One, it’s shifting my perspective. Guess what happens when you look for something wonder-ful each week? Yep, you start noticing more and more sources of wonder.
Two, it creates a visual record of the year, 52 weeks of captured moments I’ll be able to look back on at the end of it.
What does Wonderment mean to you? Do you like to capture those moments?
I see you – clicking and peering through your screen, hoping to happen upon a tasty morsel on the interwebs. Well, let me tell you about my friend Kieran.
Kieran and I first met in 2007. I was wearing some kind of fancy frock thanks to some alien-like amazon woman dressed in a hideous ballgown. You seem to be new here. Look behind the orange cratesover there. You’ll find some free dresses that look a little more….3D, she said, looking me up and down in one awkward jilted motion.
Equipped and fully rezzed in a new foofy cocktail dress and shoes, feeling rather gauche – and having fed my baby late at night – I teleported to my corporate playground to do some research.
Oh Jazzydee! I’m so glad you’re around! Gizzy Electriteeth whispered to me, I want to introduce you to my friend Kieran.
This is how we met. In a virtual world, exploring new ways people could learn and engage. We chatted on an ambient dance space platform about life, work and serendipity. She had four kids. I had three. We both worked from home for the same company, but on different sides of the world. She wanted to use technology for social good. So did I. She would post Girl Scout peanut butter cookies to me. I would send her some Furry Friends.
Image by Amber Rhea
Later, Kieran and I would apply for the same exciting job. She got the gig. I And you know what? I was happy for her, because I knew she deserved it. She cheered me on and eventually I would find an equally exciting role. We Twittered. We Facebooked. We Slideshared. We chatted. She encouraged me. And still does.
This is what I like about online social networks. The people. We discover people who share their dreams, adventures hopes and ideas. We connect with new friends who live in different cities and continents. People like Kieran. Like Gizzy. Like you. And our brief conversations inspire big dreams.
One day, we might just meet. But – you know what? I feel like we’ve met already.
This is a post for SOBCon10 BlogIt, Earn It “The Virtual Meets the Concrete”. You can enter too. “Write a blog post about a person (or people) online who has (or have) made a difference in your life. Celebrate how they have made your life easier, better, smarter, more productive, more meaningful.”
This week we drove to Adelaide – around 700km away (440 miles) - and back for quick holiday. Just now, looking through my photos and deciding which photo to select for a weekly wonderment challenge, I noticed something.
The sky. Our big, beautiful blue sky.
Why did I notice it? Surely I was taking a photo of the train which seemed to be racing us, the road which went on forever, the golden fields or the red, red earth which graced our path.
Because without space – which may not seem to speak volumes on its own - it’s more difficult to notice the things which tell a story.
It reminds me that when you want to imagine, when you want to wonder and discover fascinating things – you need to begin by getting rid of the distractions. By scaling back. And allowing the weight of space, the sheer volume of the seemingly unimportant, to grant you a little perspective.
Once upon a time, when you wanted to raise some funds for a good cause you would ask your friends, neighbours and your local community. Nowadays when you raise funds, thanks to social media there’s a chance that anybody, anywhere might notice that you are raising funds. Which raises the question of whether or not you are raising funds to be seen raising funds.
It takes me back to a childhood memory of fame and the less fortunate. Every year when the annual Christmas Children’s Hosptal Appeal was on TV, my father would ring up and donate a small amount of money in our names. And every year we would eat lolly gobble bliss bombs and sit through the bad variety acts, watching the fundraising tally rise higher and higher.
Image originally uploaded by Hellebardius
We watched that screen very, very closely because at some point, one of our names would be read out or displayed on telly “Thanks Jasmin for donating 50 cents” (hey, that was a lot of money to a kid in the 70’s!) To us it may have been three seconds of fame, but we also realised we had made a difference to sick children, along with thousands of others. It all added up.
