year round. Women do not get ovarian cancer in September only.

The 4 Most Used Social Media Sites for Causes

• Facebook

• Twitter

• YouTube

• Flickr

The Future of Causes via Social Media

I would think in the future more will use Pinterest, Google Plus, Tumblr and more sites. Which would you add to the list?

To be successful with causes one needs content to share, followers to re-share and connect with. Engagement is important to keep the conversations going.

Blogs have to be inspiring and create emotion in their readers so they will contribute in some way to their causes. They can contribute by sharing the information, sharing their knowledge or time and of course, donate monetarily.

How You Can Use Social Media Channels for Causes

You want to have a successful campaign for you cause, right? Which of the channels would you use and how? Each social media network is different and therefore you should use different methods for each of them.

Facebook – Facebook is the largest network with a lot of chatter. People are there for people – family and friends.

You must make your message very personal on Facebook. Have your message be a touchy feely one that they can relate to. They must feel your message so they will share it and react to it.

Twitter – Twitter is fast paced and your message must be short and sweet. Be sure your characters stay around 100 so it can be shared with enough space so they can expound on it too.

Ask for it to be re-tweeted. People liked to be asked to help for a good cause.

YouTube – A video can really portray a message’s emotions. Be real, don’t fake a cry or the audience will see right through you. If you are an emotional person, crying is okay. Tell a story.

I was at a recent walk and when a man told the story of how his 20-year-old daughter died from ovarian cancer you could see many eyes getting filled up. How could you not want to help so you don’t have to hear that story again from someone else?

Flickr – They say “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Use an awesome picture that will portray a feeling for your Flickr account and share it via the other channels. (The same can be done via Instragram).

You can integrate (embed) these photo streamsright into your blog or posts on your cause.

LinkedIn – LinkedIn is a great way to reach businesses and people alike. You may reach a business that will match or double a contribution to a cause for each employee that does. That would be getting double contributions.

Post earlier in the day and not so much to the emotion but to the ego. Make them feel like they look good if they contribute. Give them recognition for doing so. “Visit this business that really cares about xyz.

Using Social Media to Tell a Story for a Cause

To inspire action for a cause tell a story. Use words that incite emotions as emotions make stores stick. Logic does not flood the brain like emotions do. Your story should make people feel and care.

Don’t use just words to tell your story, use images that people can process and incite emotion.

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” ~ Maya Angelou.

Use words like the following in the pic below:

emotion words for social media

Rock Your Cause via Social Media

Rock your own cause today using stories and photos with social media to inspire others to share. You never know how a share can affect a life along the way.

One share may lead to another and another and they may soon add up quickly. These shares can make a difference in lives.

Whether cancer, disease, pets that need shelters or political changes, social media can make a difference. Using social media for good is the ultimate use of social media today.

Over to You –

Have you used social media for causes and if you have, which of the social media networks did the most for your cause? How did you incite emotion? Share in the comments.

 

Photo Credit: FreeDigitalPhotos

Advertisement

Disclaimer: Though the views expressed are of the author’s own, this article has been checked for its authenticity of information and resource links provided for a better and deeper understanding of the subject matter. However, you're suggested to make your diligent research and consult subject experts to decide what is best for you. If you spot any factual errors, spelling, or grammatical mistakes in the article, please report at [email protected]. Thanks.

Advertisement
71 comments
  1. Lisa,

    I have never used social media for a cause but can see it being a great way to get the word out.

    At this time I just do not have enough time in my day to do something like this. Maybe when all of my children are grown I will be able to take something like this on.

    I have been involved in causes at times and have been considering becoming more involved with groups that support women though domestic violence. If I do become involved I think social media would be a great way to promote the cause.

    Great resource for those who want to use social media for this type of thing.

    Dee Ann

    1. Dee Ann, oh yes I can understand that with my kids in their twenties now. I can’t imagine doing all I do now when they were younger.
      Domestic violence would be a great cause and using social media as a way to get message out to women who may not fully understand it. Thanks for coming by and have a great rest of the week.

  2. Hey Lisa!

    Great to see you here at Harleena’s place! I was just browsing and found your post…don’t know how I missed it!

    One thing I could never understand is how folks will post they’re away from home…I feel for those who have had their homes broken into but it’s not social media’s fault.

    I have seen the different causes shared on Facebook and Bren is the perfect example of that. I love what she’s doing for those pets and it’s a pleasure to share her updates.

