The Good Ol’ Days

I remember Facebook. You know the one that you needed a college ID to have an account. The one where I connected with my friends from school who had gone afar and no longer within convenient reach. The ones who were still in school or who had ventured back to their original homes…or even settled into new destinations.

The good old days when people were poking others (whatever that meant), Twitter didn’t exist, and MySpace was the treacherous beast that I still have yet to understand why so many spent they’re beloved time.

Yes. The good ol’ days of social media. (What was that? Like 6 years ago?)

And Then it Got Big

Fast forward to 2011, and we’re in a world of social mayhem. Facebook has transformed from a simple interface with basic functionality to a beast that holds games and pictures and apps and brands and whatever else the world decides to throw at the screen.

Add on Twitter, YouTube, and the numerous blogging sites that allow us to share our intimate secrets with one another via words, video and pics, and we have social networking in a nutshell.

Well, that’s if you leave out marketers. You know. People like me. The ones who pitch their brand with the goal of keeping you connected, driving sales, and getting your buy-in.

Using Social for Good

But there’s another sector. Those who use social media for good.

While all the above is at times good, today I would like to pay homage to those who use social media for good. You know organizations like GOOD, World Food Programme, Join(Red), and Amber Alert. Or those individuals and organizations who use social media to raise money for relief for areas impacted by natural disasters such as Japan and Haiti.

The reality is that we, as individuals or marketers, have an opportunity to use social media for good every time we enter the social arena and make a post. Yes. I understand that this is not always realistic with present goals, and maybe even our target market’s desires. However, I would like to say “thank you” to all the organization who have posted even one post for the good of humanity because you don’t have to, and you’ve decided to go beyond yourself and truly make the world a “better place” – Michael Jackson.

The Reach, The Span, The Change.

Whether you have 5 followers of 100,000, social media is a powerful tool allowing us as people and organizations to make a change. Let’s not only use it for ourselves, but let’s take small moments to make big changes one tweet at a time.

Much love.

Regina

Regina R. Patterson, M.B.A.

Marketing & Web Content Consultant

reginapatterson.com

info@reginapatterson.com

616.443.6401

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