Recently Darren Rowse aka Problogger shared a dilemma on Twitter about the issue of public vs private giving . He stated that bloggers are in a position to help others in situations, like the current devastating situation in Haiti. However this could create an appearance of “being seen” to be helping. He shared on this occasion, he would be following his heart. A sentiment echoed by many others in response.
I’m not sure there is any right or wrong in using your influence to blog about a good cause. So how do you wear your heart on your sleeve, without shoving your avatar around in the faces of ….well, anyone and everyone.
Here are some of my thoughts. I’d love to hear yours.
Relax – It’s OK when I know where you’re coming from.
After all, it’s for a good cause, isn’t it? If I feel like I know you, if I trust you and believe you have integrity and credibility, it won’t bother me when you blog about a cause. Not one bit. I might even donate more to you than the guy who just knocked on my door (seriously, somebody just came around doorknocking for Epilepsy.)
Respect Your Community.
Sure, use your influence to help somebody else get attention for a good cause. Just be respectful with your choice of words and the amount of resources (time, skills, creativity, money etc) you may demand. T’aint what you do...
Know Thyself.
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”– Dr. Seuss. What is your definition of success? If you ended up raising funds but losing “followers” would it really matter to you? Why do you want to help out? What do you have to lose? What do you hope to gain?
Be Part of Something. Contribute to a greater project. You don’t have to start your own fundraiser or creative challenge. Do a Twitter search or blog search. Find out what others are doing about the things that matter to you, and join them.
Thank Someone. Thank Everyone.
It should go without saying, but it’s very, very important. Remember to thank the people who help you out. Make a list if you have to, so you don’t forget.
What do you think? Have you had any positive or negative experiences using your blog to raise funds?
Update: some points from @JoannaYoung in the comments below included:
6) think about how you’re adding value (helping to raise awareness / spread the word as well as fundraise / donate)
7) keep the focus on easy ways other people can get involved and contribute… if they want to bear in mind if it’s a major catastrophe your readers don’t need awareness raising… they might want to know simple ways to give
“You mean, there’s a face-to-face side of this whole Twitter thing?” a colleague asked me recently.
Yes. If you like.
So why bother attending a Tweetup? Many moons ago (back in ‘96 or so) I used to hop along to different new media meetups. In fact, at one point I even found myself coordinating a few for artists wanting to learn more about new media. People swapped ideas and business cards while they discovered new ways to turn multimedia projects into something remarkable.
These days, Tweetups are another good way to swap ideas and business cards. But this time, you get to meet people you have already met…through Twitter. People from all walks of life. Business connections. Personal connections. And a chance to talk about social media and the things you would like to learn from/do business using/create art with new technologies.
These days I don’t get along to as many events as I used to. And while social networking helps to fill the gap between working part time, caring for my family and pursuing my passions, I still enjoy meeting and hearing what people have to say at these tweetups.
After meeting so many locals using social media to make a difference, it only seems right to continue the conversation (and to swap more ideas, and more business cards.) Announcing…<drumroll>…. a Melbourne Netsquared local group for those of you wanting to talk about using social media for social good. At this stage we are looking at a venue in the east as many interested parties find it difficult to get into the city. The first meetup/tweetup is planned for Tuesday April 13th and we already have a number of RSVPs.
You can join and read more about the Melbourne NetSquared meetup group. We will only be meeting every quarter, but to keep the momentum going you can attend a weekly eastern Tweetup #mescm at the same place and time which Patricia Dodd and David Warwick are starting up. Once we can find a suitable venue for coffee and breakfast around Blackburn-ish, with wifi that is.
While you might not be able to make every tweetup, you might discover some interesting people if you hop along to SocialMelb (Friday mornings, City) or TweetupMellers (monthly Thursday nights, Windsor) or #mescm (Tuesday mornings, eastern burbs TBD).
