Did you hear that Mashable declared Friday Social Good Day? I think that’s great and commend their efforts to do something to catalyze the community “to celebrate, share, educate and engage in a discussion on how social media can be used to tackle some of the world’s social challenges and issues.” That said, it’s equally important to recognize that, particularly in the challenging environment we face today, social good can’t just be a day-long celebration (though some great things can be done in even a short time), but rather a long-term, sustainable effort.
And it is indeed a challenging environment. I think those on the front lines of creating positive change on behalf of causes are facing the perfect storm of social good…three circumstances that are challenging on their own, but exponentially more daunting when faced simultaneously.
1. A rough economy–With so many out of work, and everyone from individuals to corporations tightening the purse strings in order to ride out the recession, few dollars are left for charitable contributions.
2. Charity overload–There’s already too little to go around, and it seems there is a new request for support–sometimes with a dose of peer pressure–every time you turn around.
3. Attention deficit–Causes are fighting for a share of attention with more media, content and messages than ever before, and it’s really hard to shine through.
If you weren’t in Boston last week and missed Jeff Pulver’s 140 Conference (#140conf) Boston, you missed a great session on Social Good that included Scott Henderson, Jeanne Dasaro and Kevin Gilnack. They discussed what the real-time web means for creating social change. Scott described social media as an effort to bridge the distance between the people who need help, the people who want to help and the obstacles in the way. Social media helps remove or mitigate many of those obstacles, provided those taking charge of causes organize and mobilize effectively.
So, what are some simple strategies to get started in the right direction?
- First, what is the good you want to create? You need to know the destination before you can plot a course.
- You need people. So, how can you use social media to be a connector and find the right people for the right causes?
- What stories can you tell that inspire, turning awareness into action for your cause?
- How can you partner or leverage the work of synergistic organizations to further both of your efforts?
It’s not easy, but we all know it’s worth our efforts. Let’s make those efforts more effective. What strategies are you using? What’s working and what’s still broken?
(…oh, and I’m heading into a session on Social Media for Social Good at Podcamp Boston, so I’ll let you know anything new I learn!)
*Update: Long story, short? It was a solid session led by David Wells of Socialize Your Cause. Check them out for some great resources. Just a couple quick things I picked up from David and others in the session…a fantastic Google Chrome plugin that enables you to instantly select and promote a cause to all your friends on Facebook, and a lead on some low-hanging fruit and in-kind advertising with Google Grants.