Mobilizing with Moms to Use Social Media for Social Good
A few weeks ago, my colleagues and I invited a small group of mom bloggers to talk about how we could work together to use social media for social good. Knowing who was going to be in the room and what was going to be discussed, I knew it was going to be a great event — but nothing could have prepared me for what turned out to be an incredibly moving experience.The idea for the day started with the realization that by using social networks, people can (and do) reach and interact with others to drive social change. We’ve seen this in many places, from politics, where people have connected to drive political discourse, to charitable giving, where international aid agencies have used networks to raise funds for relief efforts. This incredible group of mom bloggers brought the discussion to an entirely new level, driven by their moving personal experiences and passion for making a difference. Their experiences touched our hearts, and their ideas opened a range of possibilities that we never thought possible.
Those familiar with our company know that Johnson & Johnson has always placed a high importance on philanthropy. (In fact, my colleague Margaret Gurowitz has discussed the history of our philanthropic efforts several times on the Kilmer House blog). We support a wide range of partners, focusing on those that have programs that can improve people’s lives in meaningful ways. Programs like Text4Baby, which provides text services for expectant moms, or Mothers2Mothers, which provides peer-based support for HIV-infected moms in Africa are a sampling of our over 650 partners. We recognize, though, that with additional support, and greater awareness of what these partners have to offer, there is much more that they could accomplish.
That’s where the mom bloggers came in. After seeing what some of these moms were doing to improve people’s lives by leveraging the strengths of their personal networks, we realized that they may have some great ideas to help our partners.
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