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The Magic of Social Media

By: Amber Morris | 09/25/2009

I had no idea one of my Facebook friends was a parent educator for Parents as Teachers (a Standing Partnership client) until she leveraged Facebook to spread the word about what she does ...

XX is wanting everyone to know about Parents As Teachers. It is a great FREE program that the school district offers every parent with a child birth to 5. We offer home visits day or night, group meetings, health and developmental screenings. If anyone wants more information you can contact me or call 282-1476 to get set up. It has been proven that the children who participate in P.A.T. do better in school.

Undeniably, people were still advocates for organizations before Facebook existed. However, social media allowed my friend to get the word out to more than 120 people on her friends list. That would have been a difficult feat through traditional word of mouth.

Also, without social media I likely would have never known my friend was a parent educator because we've only recently reconnected on Facebook after 20 long years since high school. A quick Google search for stats on social media's impact on personal contacts or networks didn't yield much, but a quick scan of my Facebook friends shows that more than half are people who probably wouldn't be in my life now if not for Facebook.

This example of social media magic doesn't end there ... I forwarded the post to our Parents As Teachers client team, who then forwarded it to the client. Because I follow the client on Twitter (@PSimpso) and have mingled with her at a few traditional networking events, she felt comfortable responding to me directly to encourage my friend to become a fan of the National Center for Parents as Teachers on Facebook. She quickly became one, and I did too! Now, the organization can communicate directly with us via their regular Facebook status updates.

Moreover, while finding supporters is a wonderful thing, it's important to remember social media also can be used for criticism. My friend could have perhaps posted a negative comment about this or any other client. For those who haven't harnessed this tool ... know that the conversation is happening with or without you. Getting involved allows you to not only learn from what's being said, but also to fix any issues quickly and efficiently. Magic indeed!

Posted in Digital Communications