    I love how you broke it down by channel. I have a hard time with Twitter only because I need more than 140 characters :). I’ve heard of Flickr but I’ve never checked out their site.

    You only hear or read about the negative stuff like Facebook being a factor in divorce cases. This is the one thing I truly find refreshing!

    Great post my friend! Hope you ladies are doing well :).

    1. Thank you Corina for checking this one out here. Oh yes – some lack common sense. I would post if others were still home (my hubs never travels so I’m okay if I do.) Bren is amazing on finding homes for those homeless dogs and cats. She really found her passion too. I have an account on Flickr but rarely use it. I’m so addicted to Instagram. Have a great day ahead Corina and it’s almost the weekend!

  3. Yes social media can be good and bad – as outlined here in this article it can be great for charities and overall awareness. But people seem to document almost every thing they do now over the social media, even the most trivial of details, like people are taking pictures of each meal they have now before they eat it lol…on a more serious note; people are also using social media to organize violence, fights, gang fights, dog fights, cyber bullying, and people are also saying social media was an integral part in precipitating the London riots. I think social media is still a new invention therefor I still think a lot needs to be done with regards to how it should be or could be regulated.

    1. Hi Marie, funny you mention that – I just read yesterday that those that pictures of food before they eat, eat less. I sure hope more good is being done than the bad you mention with the bullying, fights, etc. We always seem to hear more about the bad- which is why I did this post. Thanks for coming by and have a wonderful day Marie.

    2. Welcome to the blog Marie!

      Absolutely! I think the ‘bad’ in such cases comes out more in-front of our eyes than the ‘good’ people try to do, which is what this post is all about – to create more awareness about the various social media causes and how it can change lives and make a difference to people.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts 🙂

  4. Hey Lisa!

    Good to see you here on Harleena’s blog! This is a very good post and the fact is that social media has brought the world together. The ability to connect with people and create new business relationships as well. It’s funny because we live in a A.D.D society and so much is going on. It’s sad on one hand that we get on our social media outlets catch up on people’s lives and at the same time, we’re somewhat losing touch on the element of human connection. Nonetheless, excellent piece of writing here! 🙂

    1. Thank you Nate. You make an excellent point Nate, we sure can keep up with many friends and even relatives that we wouldn’t normally be able to via social media but is it at a price of our DAILY relationships? It does help spread the word of causes and other messages around the world. Thanks for coming by and for your input – have a great day Nate!

  5. It seems like all of the most successful social media campaigns and things that go viral are those that were definitely not intentional – just people sharing things they were passionate about and loved. That is what you have conveyed in this article as well. Great injustices, such as racism or sexism are often brought to justice thanks to someone sharing them on social media. We have a powerful tool indeed.

    1. Hi Dale, yes – that’s a great point! It’s about the PASSION used in the message, it can really make a difference Dale. Thanks for pointing that out and have a wonderful day ahead.

    2. Welcome to the blog Dale!

      I agree with you there, or perhaps the power of social media causes wasn’t really tapped in the real sense. We can indeed make a difference if we go all out and do the needful, isn’t it? I think those who are doing it, are doing a commendable job.

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views 🙂

  6. Yes,social media is a good platform for communication.
    I am quite active on Twitter,where story telling seems intersting.What annoys me the most is the abuses which are showered on Twitter.

    1. Hi BK, I don’t see too much of that on Twitter but maybe it’s the people I’m following that makes a difference? I have heard about it of course from others too. Thanks for your input and have a nice day.

  7. Hi Lisa,

    Sorry I got here so late, but I’ve been racing all week 🙂 Nice to see you here, it was a real surprise. How nice to know that all the people we know, know each other.

    I think that social media is perfect for causes, because social media is like a mouth to ear on steroids, so it’s definitely the right vehicle for it.

    I know you’re the queen of social media and I see you’re using it to the full. Congratulations on what you do!

    1. Sylviane, it’s never late 🙂 Thank you 🙂 Love your analogy of it. It can be used for so many causes, amazes me. Also amazes me so big names don’t use. I was following some national TV talk hosts and they had not tweeted since last May, really? I thought they would be with the financial / government crisis going on. Thanks again Sylviane and have a great day.

  8. Hi Lisa.

    It’s nice to see you in Harleena’s Blog.

