The opinions on how to use social media are as varied as on any other polarizing issue. There are more than two sides, a gray area and everything in between. Besides using social media to meet a new beau, get a new job or simply declare your deepest, darkest feelings, is it possible to use this medium to do some charitable good?
This summer, Mashable began a series #FindingtheGood highlighting non-profit companies' efforts with social media. Since I'm a sucker for a cute puppy or kitten, one post that stuck out for me was about the Humane Society's presence on a variety of social networks. The author writes:
That's exactly it. I know what the Humane Society is, but I'm not a member and I don't regularly check on their activities. By becoming a follower or fan on Twitter and Facebook, I enter into a part of the social media "club" that allows me access to relevant information about whichever charity I'm interested.
Another surprising use of social media to promote charitable good came to my attention when my colleague Gordon blamed "Drew's cancer" for his laptop troubles. I wondered who the heck Drew was and why people were blaming his cancer for everything. I looked a bit deeper and figured out what was going on.
In May of this year, Drew Olanoff was diagnosed with cancer. He then came up with the idea to raise money for the American Cancer Society by inviting everyone on Twitter to blame his cancer for anything they wanted - from getting "Livin' on a Prayer" stuck in your head to losing your money in a vending machine. A dollar provided by a future corporate sponsor would then be donated for each tweet. Over 7,300 people have blamed over 12,000 things on Drew's cancer, demonstrating that taking a humorous look at a serious disease can get people talking about an often nerve-wracking topic. Their tweets transformed into a successful word of mouth campaign, all the while, raising charitable funds. Check out some of the great tweets by following #blamedrewscancer.
I blame Drew's cancer - do you? How has social media helped you make a difference in the world?
This summer, Mashable began a series #FindingtheGood highlighting non-profit companies' efforts with social media. Since I'm a sucker for a cute puppy or kitten, one post that stuck out for me was about the Humane Society's presence on a variety of social networks. The author writes:
"By focusing marketing efforts on social media sites, HSUS has been able to tap the viral nature of such sites and spread their message to new people."
That's exactly it. I know what the Humane Society is, but I'm not a member and I don't regularly check on their activities. By becoming a follower or fan on Twitter and Facebook, I enter into a part of the social media "club" that allows me access to relevant information about whichever charity I'm interested.
Another surprising use of social media to promote charitable good came to my attention when my colleague Gordon blamed "Drew's cancer" for his laptop troubles. I wondered who the heck Drew was and why people were blaming his cancer for everything. I looked a bit deeper and figured out what was going on.
In May of this year, Drew Olanoff was diagnosed with cancer. He then came up with the idea to raise money for the American Cancer Society by inviting everyone on Twitter to blame his cancer for anything they wanted - from getting "Livin' on a Prayer" stuck in your head to losing your money in a vending machine. A dollar provided by a future corporate sponsor would then be donated for each tweet. Over 7,300 people have blamed over 12,000 things on Drew's cancer, demonstrating that taking a humorous look at a serious disease can get people talking about an often nerve-wracking topic. Their tweets transformed into a successful word of mouth campaign, all the while, raising charitable funds. Check out some of the great tweets by following #blamedrewscancer.
I blame Drew's cancer - do you? How has social media helped you make a difference in the world?