There are plenty of tweetups to choose around Australia and the world. You never know what creative projects you might dream up or join in as a result. Personally, meeting people from Twitter has helped me to raise funds for different nonprofits, given me speaking engagement opportunities and introduced me to some wonderful creative do-gooders and resources. It is “social” networking after all
What’s your experience? Have Tweetups been useful for you?
There are some people who have an extraordinary legacy of giving. It always inspires me when you see somebody with a reslience and heart that keeps on giving – and giving – and giving. One of these special people, Beth Kanter is celebrating her birthday. I’ve mentioned Beth here before:
“One of the things that really stands out about Beth is her absolute dedication to arts and community based organisations. She is a trainer, coach, blogger and social media strategy consultant to nonprofits. She shares information on her blog about effective ways of using social media with others. She finds ways to involve her kids in making a difference. Beth even takes time out of her incredibly busy schedule to help out with other nonprofit projects on the other side of the world, like my Women’s Investment project for Opportunity International” (See slide 13)
Beth has a birthday wish this year, to send 53 Cambodian Children to school. To participate read more on her blog http://bit.ly/beth53
So far over 60 bloggers have shared blog posts and tweets in honour of Beth and the great work she does (I’m a little delayed number 63 thanks to the heatwave that hit Melbourne yesterday!)
Also please take some time to check out some of the blogs above. I need to update my blogroll and feedreeder to include some of these passionate people who keep on giving!
I think it’s important to include ways to give in your plans for 2010. If you can’t do much, start with something small. It all makes a big difference.
How to you plan to celebrate the year ahead in acts of kindness?
As any mother will attest, parenthood is full of all kinds of interruptions.
Something like this…
So, I’m making a concerted effort to count on interruptions this year. Yes, I’m planning on being unfocused. At home with my hubby and these three amigos, and at work. Totally. Distracted. Interrupted.
It seems we spend so much time figuring out ways to getting things done, that we try to find ways to avoid distractions. But I’m embracing the good distractions as a way to limit the more unpleasant distractions.
Setting up some interruptions for 2010.
So here are some things I have done to count on interruptions this year. It’s my “Distraction a-la-mode”.
1. I have stacked up several particular books I plan to read or re-read (You might be interested in this post on reading a book per week this year) along with my notebook for ideas. I’m reminding myself to read them – even if only 20 minutes at a time – when I want some time out. It’s easy to get distracted with other things, games, TV etc and before you know it you’ve spent 20 minutes doing nothing. Which becomes an hour or two per week when you could be doing something.
2. Setting up my columns in Tweetdeck so I am “interrupted” with useful information on Twitter from some wonderful people. Last year I used a loan laptop for a while. I missed my Tweetdeck terribly and dipping into a conversation of 2000 people every day was too much for this Wonderwebby. Now that I have my own laptop again, I still dip into the general conversation as there is lots of interestingness to be found. But I need to use Twitter lists and Tweetdeck to serve up the most useful information and to stay connected to the lives of some lovelypeeps.
3. Setting up snail mail reminders. Putting cards and stamps in my glovebox so that I can write cards before school pick-up. I have one friend in particular who has reminded me how special it is to receive a handwritten note.
Of course there are a gazillion ways to count on interrupting yourself. Like turning the wifi off your computer so that you can get through the work you need to (you will still find other interruptions I’m sure!)
This week however, before I go back to work, I plan to be interrupted by family, distracted with new ideas, and completely preoccupied with noticing the people around me
What kind of distractions do you hope to set up for yourself this year?
As an aside: I’m thinking of finding a weekly Flickr challenge to stir my imagination this year. Any suggestions?
Thank you for being part of such a special year. I’m grateful for the journey and for meeting such amazing people who invest in good things.
I’ve had a lovely Christmas day with my family. Perhaps because we collaborated on nonprofit projects this year, and because you extended kindness to those in need this year, I felt particularly thankful today. The kids were so excited this morning when they discovered (early!) that Santa visited. We enjoyed sunshine, loads of Greek food – and all the best health and comfort anyone could hope for.
