There are horror stories out there about online social networks. Most of the stories we hear are negative. We hear of sexual predators on Myspace. Craigslist has it’s very own killer. Even Ernie posted earlier today about one of the huge problems with Facebook.
But every now and then, I see see this medium get it right. Sometimes, it gets it right in a huge way.
Social networks are popular for many reasons. Some use them to pimp themselves. They post all kinds of pics of themselves and it’s all about creating an online image. Some people actually use them to market products. Still others use them as a virtual soapbox to get their thoughts and opinions out to someone, anyone, who will read them. I do this often. But most of us are using them to reconnect and keep in touch with others. In this, these services have served me well.
As most of you know, my 10 year old daughter spent 4 days and 3 nights in the hospital with a severe kidney infection. It was a trying time for her and our family. We are still worn our from the whole ordeal and she is still in recovery here at home. But there were some bright spots during this time. We were showered with love, care and concern. We received phone calls, visits, emails, and yes, notes of encouragement via Facebook and Twitter.
I was able to keep most of the people we know apprised of the situation. I posted updates as I could and asked for prayer. And guess what? BOOM! We were getting encouragements and notes from not just a few people, but dozens! Every time one of you would send in a kind note, I would look over at BeBe in the hospital bed and read it. Some of you she knows, but many of you she does not. It didn’t even matter. Every time we got one she’d smile. It made her feel important and special.
So good on ya Facebook and Twitter. You’ve created something that allows us to report and receive in a way we’ve never seen before. I am very grateful. Thank you.
And one more time, and probably not the last time, I want thank all of you who called, visited, tweeted and posted notes during our trying time. It was awesome and helped more than you know.
