Social Media & Action

After the third twitter about social media and activism, I decided to write about it.

Today is Blog Action Day, the idea that bloggers will all post about a certain topic (this one is the environment). To participate either by devoting the day to posting about the topic or by donating the money you make from your blog that day to a charity that supports the topic. It’s a fascinating idea. I personally would like to see it happen more than just once a year (maybe once a month). Having only one day a year means I’ll forget quickly. Keeping it in the forefront without burning bloggers out is important.

There was also the post from Scott Sigler, podcast novelist and social media expert, about Johnny Vulkan, who used his first place spot in line for the iPhone to promote and raise awareness for the charity Keep a Child Alive. Using free tools (Youtube, Flickr, blogs and press releases) Vulkan was able to increase traffic to the Keep a Child Alive site and raise money ($100,000k).

Finally, there’s the situation in South Africa. On Sunday the news broke that Sunday Times editor, Mondli Makhanya and deputy managing editor Jocelyn Maker will be arrested some time this week. There’s a campaign speaking out against the arrest and for freedom of the press in South Africa. Using sites like Jakiu and Facebook to spread the word and awareness about this event is brilliant, and I only hope it leads to more social justice.

Bookmark to: