However, this is not to say that social media can't be powerfully effective in certain applications. Here's an excellent example of someone using these tools to effectively deliver a message by suggesting simple "things you can do" to help.
In British Columbia there's an 86-year-old man by the name of Bob McMinn who, despite his age, has gone to great lengths to learn and master social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter and Youtube in an effort to save a piece of endangered forest around an area known as Mary Lake.
Bob's website is Save Mary Lake and the following Youtube video will explain what he's trying to do.
By simply donating $10 you can symbolically "adopt" a square metre of endangered forest (from a digital map provided on the website) to help Bob achieve his goal.
Without question what Bob McMinn is doing is inspirational beyond words, and his tireless efforts have not only convinced me to support what he's doing but also share his story with others.
At the end of the day it won't be Facebook, Twitter or Youtube that saves Mary Lake.
Bob McMinn will do that, and the social media sites will be his tools.
Great post John! Thanks for helping spread the word. I agree with your comments about social media being tools, although I think they do more than marketing. We can use social media to actually engage with our donors and supporters directly, which develops trust and confidence and a relationship of sorts. Such as my comment on your blog post! I'm going to be checking out your furniture now, for sure!
ReplyDeleteThanks Mandy. I wish you continuing success with saving Mary Lake.
ReplyDelete