I am a social media user.
I have a Facebook account, a Twitter account and I have been blogging as
a Walden University student. I am a
comfortable Facebook user, a novice Tweeter and I am becoming a fan of
blogging.
This week
is the celebration of the Week of the Young Child. Everyday this week I have used Facebook and
Twitter to remind the world of all the reasons I can think of to support
programs and policies that focus on the well being of young children and
families. I have shared and re-tweeted
posts from NAEYC and other like-minded organizations and I am now writing about
it on my blog. I have gotten positive responses from friends and acquaintances form all across the nation, some whom I did not expect to be interested. Maybe I have engaged a new ally.
I think
social media is a great advocacy tool especially for informal messages, alerts,
reminders, updates, and links to articles with more information. I think it reaches a diverse and endless
audience. It may evoke someone to find
out more and become involved in your effort.
I do not think it should be used to replace more formal advocacy work
when a formal letter or a personal call or visit is in order. Social media allows an advocate to reach out
further and spread the word.
I have
actually written about this topic on my blog before with mixed reviews from my
colleagues. I look forward to reading
their comments and blog posts this week.
I totally agree that social media is a great way to get information out to others in a informal approach. Many great organizations are on facebook and twitters. Being able to read their messages and share their stories with others helps strengthen what we strive to do with the children and their families.
ReplyDeleteI like that social media reaches a diverse sector of the world population and it happens fast. It is definitely a plus to invest resources to actively promote advocacy efforts through the use of social media. This is an effective tool.
ReplyDelete