    Wow Great Post with excellent information. Ya I learned how to use social media through my Guru’s in this field. Especially Harleena is master in this field. You see her Google+ circles almost 12,000 now. You’re right social media helps for causes. But most of the people don’t know about this fact. I saw so many people in the past they’ve idea how to promote for their cause. First of all they’ve no clue on promoting, how to start and where to go. People like you and Harleena are helping people who searching for this information.

    Thank you once again for giving tremendous post to us.
    Have a Nice Week

    1. Hi Perambur, thank you. Nice to be here too 🙂 Harleena is a natural at social media, isn’t she? Just like with her writing too. It takes time to build a following for a cause and then once you do it can go viral and help out tremendously. You are welcome and have a nice week yourself there.

  9. Hi Lisa,
    Really nice post, I must say social media has become a means to make news and other announcements go viral. It has also taught us alot of things and changed our lives in different ways as well as help us meet old and new friends and connect with different people from different parts of the world. Tnx for sharing

    1. Thank Bob – social media really has changes our lives in many ways. It’s so easy to connect with others from around the world. I like seeing how causes use it for the good because we always hear the bad stories in the news about it. Have a wonderful day.

  10. Hi Lisa

    I’ve not used social media for charities or causes. I can see it would be a powerful medium for that though.

    I take my hat off to Bren for all of the work she’s doing and to you also for raising awareness by doing walks for charity and other stuff.

    Great to see you at Harleena’s place :-).

    1. Thank you Tim, you may consider it with your other child blog. A cause like autism, etc. Something you can write about and someone you know with the disease, etc. I know Bren is doing such an awesome job, isn’t she? Thanks for coming by and commenting here too Tim. Have a great new day ahead.

  11. Hello Buben,

    Nice to see you in Harleena’s website. Now a days social media has great impact in our life. By social media, we can collect fund by which we can donate poor people, collect blood etc.

    The main thing we need to use social media in good way. So we can change the whole world

    1. Thank you Ahsan, I agree – let’s use it in a good way to change the world for the good. Glad you mentioned to collect blood too. I know our local blood center uses social media quite effectively here. Thanks for your input and have a wonderful day.

  12. Hey Lisa! Great to see you here on Harleena’s place!

    I think Facebook is a great way to share a cause. I see them all the time. If I don’t give to it, I will share it.

    I just love animal causes. I’m familiar with Brenda and commend her for her hard work. I just fall in love with those pictures of each dog I see. Well I’m a biased dog person because I have 3 rescue pups.

    Although I have never posted for a cause, the bells are ringing in my head to give a portion of my proceeds to an organization. Well, that will be coming soon when my product gets up and running.

    You have me thinking …which one I will choose!

    Thanks for the inspiration Lisa and thank you Harleena for having such a superstar on your blog!

    -Donna

    1. Donna, thank you, it’s an honor to be here on Harleena’s blog. yes, I think Bren is doing an awesome job with those dogs and cats. I’ve done that with our nursing scrub site, this month is breast cancer awareenss and any pink scrubs or clogs that are bought we give 10% to a charity. Good luck picking yours, find one near and dear to you. You are welcome and have a great day Donna.

  13. Hi Lisa,

    I have actually not used social media for any cause so far although I have participated in many over time.

    Social media affects significantly when it comes to marketing about anything and causes are just another things social media can help.

    Political campaigns, business conferences, personal development programs, causes, revolutionary ideas – they all can get their momentum on social media. Good thing or bad, it spreads fast today and I can only imaging how causes can really catch fire with so little to begin with.
    An excellent idea with lot of insights about how to do it right on different sites. Thank you for sharing!

    1. Kumar, oh yes political causes too – I was listening to talk radio today and they were mentioning for people to spread the word via FB and Twitter. I sure hope the good is outweighing the bad on spreading fast. Thanks for your added input and ideas on this one too. Have a great rest of the week Kumar.

  14. Hi Lisa,

    This was a wonderful post and it’s great to see you at Harleena’s blog!

    Social media certainly is a powerful medium to influence others for the benefit of causes. One just needs to look at the Facebook pages of various charities, and the number of likes they have to see just how popular social media can be.

    My initial experiences of using social media as a way of raising awareness was around 4-5 years ago when I used to blog about stuttering and share posts about this area through Facebook.

    Thank you.

    1. Thank you Hiten, it’s an honor to be here. I will have to check out your blog on that, my husband does that. Thanks for coming by and for your input. You are right about how many likes those pages do have.

  15. Social Media for Social Awareness & Causes is amazing !

    The power of influence is something I am so impressed with, it really makes me feel good to see people spread the good word to help fight a disease such as cancer. Cancer was something for many years that I read about and not knowing anyone impacted until I reached my mid 20’s. Right now it is impacting our family and I think a family member can feel helpless until they can spread the word and increase awareness.

    My step-father has been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer almost 3 years ago, he is fighting the fight and just recently started his second round of treatment. I have been since following social channels that inspire, motivate and raise awareness so I know first hand the social connection makes a difference.

    Keep up the great work ! We can make a difference socially

    1. Hi Ed, Nice to see you here 🙂 I’m sorry you are having to deal with cancer in your family Ed. It’s such a terrible disease. I did 2 walks the past 2 weekends, one for ovarian and the other for breast cancer. It’s so sad to see young people suffering from these. I hope the money raised will make a difference too. It’s easy to collect money when we can reach people from all over via social networks. Thanks for coming by and taking the time to comment Ed.

    2. Welcome to the blog Ed – good to have you over 🙂

      I agree with you there – creating social awareness through social media isn’t something most of us usually do, but if we did, we can imagine the impact it would have, isn’t it?

      Sorry to hear about cancer in your family – it reminds me of my Mom’s lung cancer, but that was years back and she lost the battle to it, even though we tried a lot of ways we thought might work. Fighting cancer is horrible…it’s fighting against hope I’d say, but yes, being humans we all keep trying right till the end, don’t we?

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your experiences with us 🙂

  16. Hello Lisa,

    Well as you have mentioned in your writing that telling a story has become become way easy. I mean its like just press your ideas in the form of key-strokes and clicks and all the way you are reach at a point where your story is actually in millions of hands with a single stroke. 🙂

    As Adrlenne ma’am mentioned in the previous comments that people come together for bringing about a change and make that thing actually work through such mediums.

    Thanks a lot for sharing this with us.
    Regards

    1. Hi Charmle, you are welcome. Well it’s not always so easy, One has to gather info and find the right words with the keystrokes to reach hopefully millions of hands 🙂 Thanks for your comment and taking time to come by.

  17. Well hey there Lisa, great to see you here at Harleena’s blog and what a wonderful topic.

    I was shaking my head when I started reading this post thinking to myself yeah… Those people who love to share every darn personal thing on Facebook including leaving town. I don’t know why that still surprises me that people actually do that.

    Now being on social media and contributing to a cause is just fabulous. I mean it’s one of the best ways to get the word spread. Good for you also for donating to such a worthy cause as well. I know you know my history with cancer being in my family so it’s definitely a cause worth fighting for.

    I also love what Bren and others do like Joe about bringing awareness for animals. They need a voice too because they definitely can’t speak for themselves and it breaks my heart when I run across information that they’re being abused or mistreated.

    I was reading something this morning on Facebook and it’s the people who make the difference. If enough people come together for a cause things can be changed. We can make a difference so we just have to make enough people aware and hopefully they too will care.

    Thank you for sharing this with us and wonderful to read about this topic here. I hope both you ladies are enjoying your weekend and I’ll see you around next week.

    ~Adrienne

    1. Thanks Adrienne, I feel honored to be here at Harleena’s place. Oh yes, the lack of common sense on Facebook can be amazing at times. Cancer can be such a terrible disease and some cancers are so unknown still. Everyone knows about breast cancer but not many know about ovarian cancer and some patients have both. Sad.
      Yes, just one person can make a difference I believe and if that is shared and re-shared it can surely add up quickly to make a BIG difference.
      I hope your weekend is going well there Adrienne and that you find an answer to your last posts question. You have everyone stumped!

  18. Thanks Lisa for sharing your thoughts in form of a post on Aha-now.
    Social media becomes ubiquitous. I get all kind of news on social media. As you said Social media is great to prmote good causes. Few months back we at our office have promoted a noble cause on the social media which was related to Cancer treatment.
    Great write up Lisa.

    1. Hi Atish, you are welcome. what type of cancer treatment? Another thing is the causes can go worldwide which would have been much harder before social media. Makes the world smaller 🙂 Thanks for your input and have a great day.

  19. What fun to find you on Harleena’s site, Lisa! 😀

    Social media, for all it sometimes gets a deservedly bad wrap, can be an amazing and powerful tool. Look what happened with Boston, and the resultant Boston Strong campaign.

    I love your clog story, Lisa! Such great synchronicity.

    While I haven’t used social media for my own causes, I’ve supported other causes through it.

    1. Thanks Ellen, it’s an honor for me to be on Harleena’s site with this post. Yes, Boston is a great example as well. The clog story is near and dear to me and the person I met has had her cancer spread 🙁 Such a terrible disease.
      What is your favorite cause Ellen?

      1. I’d have to say my favorite cause is my area food pantry and, by association, the New Hampshire Food Bank. Their help is immediate, local, and sadly necessary.

  20. Hi Shalu, that sure was a cause in Egypt back then. I did not find much use of causes on MySpace but I do hear they are making a comeback. I haven’t yet gone back to mine in years. That was the first one I ever set up to track my kids back in the day 🙂 Thanks for bringing that one up and have a wonderful weekend Shalu.

  21. Hi Lisa – great to see you here at Harleena’s blog, and this is an inspirational post.

    I’m aware that many organisations use social media to promote good causes – I guess big organisations have whole teams of people working on this, but I’m particularly impressed by individuals like Bren, who work so hard and use social media to such good effect to raise awareness of good causes.

    I’ve never initiated anything like this myself, but I have often shared posts, particularly on Facebook, highlighting and promoting charitable causes.

    We all complain a lot about social media and, as Ashutosh says, it’s a two-edged sword, so it makes a pleasant change to read a post that reminds us of the good it can do.

    Great post, Lisa 🙂

    1. Thanks Susan, social media is at its best with great causes. Bren does an awesome job finding help and homes for those homeless pets. I’m amazed by her too. Glad you like the post and thanks for taking time to comment. Have a great rest of the week 🙂

  22. Interesting point Lisa.

    I never thought of using social media for a cause. Social media certainly has a lot of clout as far as getting the word out is concerned. I remember the Arab spring in Egypt and how demonstrators were able to garner people to Tahrir Square. If it can topple governments, it certainly can be used for other purposes.

    You did not mention Myspace, it used to be one of the most used social media site, I wonder what it’s like nowadays.

  23. Hi, Lisa,

    Indeed wonderful write up. 🙂
    The popularity of social media is very high. Maximum People are indirectly or directly connected with any of these social networks. This is depends on us how we are using the popularity of social media for our cause.

    People have different strategies for using different social networks. You also have shared good way to use Facebook, twitter, YouTube and other social network for good cause.

    Yes, it is true the big organization like UN and Red Cross are collecting huge amount through these networks. They connect with people at one place in no time and they touch their hearts. So, people come forward to support them.

    Nice to know, you are also using social media for your good cause. Great work Keep it up.

    Thank You very much for sharing a great post. Have a nice weekend. 🙂

    1. Thank you Kumar. Yes big organization are using it and so are many “mom and pop” grass root organizations, and even one person can start such a movement in this way. Thanks for coming by and sharing your input on this subject, I hope you have a nice weekend as well Kumar.

  24. Hello Lisa,
    Welcome to Harleena’s blog and do hope you’re enjoying your stay :).
    The thing is, social media has taken over the world by storm and using it positively is the best idea to go with it :). It is the best platform to reach out to millions of people.

    Nice and long article Lisa. Do have a blessed weekend both of you 🙂

    1. Thanks Babanature, I sure am. Harleena has a wonderful engaging audience here. Have you ever used the medium for any type of cause? I’m following one now for Lyme Disease and it’s pretty cool. Maybe I will do a follow up in the future. Thanks for coming by and have a wonderful blessed weekend yourself Babanature.

  25. Hi Harleena & Lisa,

    Thank you for sharing. I can see that social media have a great impact on spreading the word out. I am all in for that. Inspiring and influential messages can go viral really quick!

    However, what I have noticed is that there seem to have less real-life campaigns for various causes. I personally do not believe that social media are fantastic add-ons. Yet, they should never replace the more traditional channels. What do you reckon?

    Viola Tam – The Business Mum

    1. You are welcome Viola. What do you mean by real life campaigns? They should compliment other media if you have the budget, like print, TV, etc.

  26. Lisa, good to see you on Harleena’s blog. Your post highlights the good and bad sides of using social media. Understanding these two sides to the social media would go a long way at helping people make the best use of them.

    To start with the security concern you highlighted: I know of a guy who is a military personnel, who keeps announcing his movement of Facebook. Each time he travelled out of his station, he would announce it on facebook that he’s at so and so location, etc.

