February 13-17 is Social Media Week in cities around the world. We’ll share some learnings from events held in Toronto throughout the week.
Monday evening, I attended a Social Media Week event in Toronto about how social media can be used for social good. The panel of speakers defined “social good” as making a positive impact – even on just one person’s life rather than creating big changes in society. They spoke about how they have used social media to help others and how it has also touched them personally.
Tracie Wagman (@helpwevegotkids), publisher of Help We’ve Got Kids, shared how she uses her brand to help parents and children engage in local charities and make a difference. On her website, she has a Pay it Forward section in which she shares information monthly about different charities and how people can get involved.
Two speakers on the panel have seen a huge boost to their fundraising efforts, thanks to social media. Dee Brun (@cocktaildeeva) raises money annually for breast cancer research. Last year, she hosted a party in-person and on Twitter simultaneously. She asked those on Twitter to donate $10 to the cause. In the end, she raised $11,000 - $4,000 from Twitter alone. Meanwhile, Jodi Sonoda (@karmicevolution) reached out the Twitter community when a teen shelter was in need during the holiday season. She ended up raising approximately $10,000 to help the kids get winter coats and other essential items.
Blogger Heather Hamilton (@tjzmommy) turned to Twitter for support when she lost her son Zach, who had special needs. Through Twitter, many people heard about Heather’s plight and wanted to help. Because of the support, Heather has so far raised $43,000 to furnish two rooms in Zach’s memory at Sick Kids hospital in Toronto. Laura Berg (@mysmarthands) has used YouTube to share videos of her doing baby sign language with her infant daughter. One of the videos has received 3 million hits, and she has received emails from people around the world who have been inspired by her work.
We (the Red Cross Talks team) can relate to the above examples and have seen first-hand the power social media to make a difference. One example was after the Japan earthquake last year, when we saw a huge outpouring of support from bloggers who shared info on how people could help (such as text to donate) or organized fundraisers for the Red Cross.
How are you using social media to make a difference? How has social media made a difference in your life?