Yesterday I was Facebooking, yes that is a verb, and I noticed one of my friends posted a link about a missing girl here in the Lexington area. I clicked on the group and read the details. The girl was 13 and had been missing for over two days. The group had about a hundred or so members when I first looked at it. The family was reaching out to anyone, friend, foe, or stranger to help spread the word about the missing girl to get her home safe and sound. All they were asking is that you post the group link to your profile, this would mean it would be shown in the live feed, and then more people would see the info about the girl, and then more people would be aware.
The group gave all the details that you would find on a news report or an amber alert. They gave information of who to call and what their relationship was to the missing girl. For some reason I felt obligated to join in and do my part. I didn’t think that just by me doing this would bring her home safely, but I just thought that if a significant number of people did this that it would help bring her home. Sure enough I posted the link on my profile and shared it with the people within the Lexington, KY network. It made me feel good to know I was contributing to a good cause via Facebook, but it wasn’t a life changing moment, for me at least. However, for the family and friends of the little girl it was.
Within hours from when I had originally joined the group the number of members had doubled, and the messages wrote on the wall were quite moving. Some time had past, and late last night I got on my Facebook and I had received a message from the group informing everyone that the young girl had been returned to her parents safely. I was relieved to hear this, but what hit me most was where the message stated “the out reach of this group put pressure on the situation and forced her return.” It is crazy to think that something that started out as a way for people in college to get to know each other and a social network would come to the point where it is helping people to the extent that this is.
Facebook is no longer just a social network; it has become a social medium where people are marketing themselves, their businesses, and their worthy cause. The power of Facebook, wow never thought I’d say that, but the power of Facebook has reached a new level, a new status quo if you will. It is used to network, and find people with similarities to you whether it be school, friends, or job professions. You can use Facebook to market your business, market it to people who know your company and even people who don’t. You can use it as a public relations tool to build relationships with pretty much anyone. Social media is a new monster, but the bottom line is it’s here to stay. Luckily, at Green Thumb we’re internet gurus and know exactly how to use social media market your business online, and incorporate it into your website. So not only are we planting your business online, we’re planting your business on all of your social media outlets, profitability of course.