Building Social Good through Social Media

Here is something wonderfully true about humanity: when we hear about disasters the natural inclination most of us have is to help. Social technologies take this to a new level.  

 When the Haiti earthquake hit last winter the American Red Cross and State Department innovated text messaging through the Mobile Accord tech platform mGive. It was easy and the price point of $10 a donation sealed the deal for many givers in these recessionary times. As many as 900 messages a second were processed and an unbelievable $33 million dollars was raised for American Red Cross relief efforts. Who gave? Many young first time donors were at the forefront, as well as many others who found this a quickly achievable way to do the right thing. And we gave in droves, over 3 million strong.

 In the process, mobile giving revolutionized philanthropy. “The Haiti relief effort changed the way organizations and people perceive the mobile platform for social good,” said Mobile Accord Chairman James Eberhard. “Following mGive’s success with the Red Cross and other charities, we’ve seen all kinds of nonprofit organizations – big and small – turning to mobile technologies as a simple solution for raising contributions and building awareness and community for a host of worthy causes.”

 These are exciting times for many of us who believe in the power of social media almost as much as we do in the power of humanitarian outreach. I worked for the American Red Cross for several years and witnessed incredible acts of compassion and care for people at points of true vulnerability and loss. I remember watching shots of Hurricane Katrina victims on TV and pushing myself to work harder, deeper, faster for them. It was the only way I could make sense of it. Traveling down to Louisiana several weeks later, I was grateful for all being accomplished in that disaster of epic proportions.

 Yet, in all disasters, the need is always greater. There’s always more that can be done…

 New technologies won’t solve everything, but they will streamline giving systems so greater numbers of people can be reached in more efficient ways. We’re talking about a simple text message for now, but think about what these technologies will do three, five or even ten years from now.  I’m energized and optimistic at the concept of accomplishing good at the speed of light ~ The more we all gather our hearts and minds around this idea, the greater our outcomes can be.

The Cost of Consumer Spending

Economists insist its vital to end the recession as consumers finally start to make purchases again. Department of Commerce statistics showed last month’s overall retail sales grew 0.4 % from the previous month but were 8.8 % higher than in April 2009.  Home improvement sales were strongest.

While this does help to bolster the economy, it’s still slow going. “Consumers are cautiously opening their wallets and making purchases that they deferred or avoided during the worst of the recession,” said Retail Industry Leaders Association President Sandy Kennedy. That caution is well founded. The recession set off a landslide of debt and loss for millions of Americans. While the job picture is improving, many of the chronically unemployed continue to search for work.

There’s a sad irony in our nation’s consumer spending cycle. Out-of-control purchasing, fed by a culture of credit and borrowing beyond means, played a major factor in our economic free fall. Now, its consumer spending that will help stimulate the economy and create the jobs that will bring us out of the recession.

For this to work there must be realignment in our thinking about spending. Too many people trying to live just a bit beyond their means ended up struggling to put food on the table over the past year and half. Now that things are improving purchasing, as needed, is certainly justified. Yet -so, too, is the newfound consumer caution. If this spending is going to be the salvation of our economy, we all need to be realistic about how it might work.

We’ve learned the hard way that more is not better. When we “make do” we can make out just fine. There can be no mad charge to buy things anymore. We are reinventing our fundamental ideas about need, desire and money. And that means this slow ride out of the recession will take a while longer as we reshape both our thinking and our systems of spending— and get our country back to work again.

Solar’s Turning Point

Imagine the day our sun generates significant amounts of electricity for our planet. It may not be far off. The International Energy Agency just predicted that solar power could make up 25 percent of global electricity production by the year 2050.

This could spare the earth’s resources while significantly improving the environment. “This decade is crucial for effective policies to enable the development of solar electricity,” said IEA executive Director Nobuo Tanakae. That’s because the increased use of solar power on both residential and commercial buildings could bring it to an equal playing field with conventional electricity within 10 years.

So, if this possibility in sight, what will it take to make this happen? International policy and economic partnerships could enable solar power to grow at the kinds of rates that will turn this into reality.