    I also saw a guy who posted he was at the airport and was about to board a plane to a particular destination. Now apart from the fact that their homes could be burgled and their personal effects stolen, how about making it much more easier for them to be tracked by potential assassins? Telling people on social media about your whereabouts is certainly not advisable.

    Coming to the other side, it is quite good to use social media to promote causes that would promote justice, development, business, educate people, etc, and such good ventures need to be supported.

    We have seen situations were some injustices got revised as a result of social media outcry. We have also seen NGOs getting recognized as a result of awareness created on social media by people who have seen them and feel they should be encouraged. The examples are endless.

    Whatever be the case, we must remember that just as social media have their own advantages so also do they have their disadvantages. And so when doing anything, we must think of what result we intend to get and how best to achieve those results. We cannot afford to give ourselves away so cheaply in the name of being sociable.

    Lisa, thanks once again for creating this awareness through this post. Thanks Harleena for the privilege given to Lisa to post on your blog. I wish you both a lovely and productive weekend.

    1. Hi Efoghor, yes a little common sense would go a long way, wouldn’t it? Hard to believe someone in the military would do that with the knowledge they must have. (Goes back to common sense). One may have knowledge but NO common sense. You arew welcome and I appreicate the time you took to add your input to this topic Efoghor.
      I have you have a wonderful weekend too. I’m hoping to end the productivity soon and rest 🙂

  27. Hey Lisa,
    Welcome to Aha-Now, I’m indeed so happy to see you here. And you know what? You written a very awesome and mind blowing post.

    Social media has really taken over the internet as Enstine mentioned and since its inception, everything has changed.

    When it comes to posting images that inspires, I know Harleena is very good at that and, I love it too.

    You’re highly welcome again and, hope you’ll write for us again because, I enjoyed this one :).

    1. Thank you Theodore 🙂 Social media has really changed the internet and our way of communications, hasn’t it Theodore? It is amazing to think back to the 90’s before it all started. Sure we may have had email but not at the speed of social. With social media we can share and engage so quickly. Have a wonderful weekened!

  28. Everything in this world has a good and bad use but it all depends on how one uses it.

    Hello Madam Lisa, its nice seeing you here as well. This is one post worth reading.

    Thanks!

    1. Very true Emmanuel, I wanted to show the good side and what could be done with it. I think it’s great when it can save lives too. You are welcome and I appreciate your time commenting. Have a great weekend!

  29. Hi Lisa and Harleena! Fabulous post for sure and thanks for the shout out! 🙂

    I’m using it with Pibbles & Me and share the journey of a dysfunctional, twice rejected pit bull mix and how he overcame a lot of “quirks”; as well as my Homeless in Delaware site to help promote homeless cats in dogs in Delaware. Sharing via social media brings more publicity to your cause and in my case, can help someone overcome the typical pit bull stereotypes AND help homeless dogs and cats find furever home! Social media is awesome for causes!

    Sharing this across the webby my friends!

    1. Hi Bren, you are welcome. I think it’s great how you are using social media for saving the animals, a great cause! You really have come a long way since you started Pibbles too. I think you certainly have found your cause Bren and you are using social media for the good of them. It’s awesome to see when you post post pics of the dogs or cats that have been adopted. Love it! Thanks for coming by and have a great weekend my friend.

  30. Thanks Harleena and Lisa for giving us a wonderful post on how to spread social media to spread social causes.

    Social media is just like a sharp knife that can be used by different people in different ways, depending on their own mentality and thought process. A murderer can use the knife to kill someone, a thief can use the knife for burglary but that doesn’t means that knife is a bad tool. The same knife is used by chefs in the kitchen as a tool to help them cook some delicious food.

    Things aren’t good or bad but the way it is used by us humans. It is our perspective that makes a thing good or bad and Social Media is also an important tool that can be used by us according to our mentality.

    Thanks for sharing some nice points to help people working on social cause, to let their cause reach to a wider audience.

    Have a great smiling weekend ahead. 🙂

    1. Hi Ashutosh, Great analogy there with the knife. You are right, it’s not the mediums or the things but the humans that are behind each. You are welcome and have a wonderful weekend. Thank you for your input and that great analogy.

  31. This is a good idea Lisa and Harleena! The idea to connect giving + social media in a way that can influence and change lives for the better is quite inspiring.

