Sunday 4 March 2012

Well, hello again. Another Sunday night, another post from me to you. I'm amazed at the reach of this new blog. I sit here on a tiny speck of the globe in Canada, writing about kindness, and many of you lovely readers are from across the globe. A good percentage of you are from Europe, and it brings me back to my thoughts on the incredible social connecting power of the Web. There are so many voices to be heard from all over the world.

The Web has provided me many opportunities to connect with, listen, watch and understand people that I probably would not have met in a different scenario. So, I'd like to make a suggestion: pay attention. Many of us love social media websites (you're reading a blog, aren't you?). So, while we're having fun looking at photographs of our friend's latest island vacation, let's make note of what's really going on in people's lives, what they care about, what they're concerned about and what we can do to make others and ourselves happier. Before you rule out this idea, keep in mind that you don't have to give up posting funny internet memes or playing games on your favourite social media website.

So, are you in?

8 comments:

  1. Sounds like a good idea :)

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  2. I guess so. I'll just post a funny joke some other time.

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  3. I often read things on facebook that urge me to text my friends and see if they are doing okay. The power of a :( in a status update is always cause to reach out and ask if they are okay.

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    1. It's also annoying when people post cryptic things that may be them actually in a bad spot, but more probably is just them posting obscure lyrics from some song by MCR. Hooray for Facebook drama :P

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  4. Like Pam, I usually see things on social media then contact my friends in a more direct way such as a text or phone call to see whats going on in their lives or to find out what their social media post was about.

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  5. I don't really do that much. I find that social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are being used as a diary entry these days. For example there are a lot of "Great first date" or "It's been a hard week :(" If someone really needs to talk about something serious they will contact me or I'll find out through talking to them. Social networking just seems like a good way to get attention. My sympathy for attention seekers is moderately low.

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  6. Twitter sent me an email today and said it missed me... So I Tweeted about it.. I hope Twitter's not mad at me.

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  7. Wow Brad got intense. However, I am very much the same way. I have an issue with people trying to connect to others through their 'Diaries' (as brad puts it), but I have also heard of a number of stories where these online social abilities have helped people through tough times.

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