Wednesday Wisdom: Creating an Online Neighborhood

Wednesday Wisdom, Inspiration, Social Media for Women Entrepreneurs, Female Business Owners, Women in Sports

In a recent Huffington Post article, the author stated there are two kinds of digital communication: those that improve our lives, and those that harm us. The last presidential election proved the treacherous ways social media was used to stress our democracy. Many people I know left social media. Honestly, I have missed the women I knew that decided to leave Facebook and Twitter because I loved being connected to them from afar.

But I am on the side of the article that believes digital communication can improve our lives, especially if one is a woman entrepreneur with a small advertising, marketing, and networking budget. Facebook’s demographics are where I find my main business demographics, women aged 50+. This social platform allows for relationship growth much like living in a neighborhood sharing our family’s celebrations of joy or defeat, milestone moments, and inspiration. Where we can talk about similar interests, join others in liked activities, and even share recipes.

In particular with the use of Twitter, a platform under scrutiny and heat since Elon Musk bought it, still provides me the place to connect periodically with females who would otherwise be out of my reach like Billie Jean King, Sarah Spain, and now Susannah Scaroni, Monday’s Boston Marathon Women’s Wheelchair Medal Winner, who “hearted” my blog tweet on how she inspired me to write about para-athletes like her. Getting a heart from a celebrity is pretty cool on an average day.

Next week as I venture to the Big Apple to attend the Global Citizen NOW conference where they convene the brightest minds and leading voices across the spheres of society, from world leaders to grassroots activists to showcase the power of cross-sector collaboration to solve the most urgent issues facing humanity and our planet, I invited Flo Medjdoub, a woman I have never met but communicated with the past five years on Facebook.

Flo and I somehow met through running but aren’t exactly sure how or where. When I lost all my hair, Flo sent me two head wraps to comfort me. Now I get to meet her in person because we stayed connected sharing inspiration, moments, and communication regularly. We will meet in her neighborhood and spend the day together being inspired to change the world.

Today’s Wednesday Wisdom should motivate you to contemplate your social media connections. How active are you on specific platforms? Whom have you met? What relationships can you grow further? Whom should you stay in contact with more often? Can you deepen your friendships online? How can you develop the relationship into a win-win for both of you?

I promise to share some photos of Flo and me as well as share pivotal actions I hear at the Global Citizen NOW conference where women’s equality is one of their focuses. Until then, check out Global Citizen and connect with someone you know or don’t know on a social media platform today and strengthen your relationship with them. You never know if fate has you meeting them in a future neighborhood.