Social media - Creating stronger communities and ties to each other

[Chris Tomlinson]

I live in a very small town of about 1,600 people in northern Indiana and have been a volunteer firefighter for almost two decades. Yesterday afternoon we responded to a very tragic accident where two teenagers lost their lives.

Within hours word spread, people were calling family and friends and then something interesting started to unfold.

The local people I have listed as friends on Facebook started flooding the Home page of FB with condolences and thoughts of prayer for the family and friends of the deceased. Parents who have teenagers the same age were reminding everyone to hug and love their children each and every day. Kids were leaving RIP's for their friends and friends of those kids parents were providing support through messages of sorrow and heart felt memories.

As S.I. has worked towards creating a smaller community and connections, I see this situation as a proven point that social media can work for not only business, but for building stronger communities and relationships.

It will never replace a hug, hand written note or a phone call, but it can be yet another avenue of support and a point of connection for people in the digital realm of life.

[Lynn Zettler]

Thanks for sharing Chris. I think this is very relevant and just shows us a different way of connecting with each other. We can use as many ways as possible.