I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year
It’s not always easy to get along to every social media breakfast, tweetup, and conference. Social networks have given me the opportunity to connect with colleagues and like-minded friends around the world. Sure, I’d love to get along to more events so that I can meet more people face to face, join in the conversation and build relationships. But as a part time working mum with three little guys it’s almost impossible. There are school drop offs to be made. Homework to be done. Babysitters to be found. And there’s family time on the weekend that I cherish, even though a Saturday conference about innovation and the interwebs sounds mighty appealing.
“…for every front yard, there is a back yard. And the back yard is where relationships are made.”…”social media builds relationships, and that relationships build brands and organizations. (Which is why we talk about how the number of followers doesn’t matter, but Dunbar’s number does.) A related post on this subject is Beth Kanter’s post on measuring impact, not influence and social influence reach versus affinity. Backyard conversations build relationships. After all, the best ideas do happen over a good meal and (sometimes) a few beers out on the back deck.”
Every now and then I manage to meet some business friends from Twitter over coffee in the city, at a work event, an evening tweet-up or at the rare conference. Those face to face meetings have been a great way to develop friendships which have even resulted in invitations to speak, business opportunities and national connections helping out to raise funds for microfinance and a school in Tanzania. Our initial introductions through social media meant connecting face to face was effortless, and this has led to friendships and opportunities to do good work together.
So when you are trying to balance work and family, how do you prioritise which face to face event is right for you?
Choose the most valuable event for your purpose. There are many conferences and seminars that seem interesting and informative and personally, I love any opportunity to learn. But in selecting an event you need to consider a few other things. What is the relevance to your job and to the things you hope to achieve? Will you have an opportunity to connect with people you already know through Twitter or your blog? What is one thing you can take away from the event and apply to the things you are doing?
Give yourself a break. There is ALWAYS something else to do. Email to read. Clothes to sort. Forms from school to fill in. Many working parents I know are so busy working and looking after their family that they don’t think about themselves. I bet you can make every excuse not to attend an event because there are so many things to be done. If there is something you are really keen to go to, book it in! Get help from your partner. Book that babysitter. Offload some ironing. You might even come back refreshed an energised by the conversations and ideas
Value your online social network. You can develop friendships and achieve great things through social networks. Social media is an excellent way to learn about people, exchange ideas and make a difference. You can join in their conversations on Twitter, comment on their blog posts and even talk on Skype or participate in a virtual video event or webinar. Are you also making it easy for people to get to know you and the things you are interested in, through your own blog posts, slideshare presentations or photos? Of course it’s always great to meet someone face to face, but if you are purposeful in the way you use social media, you can also be effective.
How about you? How do you prioritise face to face networking amongst the demands of being a working parent?
Different Organisations Solve a Business Case Study at the Nancy White Online Communities Workshop, Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne.
If you’re interested in making a difference with social media, I hope you enjoy these 3 themes that I’ll be exploring over the next year. In the past I have blogged at whim and inspiration, but I hope to be more focused in 2010 and might even move over to self-hosted WordPress and fix up my site. I have even committed to a blogging content calendar! Yes, Wonderwebby grows up (well, just a little)!
So, please let me introduce you to the first theme about making a difference with social media, “LIVE”.
It’s about being prepared to make a difference before you even get to the ’social media’ part. How can you make the time? What are the benefits of volunteering? What inspires you to create? What does influence mean? How can you be more focused? Are you ready? I also hope to share some tips based on my experience over the last several years working part time (often from home) while raising three incredible boys, and how I have used social media to connect back into the workforce and to raise funds for nonprofits.
It’s where I share about setting the tone in your life to influence your digital footprint. Whether you are a nonprofit, marketer, or teacher, whatever you do, I hope you enjoy these posts
What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts and ideas.
bear in mind if it’s a major catastrophe your readers don’t need awareness raising… they might want to know simple ways to give
wonderchatter