Social media can be a blessing and a curse. Issues that may have not seen the eyes of many people (i.e. dog abuse. child abuse) are able to be seen in a close and personal way. On the other hand social media also gives people ways to attack others and become bullies saying things that they would not normally say because they are behind the safety of their computers. If used positively social media can reach thousands of people in hours. It is a great tool to have on your side and to utilize if done so positively.
Personally I have had both positive and negative experiences with social media. I work in dog rescue which has shed some light on the true nature of some people including my friends. Many of my friends like to share and see the positive things in life, real or not. I could share something stupid or funny and my friends will all like it or comment. However as I share the needs and realistic issues in dog rescue and children, I seldom get likes or comments. To them ignorance is bliss.
Another negative experience I had more recently was on Facebook. I am part of several animal rescue pages and I had take in two stray pit bull mixes that were found on my school campus one morning. I have worked a lot with pit bulls and know what will happen to them if they make their way to county. I took these two dogs to my house and kept them there until a foster or rescue could be found. Long story short I had been posting about the male dog on several pages because an organization took the female. I already have 7 dogs and not a ton of space. Well I had had this dog for about two weeks and he was playing with my girls and he got too rough with one of mine and she ended needing stitches (it is a pack thing). She is totally fine but I was unable to keep this boy dog any more. I then posted on a page if he didn't find a place he would have to go to the shelter because I could not jeopardize the safety of my dogs. Some lady started ripping me apart on fb about how terrible I was and constantly bashed me. I spoke to her through private messaging and she proceeded to be disgusting and negative. I would almost guarantee that she would not have said a fraction of those things. All that the post was for was to find this dog a home. In the end the dog got adopted by a great family :)
I do not know a lot about all the social media avenues. I utilize facebook, but that is about it. I feel that other social media can be beneficial to advocacy efforts. Facebook can be used to share articles and pictures of children in the early childcare realm. Instagram may also be a helpful tool to get messages across through pictures. Pictures are worth a thousand words and sharing pictures can gather attention quickly.
I would definitely use both of these social media tools to help share messages of early childhood. I would be able to show the world how important the need for change is. I would use these social media tools to increase my knowledge and understanding of areas affected by poverty. I already follow several organizations and pages on facebook. These have already greatly impacted why I chose the path of advocacy.
Since I don't know a lot about social media, I am open to suggestions of other positive networking ideas.
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