In many ways, this is about the will to do it.  Are we ready to take the word “alternative ” out of the solar energy process? Like other historical turning points, such as space discovery, our human understanding of the technology is in a good enough place to keep it moving forward. It’s about the resolve to make it so.

Now, we need to think as a planet about our planet by turning our attention to increased solar development with enough focus to make it happen.  That will take a transnational focus for the world’s cultures, governments and businesses. We can enhance a two-fold global value process, one of both hearts and minds. We can heighten attention around our ethical beliefs and actions within this movement. And, we can rally around the value of increased, incentivized commerce needed to make the bottom lines work. By turning our resources here and committing to its success we truly can carry solar’s momentum forward. We can meet an end goal that is not only doable – but ultimately necessary for our world.

Why Mommy Bloggers Rule

Last year, a group of mothers used social media to push back hard against a Motrin ad for the way it construed women. The Advertising/Marketing/PR communities were stunned by the speed with which this viral message (on a weekend, no less) turned an expensive ad campaign upside down – and by how quickly Motrin had to launch a crisis communications plan through the then–unknown playing field of social media.

The truth is mothers and fathers have been writing about their experiences for years. While these voices have always mattered, social media’s transparent connectivity has shifted the reigns of empowerment from policy makers and advertisers to parents, themselves.  These “Mommy Bloggers”, legions of women writing  and receiving comments on blogs, facebook and twitter, now shape social thinking on parenting, education, health and other issues of relevance to families. And, their role in leveraging branding and messaging for consumer products is immense. This is citizen journalism at its core.

Groupable, a leading social media platform that enables brand advertisers to connect with targeted communities, has listed the top moms blogs/groups. Its Top 100 list ranks those who are among the most relevant and the most engaged within their socio-demographic target and who have the greatest potential to influence buying decisions.

According to Nate Brochin, Groupable CEO, “Moms Groups represent the most passionate part of a very influential consumer segment. This list shows that influence is more than just twitter followers. Brands can use Groupable’s ratings as a filter to find groups that will be both responsive to marketing initiatives as well as influential in spreading the word of these brand experiences.”

The following are Groupable’s Top 10 out of the 100 most socially influential moms groups*:

Rank	Group Name	Groupability Index (GI)	Updates/Day	Followers	Engagement
1	Work It Mom	84	3.2	3,879	Average
2	Parent Hacks	80	7.2	14,643	High
3	Manic Mommies	79	1.2	2,451	High
4	Amazing Moms	78	1.4	25,848	Average
5	Boston Mamas	77	23.3	4,029	Very High
6	Cool Mom	73	1.8	5,407	Average
7	Rookie Moms	68	8.0	20,110	High
8	Moms at Work	65	8.5	36,938	High
9	Green Moms Carnival	65	13.4	21,568	Average
10	Mommy Poppins	64	3.0	3,798	High

*Representative data points for the GI formula

For a complete list of the Top 100 Most Influential Moms, email Groupable at info@groupable.com or for more Top 5 Influential group lists, go to http://influence.groupable.com/.

Oh, and, Happy Mother’s Day~

New Hope For Women & Infants in South Sudan

Political unrest in Southern Sudan created a humanitarian crisis for women and children. It’s difficult to even fathom that women die in childbirth anymore. Yet, many Sudanese women are faced with little access to hospitals or trained personnel during difficult pregnancies and labors. These mothers do die in childbirth – at alarmingly high rates.

A new $250,000 grant from the international advocacy group Not on Our Watch will provide funding for ambulances and improved maternal care through UNICEF. “As the situation in Sudan grows increasingly unstable, it is imperative that the international community take action to help those most vulnerable,” said Not On Our Watch co-founder Matt Damon. “The maternal mortality rate in South Sudan is one of the highest in the world. We are proud to help UNICEF as they work to save lives, especially during this critical period.” UNICEF will also follow up with community education on accessing life-saving emergency obstetric services.

Not On Our Watch was founded by George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Jerry Weintraub, and David Pressman to focus global attention and resources to stop and prevent mass atrocities. Drawing upon the voices of cultural leaders, its mission is to protect and assist the vulnerable, marginalized, and displaced. Here is their website: www.notonourwatchproject.org. Please visit this page to learn about ways you can help with this and other vital humanitarian outreach: http://notonourwatchproject.org/what_you_can_do

Get Your Head in the Clouds

Think of the computer services you or your business need and use. This includes communications, storage and sales. Cloud computing combines existing technologies into a structure that streamlines your processes. It serves up computing in a better, faster way. Clouds are one of the new innovations we’re all going to be thinking about and using in the next few years. This rapidly evolving practice is the focus of the Cloud Expo meeting this week in NYC. Visit this website to lean more: http://cloudcomputingexpo.com/

Clearing Through the Social Media Clutter

The social media landscape changes quickly. Facebook and twitter are the “must-haves” of our conversational age. But wait, there’s more. Lots more.  Should you Link in or feel the Google Buzz? Is it about you tube’s video’s or foursquare’s location dominance? Confused? You’re not alone!

As I work with people learning to use social media effectively, we talk  about discerning which of these new mediums is right for personal or corporate needs. If you’re looking to get good in the game, here are some broad suggestions to help you sift through the noise and find your rhythm.

1)      Know and understand well your goals and objectives. Do you need to market products and services? Are you looking to enhance your personal or corporate brand? Do you want to stretch the reach of your professional network? Each social network offers a unique value proposition for this.

2)       Where are your contacts? Where is your audience? Are they busy on linked in? Do they tweet or are they connecting on facebook?

3)      What are your contacts, customers or audience doing on social media? How are they being social? Are they on twitter lists? Have they formed facebook groups? What kind of videos are they placing on YouTube? Who is doing this successfully?

4)      What do you want to say? At the end of the day you’ll be known and appreciated for that  personal or corporate brand of yours through various social media channels. Your central message will guide you through your interactions.

5)      Effective social media is the result of successful integration into conversations with the groupings and individuals you want to engage with; establishing presence, positive perception and value within your communities of choice. This type of communication does not occur as a result of paid media. And, it’s not media that is earned through the scope of traditional marketing or public relations practices.  Become a strong social networker by actively caring about what others think, sharing your perspective (message) in a respectful way. Good luck!

How Not to Use Social Media

by Carol Yelverton

Social media is everywhere we want to be these days, providing new ways to share our lives, personally and professionally. We use these platforms in wide and narrow strokes, sharing with large twitter empires or carefully constructed neighborhoods of facebook friends, depending on our needs and wants. Whether through social networks, video/picture sites or the idea trains we call blogs, we have a voice within many, unique types of emerging communities. And, social media is becoming more and more important in promoting and marketing our ideas, businesses, and even ourselves.

Succeeding at effective communication through social media can sometimes feel a little daunting. What  do we do and how do we do it well? Well, it may be easier to start with an eye on the things these new channels will not help us accomplish.

Don’t use social media:

To Dump Content: Instead of downloading tons of content, social media allows us to engage people in our information. Think less about declaring yourself and more about conversing on topics of mutual interest. Standard websites are better spots for lots and lots of content.

To Finish a Thought Instead of Begin It: Social media is all about bringing fresh ideas or approaches into a larger discussion. It just is not an autocratic platform. Share your thoughts, contribute to conversations, support and encourage your communities, instead.

To Insert – Rather than Define – Your Brand: Your brand stands alone…social media gives you a means to provide context and meaning to it. If you have a business or cause to promote, share it out. Open it up for others to comment on. That will allow brand definition to occur. There’s lots of self promotion in social media and the best of is not communicated through old school, persuasive advertisements. The approach is to introduce your brand as a natural part of the conversation.

To Hide Your Motives: This is all about transparency. Use these open channels to free up ideas. The social community is incredibly open to new thinking.

To Compete: Think of social media as a series of channels offering collaborative, intuitive communication processes. These are communities of practice and interests where we cross pollinate knowledge, ideas and understanding. This is a hard one for some business folks to get their heads around. Yet, social media is a landscape for sharing. If the idea of competing is that it helps you stand out and win, think about this occurring because your ability to engage has made you a valued community member, instead.

To Function in a Vacuum: It’s not about you, alone. Ask others how they are. Listen. Whatever social media channels you operate within, think of yourself as a citizen of the community. Be part of it. That’s true engagement.