    This message is important especially to online entrepreneurs. I recently read in Psycho-Cybernetics that: “Charity towards other people is symptomatic of the successful personality because it means that the person is dealing with reality. People ARE important.”

    If youre on social media networks a decent about of time you might as well spend a little time combining the 2.

    Good post to read Lisa!…and at just the right time.

    1. Thanks Ashley. I like the quote and people are definately important. I do like sharing about charities that I can relate to, and if they can make me “feel” it – it sure does help. Thanks Ashley for your input and have a wonderful weekend ahead.

  32. Hi Lisa,
    Welcome to Aha-now and I think Harleena made another right choice for the guest author this weekend. Always a pleasure to read from such savvy and experienced bloggers

    You know social media has taken over Internet Lisa and it’s a huge component of commmunication today. These social media players make it quite cheap to carry the word around the world. With its viral power, using social media is by far the best and cheapest way to go wild in a short space of time.

    You have written an important guide Lisa and I’m sure being on aha-now, this is going to gain a lot more exposure.

    Hope you ladies are having fun this weekend 😉

    1. Thanks Enstine – appreciate that. It is cheap but it does take time and time can be money, right? But it is a great way to easily spread the word about causes all over the world. I hope I’m going to have this weekend too Enstine. I have a to-do list to complete first though. Enjoy your weekend!

  33. Hi Lisa,

    You’ve surely flagged an important issue which is relevant today in the fast paced world of gadgets n gizmos. Social media and the net has brought all of us closer than we ever dreamt of.

    Humankind has been always trying to reach out to each other across millenia. No wonder there was a time when mariners left messages in bottles for their loved ones to read ,or any one to read because they wanted to be sure that their lives mattered. That is what social media has done for all of us, given us the platform to reach out to the world from wherever we are and ensure our existence counts.That way there has been a contagion of do-good-for-the-needy.

    This is what has acted as a force multiplier in human aspirations for altruism. Instead of being compelled only to daily TV news, which is usually negative,social media offers a dialogue of sorts.

    Thanks

    1. Hi Mona, thank you. I hadn’t thought about those messages in a bottle, great point. It surely brings us all closer to folks from all parts of the world too. That really amazes me at times. And it surely beats most of the negativity of TV news. Thank you for coming by and for your input. Have a wonderful weekend.

    2. Welcome to the blog Mona!

      Absolutely! I think all of us need to look at the many other options social media has put forth us, besides the normal we know of. Understanding social media causes, just as Lisa mentioned in her post is something we need to lay more stress on, which would help many.

      I loved your example of the message in a bottle and that’s how it all started years back, and now with times changing there’s a lot more we can do, isn’t it?

      Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views 🙂

  34. Hi Lisa,

    Welcome to my blog as a guest author!

    I’m glad you wrote this post for my blog readers today, and I liked the idea when you told me that you wanted to write about social media and causes. It’s just an apt topic for my readers, who always wish to help others, and many of them being bloggers, who use social media regularly.

    It’s good to know about the initiatives you took to promote awareness about ovarian cancer along with your friends. You inspire us to take up a cause that’s near to our heart and start promoting it too. Knowing the amount of time we spend on promoting our posts, I’m sure we can give a part of it on promoting a cause, isn’t it?

    Your post is in the spirit of giving and you make it so easy for all of us to do that. Yes, social media has grown in stature and we can conclude that when we see the big names also using it.

    I’m sure that social media will gain more importance in the future, and along with the four big social media sites, I think Google Plus and Pinterest too are growing in their capability to influence people.

    Thanks for making us aware about how we should write the messages and make them more emotional – as something people can relate to. You’re absolutely right when you say – “You never know how a share can affect a life along the way.”

    I’m sure my blog readers would benefit from your ideas and suggestions and start using social media for causes. I’m sure they’ll have lots of questions to ask and experiences to share, so it’s all over to you Lisa, and I hope you’ve a great time on Aha!NOW – the spotlight is on YOU! 🙂

    1. Harleena, thank you for having me. I love seeing social media being used for good things every day especially causes that could save lives. We always hear about the negative and I would rather focus on the positive. I hope this can help others with their causes too.

Comments are closed.

Previous Article
A person experiencing the joy of giving by donating

Celebrate the Joy of Giving in Your Life

Next Article
couple happy with the quality of life

Quality Of Life – Let’s Understand It Better

Related Posts
Total
0
Share