Social Media and the Explosion of Ideas

By Carol Yelverton

I have two gmail, one Emerson College & three yahoo email addresses, two twitter accounts & memberships on facebook, Linkedin, MySpace, youtube, flick’r, digg, delicious, yahoo buzz and stumbleupon. I run a small social network and a blog.

I’m social.

Here’s why: I believe that social media can transform society.

Brian Solis, one of the pioneers of this medium, wisely got this way back in 2007 when he defined social media as ” The democratization of content and the understanding of the role people play in the process of not only reading and disseminating information, but also how they share and create content for others to participate. It is a shift from a broadcast mechanism to a many-to-many model, rooted in a conversational format between authors and people. ”

We are now empowered to communicate out loud together in ways we never have before. This has provoked us, creating a thought expansion which we are living out in a variety of ways

Certainly, we are developing promising ways to do business. Just as we believed we had search engine optimization figured out, our new ROI model is revolving around the engagement we find on twitter and youtube. And marketers have new, tight, direct funnels to prime target audiences.

We are also building new neighborhoods. We’re rekindling relationships with old friends on facebook, as we create connection with those we never would have otherwise encountered on twitter.

And we are shaping ideas about ourselves through the economic tumult of this Great Recession and the uncertainties we find about our place in the world, as well. We are practicing politics, building coalitions, exchanging music, art & culture, and sharing news & information according to our pace and interests.

Social media is truly an explosion of ideas, a confluence of information and practices interwoven through these multiple social media channels, as we elect to participate in them. It’s not something being done to us. It’s something we are participating in creating.

What truly excites me about all of these tools are the new rules of engagement. Social media is transparent. It is a free-form exercise of conversation and spirit. I have found incredible generosity in discussions and in the sharing of ideas I have experienced. It’s is a far cry from proprietary thinking around intellectual property. The populist flow of social media is causing incredible growth to occur because the end result really is greater than the sum of its parts. We are all making something happen.

A social movement is a group action based on ideas around political or social issues. It’s no stretch to starting thinking about social media as a social movement. We are growing our own areas of need and interest. In doing this, we are moving our world forward. This is social change at its most basic and profound level.

Ideas and information are moving around the internet at speeds of light. Through social media interaction ripples and reaction are transforming outcomes. What are your pet interests? How has social media changed them…and what can these new tools do in the future to create even better results?

Great history is often not made, but occurs through the natural course of human action. We are just past the threshold of this new form of communication, which just really may, in its transparency, speed and innate sense of community, transform our thinking as people on this planet.

The Recovery Party

By Carol Yelverton

Home sales are up and, with a 3.5% annual rate in the third quarter of the year, the latest economic numbers show the deep recession has ended. The news this week from Ford was deeply encouraging, too: a $1 billion profit for the third quarter. Yet, this surging economy hasn’t quite figured out how to take the American people along for the ride. Unemployment was at its highest level in 26 years last month and all signs indicate it may get higher. This is kind of like throwing a party but forgetting to send out the invitations.

Many Americans, like John Herrholz,  continue to struggle.

John worked for many years as a television engineer. He joined an audio & web encoding service in 2007. By 2008 the company was already retracting and John was laid off. His wife, Barbe, has had her counter hours at Dunkin Donuts cut from 24 to 16. The only health insurance they have is catastrophic.John spends at least half his week looking for a full time job. And, he’s picked up some work as a field engineer for TV sports events.

Meantime, the Herrholz’s son was laid off. He, his girlfriend and their child were evicted. “They then moved into my home to have a roof over their heads and once he got back to work, to save some money to get back out on their own. I am not sure if the lesson will be learned for a while, but I hope that he will see what unconditional love is.” says John. “If I can keep healthy and keep finding some work, I should come out ahead in a couple of years. I am trying to see the glass as half full, not the other way… Like many other issues, failure is not an option.”

So, at this point how can job creation join the recovery party? Economic stimulus plans tied to alternative energy and construction can help. So, too, can an alignment of the stock market’s emerging growth in sound, ethical practices, and in a strong infusion of support for emerging and existing small businesses.